 |
Vasily Studitsky
Professor
UMDNJ - RWJMS
Dept. of Pharmacology
675 Hoes Lane West
Piscataway. NJ 08854
(732) 235-5240
FAX - 4073
studitvm@umdnj.edu |
Transcription regulation in cancer; chromatin remodeling;
mechanisms of enhancer and insulator action
Transcription is
the first step in gene expression; the majority of eukaryotic genes are
regulated at the levels of transcription initiation and/or elongation. Our
research concentrate on analysis of the mechanisms and regulation of initiation
and elongation using highly purified in vitro systems combined with
approaches in vivo. Since defects in gene regulation are the
leading causes of many human cancers. our research has direct implications for
medicine.
All eukaryotic DNA is tightly condensed within small
nuclei in nucleoprotein complexes called chromatin. Recently it has become clear
that chromatin is a dynamic structure exploited by the cell for regulation of
gene activity using a novel "histone code". We study mechanistic aspects of
chromatin remodeling that occur during gene regulation and transcript
elongation.
Finally. we are interested in analyzing the
mechanisms of gene regulation over a large distance. Such regulation is a
hallmark of regulatory pathways specific for higher eukaryotes. Two key
regulatory elements are involved in regulation over a distance: enhancers and
insulators. Enhancers mediate regulated gene activation over a distance;
insulators are critically involved in organization of functional units of gene
regulation (chromatin domains). The mechanisms of enhancer and insulator action
over a distance are currently unknown.
|
