Simple Cellular Solutions to Complex Problems

We have developed simple cellular models of complex neurodegenerative diseases by over-expressing disease-associated human proteins in yeast. By combining the unique power of yeast genetics with the highly conserved biology of protein homeostasis in all eukaryotes, we use yeast cells as “living test tubes” to investigate the mechanisms of toxicity associated with problems in protein folding, trafficking, and degradation and complement these basic studies with transcriptional analysis and high-throughput screens for toxicity modifiers.