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Environmental Stress Biology

All cells and organisms are exposed to changes in their environment. These "stressors," whether natural or human-induced, disrupt cellular and molecular activity. Cells and organisms respond to stressors with mechanisms that restore normal function and repair stress-induced damage. Excessive stress can overwhelm the stress response pathways and lead to cell injury, disease, or death.

As we and other organisms age, the ability of our cells to respond effectively to stress declines. Accumulation of stress-induced damage is thought to underlie many of the diseases and degenerative processes associated with aging. Scientists in the Morris Center are working to understand which genes are involved in stress response mechanisms; how the failure of stress response pathways contributes to cell injury, disease, and aging; and how human-induced stressors damage marine ecosystems.