Grant: Operating Grant

DNA, the carrier of genetic information, is packaged into highly organized superstructures inside cells. Genomic DNA wraps around specialized DNA-packaging proteins called histones to form nucleosomes, which assemble into chromatin. Chromatin influences all aspects of chromosome behaviour and genome function. It can be remodelled and modified by large protein complexes to produce a highly dynamic landscape. Such chromatin states can be inherited during cell division, creating an additional complex layer of epigenetic information that is crucial for the identity of a cell. Complex regulatory mechanisms involving chromatin ensure that each cell expresses only the appropriate genes, duplicates its genome with high fidelity, divides only when required and combats constant assaults on its DNA. An ever increasing number of different chromatin modifying proteins are involved not only in cancer but also in severe childhood syndromes and neurodegenerative diseases. The goal of this research is to understand the unique chromosomal neighbourhoods containing a specialized histone variant with interesting functions in health and disease. A combination of genome-wide approaches and more traditional molecular biology techniques will be applied to uncover the unique features and specialized function of the histone variant.