Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

DNA was traditionally believed to be the sole carrier of genetic information that is passed down to the next generation. However, the past couple of decades have shown that modifications on the DNA strand can also be inherited. DNA wrapped around a histone core composed of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 forms the basic chromatin structure, called a nucleosome. Many developmental diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and cancers result not only from mutations to the DNA sequence but also defects in regulating the chromatin structure. My research focuses on two proteins involved in modifying the chromatin structure, Asf1 and Yaf9. Asf1 is a highly conserved histone chaperone that contributes to the formation of nucleosomes. Yaf9 is a protein shared between two chromatin modifying complexes; however its precise role remains elusive. The Yaf9 homologue in human functions in a tumour suppressor pathway and is highly amplified in astrocytomas and glioblastomas. The ultimate goal of this project is to elucidate the cooperation between Asf1 and Yaf9 acting on the chromatin structure. Determining the functions of Yaf9 in chromatin remodelling will lead to a better understanding of its role in cancers and facilitate in the development of therapies for these diseases.