The Josephine Bay Paul Center

The Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution was officially established at the Marine Biological Laboratory in January of 1997. It is made possible by a generous endowment from the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation which has had a philanthropic interest in the MBL for the past twenty years.One of the most recent and exciting areas in biology focuses on defining the complete genetic sequence, or the genome, of organisms populating this planet. These genetic sequences are the blueprints for proteins, the molecules that make the physical and chemical processes of life happen. When the genomes of different organisms are compared, we can frequently pinpoint the genes responsible for congenital conditions or susceptibility to disease. This information will have an impact on all the disciplines in the life sciences well into the next century as researchers study the function, structure, and evolutionary history of all biological systems. Using the information carried in our chromosomes and understanding how these chemicals translate code into action has given rise to dynamic collaborations among all biologists who seek to unravel the mysteries of life.A significant impact that genomic studies can have is answering the questions: “Where Did We Come From?”, “How Did We Get Here?”, and “What Can We Do to Manage our Destiny?” The Josephine Bay Paul Center in Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution brings the power of studies of genomes to address these questions. Molecular techniques are used to acquire and compare gene sequence data. The comparison of genetic elements that have been passed from generation to generation makes possible the measurement of genetic differences among members of populations, species, and even among kingdoms of organisms. Molecular data provide a practical metric for assessing biodiversity and for making evolutionary comparisons among organisms. These elementary genetic sequences can serve as living fossils from the dawn of life.The aim of the Center is to bring together the technical expertise and intellectual activity of several multi-disciplinary laboratories already established at the MBL. Specifically, the major emphasis of the Center is placed upon comparative/phylognetic studies of genes and genomes, molecular microbial ecology/biodiversity and evolution of host defense mechanisms in marine invertebrates. Through studies of genotypic diversity across all phyla and the use of modern molecular genetics and phylogeny, the Center hopes to gain insights into the evolution of molecular structure and function.

 

RESEARCH at the Center explores the evolution and interaction of genomes of diverse organisms that play significant roles in environmental biology and human health. Projects span all evolutionary time scales, from deep phylogenetic divergence of ancestral prokaryotic and eukaryotic lineages to ecological analyses of how members of diverse communities contribute and respond to environmental change.

The Center also houses the Mobile Genetic Element Cluster, which includes MBL-affiliated year-round and summer investigators who are studying mobile DNA, and the Imaging Microbial Diversity Cluster, which includes Bay Paul Center and other MBL investigators who are developing new methods to visualize the diversity of microbes and their spatial relationship.The Center is part of the Brown University – Marine Biological Laboratory Graduate Program in Biological and Environmental Sciences. Most faculty are currently accepting students.

News

Julie Huber to lead cruise to Axial Seamount on Falkor RV

Mitch Sogin and Sue Huse named people to watch in 2013 by Cape Cod Magazine

3 Graduate students from the Bay Paul Center receive their Ph.D.s

Project Updates

Huber Lab
Mark Welch Lab
Arkhipova Lab
Amaral Zettler Lab
Alliegro Lab
Post Lab
Morrison Lab
Simmons Lab
Serres Lab
Sogin Lab
Borisy Lab

Recent Publications

Merkel, A., Huber, J.A., Chernyh, N., Bonch-Osmolovskaya, E. and A. Lebedinsky. 2013. Detection of putatively thermophilic anaerobic methanotrophs (ANMEs) in diffuse hydrothermal vent fluids. Applied and Environmental Microbiology.79:915-923.

Brandt, B.W., Bonder, M.J., Huse, S.M., Zaura, E. TaxMan: a server to trim rRNA reference databases and inspect taxonomic coverage. Nucleic Acids Res. 2012 Jul;40(Web Server issue):W82-7. Epub 2012 May 22.

Anton F Post, Branko Rihtman and Qingfeng Wang (2012). Decoupling of ammonium regulation and ntcA transcription in the diazotrophic marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium sp. IMS101. The ISME Journal (2012) 6, 629–637; doi:10.1038/ismej.2011.121;

Recent Posts

Upcoming Seminars

  • Events on April 22, 2013
    Brian Mitchell
    Starts: 12:00 pm
    Ends: April 22, 2013 - 1:00 pm
    Location: Candle House 104/105
    Description: Brian Mitchell - Assistant Professor, Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
    Title: The developmental regulation of ciliated epithelia
    Host: Marko Horb

    http://www.mitchell-lab.northwestern.edu/
  • Events on May 10, 2013
    Mustafa Khokha
    Starts: 12:00 pm
    Ends: May 10, 2013 - 1:00 pm
    Location: Candle House 104/105
    Description: Mustafa Khokha - Prinicipal Investigator, Yale University of Medicine
    Title: Congenital heart disease genes identify novel regulators of notch signaling which orchestrates cilia identify and left-right asymmetry
    Host: Marko Horb

    http://medicine.yale.edu/bbs/people/mustafa_khokha.profile
  • Events on May 17, 2013
    Phil Gruppuso
    Starts: 12:00 pm
    Ends: May 17, 2013 - 1:00 pm
    Location: Candle House 104/105
    Description: Phil Gruppuso, MD - Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Mol Biol/Cell Biol/Biochem (Research)
    The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, and Rhode Island Hospital
    Brown University
    Title: Liver Development in the Rodent: From Cell Signaling to Cell Replacement
    Host: Jonathan Gitlin

    http://biomed.brown.edu/facultydirectory/profile.php?id=1100924251
  • Events on May 24, 2013
    Kristi Montooth
    Starts: 12:00 pm
    Ends: May 24, 2013 - 1:00 pm
    Location: Candle House 104/105
    Description: Kristi Montooth, Assistant Professor, Indiana University
    Title: Adaptive cellular responses to a variable environment
    Host: Joel Smith

    http://www.bio.indiana.edu/facultyresearch/faculty/Montooth.html
  • Events on May 31, 2013
    Tom Daniel
    Starts: 12:00 pm
    Ends: May 31, 2013 - 1:00 pm
    Location: Candle House 104/105
    Description: Tom Daniel, University of Washington
    Title: TBA
    Host: Joel Smith

    http://faculty.washington.edu/danielt/
  • Events on September 13, 2013
    Job Dekker
    Starts: 12:00 pm
    Ends: September 13, 2013 - 1:00 pm
    Location: Candle House 104/105

Donate

Interested in giving to the Bay Paul Center? You can make a tax deductable donation online.