David Stern

The underlying research themes in the Stern laboratory are chloroplast biology, bioenergy and nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions. Within this framework, we study how chloroplast genes and metabolic activities are regulated by the products of nuclear genes, usually acting at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level. Areas of emphasis include the roles of ribonucleases and RNA-binding proteins and assembly of the carbon-fixing enzyme Rubisco. We are also using molecular and genetic techniques to adjust chloroplast metabolism for the production of useful hydrocarbons.