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Michael Verzi
Assistant Professor
Rutgers University
Dept. of Genetics
Life Sciences Building
Piscataway. NJ 08854
(732) 445-1638
FAX - 1147
verzi@biology.rutgers.edu
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Transcriptional mechanisms underlying intestinal health
If the intestinal epithelium was unraveled it would be a
one-cell-thick layer with enough surface area to cover a tennis
court. This thin layer selectively absorbs nutrients while
repelling toxins and pathogens. Because it’s a dirty job, the
entire epithelium is shed and replenished continuously (much like
our skin) with the entire epithelium replaced every few days. High
exposure to noxious substances coupled with high rates of
proliferation make this epithelial layer susceptible to both
cancer and inflammatory disease. Intestinal diseases are among the
most prevalent maladies in our society.
Our group investigates how transcription factors, co-regulators,
and specific chromatin structures are assembled into enhanceosomes,
multiprotein complexes that control gene expression over distances
of many kilobases. These complexes are scattered throughout our
genomes, selectively reading the genetic code and the epigenetic
landscape to allow the cell to integrate external stimuli and
respond with genomic output. Different combinations of
transcription factors, co-regulators, and chromatin modifications
can respond uniquely to cellular states and our goal is to
understand the rules via which these complexes operate. We
discover these processes in the healthy intestinal epithelium and
then dissect each component part using mouse genetics. We then
compare how these processes are disrupted in intestinal disease
with the goal of unraveling the causes and discovering the cures
for intestinal health.
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