We study the molecular mechanisms by which protein methylation signaling networks effect cytosolic events and transcriptional programs, and how dysregulation of these signaling networks leads to birth defects, tissue injury and other human diseases. Our work centers on the biology of protein methylation, a principal mechanism that regulates signal transduction and chromatin remodeling to direct cell differentiation. We study how protein methylation events on non-histone proteins are induced, how protein methylation signaling is transduced during development and injury, and how methylation integrates with other signaling systems to make cell fate decisions for human health and disease.