The Kumar Lab

In our lab, we utilize functional genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics to probe central signaling pathways underlying eukaryotic cell growth and function. In particular, we are currently studying a fundamental process wherein yeast cells undergo a dramatic change from a unicellular to a filamentous growth form. This growth transition is a critical determinant of fungal pathogenicity and also provides an excellent model regulatory network with relevance to ERK/MAPK signaling.


We focus on genomic and proteomic methodologies to dissect these signaling pathways; current studies utilize mass spectrometry-based quantitative phosphoproteomics to identify kinase signaling pathways, next-generation sequencing to identify genetic determinants of filamentous growth, and large-scale transposon mutagenesis to study signaling pathways in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.


Check out our Research and Publications pages! Remember, you can't spell "fungus" without "F-U-N"!