The Laboratory of Chromatin and Gene Expression

Genes are encoded in long DNA strands that make up chromosomes in the cell nucleus. Each chromosome contains hundreds of genes separated by large regions of spacer DNA. Chromosomal DNA is wrapped around protein particles called nucleosomes, with a large number of associated transcription factors and regulatory proteins. This assembly of very long DNA molecules and proteins in the cell nucleus is collectively known as chromatin. The packaging of chromatin, that is, whether a particular region is tightly packed or loosely packed, is carefully regulated by the cell as a strategy to control which genes are accessible to regulatory factors in a particular tissue or cell-type.

Our objective is to understand of the roles of chromatin and chromosome structure in the control of gene expression in differentiation and development as well as the processes, mechanisms and machinery that initiate and maintain different chromatin and gene expression states. The ultimate aim is to create an integrated understanding ranging from single nucleosome dynamics to nuclear architecture.

• Key publications from the laboratory
• Translating the Laboratory's Research into Action