We are interested in understanding how chromatin structure is used to regulate fundamental biological processes.
Chromatin allows the cell to efficiently package its genome. The primary repeating unit of chromatin is the nucleosome. Nucleosomal DNA is tightly bound by the core histone proteins, which render it less accessible. An implication of this is that basic cellular processes such as transcription, replication and recombination, which rely on access to the DNA, are strongly influenced by chromatin.
An Interview with Iestyn Whitehouse
"My first success came studying a chromatin remodeling protein in budding yeast called ISW-2"
All eukaryotes use a combination of different strategies to alter chromatin structure. One of these strategies involves the use of motor proteins (ATP dependent chromatin remodeling complexes) that harness the energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to alter chromatin structure. Since chromatin covers nearly all of the eukaryotic genome, the cell has considerable need for the action of chromatin remodeling complexes.
A primary goal of this laboratory is to understand how ATP dependent chromatin remodeling complexes function to regulate chromatin structure.
