Research project Cell-type specific role of chromatin organization

Eukaryotic genomes are folded into high-order chromatin domains, which intrinsically affects all DNA-dependent processes. We study how chromatin architectural proteins regulate gene expression during dynamic developmental processes.

Figure: Illustration of the linear and 3D views of a genomic region, and a picture of cell nuclei from the early Drosophila embryo showing separate active and repressive chromatin domains. The image is from the Dai lab.

All cellular processes rely on the expression of the right set of genes at the right time and the right place. Chromatin architectural proteins regulate gene expression by modulating genome structure. Dysfunction of these regulators can lead to developmental abnormality and human diseases. In this project, we investigate principles of chromatin organization and address how genome structure influences cell fate decision through gene regulation during animal development. In particular, we study: 1) cell-specific role of chromatin organization controlled by a novel class of chromatin factors, the BEN proteins; 2) evolutionarily conserved functions of chromatin organization in neural stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. We utilize genetic, genomic and biochemical approaches and exploit our discovery from the invertebrate model Drosophila as an entry point to characterize candidate mechanisms in mammals.