Current Research Interests
In the eukaryotic nucleus, DNA wraps around histone octamers to form nucleosomes. The nucleic acids and histones frequently undergo chemical modifications, and these modifications influence overall chromatin structure to regulate DNA-dependent processes including transcription, replication, DNA repair and recombination in living organisms. Our primary research goal is to understand fundamental mechanisms of chromatin-based gene regulation. We study how distinct chromatin modifications coordinate with each other and how various chromatin factors are recruited to chromatin to translate epigenetic information into gene expression. Furthermore, information and function of a genome are not only decorated with epigenetic marks in the linear DNA sequence but also in their non-random spatial organization in the nucleus. We also aim to extend our understanding of dynamic coupling between 3D chromatin organization and epigenetic regulation.
In the eukaryotic nucleus, DNA wraps around histone octamers to form nucleosomes. The nucleic acids and histones frequently undergo chemical modifications, and these modifications influence overall chromatin structure to regulate DNA-dependent processes including transcription, replication, DNA repair and recombination in living organisms. Our primary research goal is to understand fundamental mechanisms of chromatin-based gene regulation. We study how distinct chromatin modifications coordinate with each other and how various chromatin factors are recruited to chromatin to translate epigenetic information into gene expression. Furthermore, information and function of a genome are not only decorated with epigenetic marks in the linear DNA sequence but also in their non-random spatial organization in the nucleus. We also aim to extend our understanding of dynamic coupling between 3D chromatin organization and epigenetic regulation.