Dr. Bernard Turcotte

Research in my laboratory relates to functional genomics in fungi. We are focusing on a family of transcriptional regulators called zinc cluster proteins. These proteins form the most important class of transcriptional regulators in fungi. These factors regulate a large number of cellular processes including metabolism and drug resistance. However, the function of many of these factors is unknown or poorly defined. To better understand the role of these transcriptional regulators in controlling gene expression, we are using various approaches including genetics, molecular biology, as well as techniques allowing genome-wide analysis. For example, we are interested in better understanding the role of zinc cluster proteins in conferring resistance to antifungal drugs in the human fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Candida glabrata.  Finally, my laboratory is interested in identifying new compounds with antifungal activity.