Our laboratory is interested in understanding how chromatin structure is regulated and how perturbations in this regulation can lead to disease. Six to ten feet of human DNA is housed in a nucleus that has a diameter roughly one million times smaller. To do this, DNA is organized into higher-order chromatin structures through interactions with histones and other structural proteins. These chromatin structures not only compact DNA, but they play active roles in controlling fundamental biological processes, such as transcription, replication and DNA repair. Central to the regulation of chromatin structure are proteins collectively known as chromatin remodelers. We are studying a particular class of chromatin remodelers that use energy from ATP hydrolysis to alter DNA-histone contacts. By examining the biochemical activities of these ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers and determining how these activities are utilized, we will be able to bridge the gap between our understanding of the regulation of chromatin structure and the regulation of biological processes. Consequently, we will gain greater insights into the mechanisms by which chromatin remodelers function, and elucidate the contribution of their activities to normal development and disease, such as cancer.

Fox Chase Programs

• The Keystone Program in Epigenetics and Progenitor Cells
• Cell and Developmental Biology Program