Our laboratory is interested in the processes of DNA replication, Recombination and Cell Division in E. coli. In particular, we are interested in how these processes are coordinated. It has been recently shown that replication forks stop for a variety of mundane, housekeeping reasons as they replicate chromosomes. This happens both in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. After stopping, these forks need to get repaired. This is thought to occur predominately by homologous recombination. Then after repair, these forks need to get up and running again. A special set of proteins call the Replication Restart Proteins form a multi-subunit complex at a repaired replication fork that helps to reload the replisome. In E. coli, the Replication Restart Proteins include PriA, PriB, PriC, DnaT, DnaC, and DnaB.