Overview
The Loraine lab uses techniques from molecular biology, genomics, programming, and statistics to answer questions in biology and computer science, including:
Regulation of gene expression via splicing. We are interested in understanding how alternative splicing affects protein function and how the variety of splice forms arising from individual genes is regulated. We wrote a visualization tool called ProtAnnot that shows how alternative splicing patterns can affect affect conserved motifs in proteins.
Mining Expression Microarray Data. We are exploring how mining large data sets, expecially expression microarray data, can yield new insights and hypotheses regarding gene function and regulation. Together with colleagues from UAB, we operate an on-line tool for mining expression array data called CressExpress.
Genomic approaches to secondary metabolism in plants. We are investigating, at the gene sequence and gene expression level, elaborations on secondary metabolism that allow plant species to produce phytochemical compounds in seemingly unlimited diversity. To start, we are working with colleagues from the Plants for Human Health Institute to investigate the transcriptome and genetics of blueberry species.
Visualization software for genomics. We are also interested in understanding why, how, and when visualization software in genomics leads to new insights and discoveries. We are focusing our efforts on developing, testing, and supporting The Integrated Genome Browser, a popular tool biologists use to view and explore genome-scale data sets. We are also developing the Genoviz SDK, a library for building visualization applications for genomes.
Collaborations
We are also very interested in working with collaborators in other labs. We enjoy applying our expertise to new questions and problems; collaborations give us a chance to learn new fields, try out new technologies, and explore new directions for research.
If you are interested in starting a collaboration or joining the group, contact Ann Loraine.