Precise regulation of gene expression is vital to the survival of all organisms. Deregulation of gene transcription is the underlying cause of many human diseases, including various types of cancer and immunodeficiency. Moreover, agricultural developments aimed at meeting the global increasing demands for food, bio-fuels, and pesticide free practices are restricted by our limited knowledge of transcription regulation in plants. Steven's laboratory aims to understand the mechanisms that govern the activation of gene expression by gene activators. We study how gene activators perceive signals, rapidly find sites where they are needed on the DNA, establish dynamic expression of genes, and function within dynamic regulatory gene expression networks. To answer these fundamental scientific questions we study the plant immune response and the yeast amino acid starvation response. These systems lend themselves particularly well to studies of gene expression, as their activation is associated with rapid and dramatic reprogramming of many genes.