Grant: Project Grant

Every cell in our body has exactly the same DNA; yet cells forming a kidney vastly differ from those forming the skin. A growing body of evidence now suggests that mechanisms controlling DNA compaction are important determinants controlling the expression of genes regulating cell fate. In other word, these determinants will define which of these genes are expressed and thereby promotes the formation of a specific cell or a tissue. While the genetic code carried in our DNA provides instructions for cells to manufacture proteins, it is the epigenetic code that determines which genes are in fact activated in a particular cell type. Basic proteins called histones encrypt this second code. The long-term goal of the laboratory is to understand the mechanisms controlling histone-mediated DNA compaction by dedicated chromatin modifying enzymes. With the recent findings that several chromatin-modifying enzymes are overexpressed in tumor cells, our work will hone on epigenetic mechanisms important for tumorigenesis. Our laboratory employs X-ray crystallography to visualize proteins. This biophysical help us understand the three-dimensional topology of the proteins and exploit this information to design small-molecular inhibitors to block the activity of these oncogenes.