Dr. James Golden

Biography

James W. Golden is a Professor in the Department of Research Genetics at the University of California, San Diego. His current research focuses on developing improved genetic tools for cyanobacterial genetic engineering and utilizing these tools to address basic scientific questions and biotechnological applications. His biotechnology-related research includes the genetic engineering of cyanobacteria for the synthesis of bioactive natural products and biofuels. Among his projects are identifying cyanobacterial genes related to resistance from grazing amoebal and ciliate predators, studying the genes required for the biosynthesis of cyanobacterial toxins, and identifying cyanobacterial genes that affect fitness during growth in spaceflight on Mars. Golden uses strains of cyanobacteria, particularly the model strain Synechococcus elongatus (strain PCC 7942), which is known for its excellent genetics and wide use in synthetic biology studies. His past research emphasized developmental biology in relation to cyanobacterial heterocyst formation, focusing on the genetic regulation of cellular differentiation and the mechanisms of cell-to-cell signaling that control multicellular pattern formation. He has identified the patS gene, which encodes a small peptide that serves as a diffusible cell-to-cell signal that regulates heterocyst pattern formation.

Research Interests