Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Genes encode blueprints not only for physical traits of organisms, but also instructions on how each cell should function in normal conditions and in response to a variety of stimuli and environments. For an organism to develop and function properly, the appropriate set of genes must be turned on, or ""expressed,"" at the correct time, at the correct level, and in the correct cells. When they are expressed, the instructions encoded by genes are read through the process of gene transcription. We are interested in studying transcription and mechanisms of regulating gene expression, which are methods used by cells to control when genes are expressed and to what level. Promoters are portions of genes that play a major role in controlling gene expression. Many studies performed over several decades have led to a detailed understanding of how a set of proteins, called transcription factors, assemble at gene promoters to turn on the associated genes at the appropriate time. We know very little, however, about what happens to the transcription factors that are bound to promoters once transcription has begun. That is, it is not clear how cells continue to express genes after they have first been turned on. Nor is it clear how cells control the level of expression of genes that are turned on, or how genes are shut off when they are no longer needed. The aims of our research program focus on studying the fate of transcription factors associated with promoters of genes that have been turned on. Using budding yeast as a model organism, we will determine what changes to transcription factors take place that allow continued expression of genes through multiple rounds of transcription, which is referred to as transcriptional reinitiation. Additionally, we will identify cellular systems that are in place that allow transcription factors to be cleared from promoters in order to shut down, or deactivate, genes when appropriate. Overall, our research program will identify and examine novel mechanisms by which gene expression is regulated. We expect the results of our work to add to the considerably detailed understanding of how genes are first turned on, thereby providing a more complete picture of gene expression. Through our work, we will be exploring poorly understood, yet fundamental aspects of how every gene works that will be valuable to others in Canada and around the world in the gene expression field.