Role of Histone Tail Domains in Chromatin Assembly In Vivo

University Of Rochester, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

Eukaryotic chromosomes are comprised of equal portions of the genetic material, DNA, and nuclear proteins to form a complicated arrangement known as chromatin. Chromatin serves to package the long DNA molecule in an orderly manner within the small confines of the cell's nucleus. This packaging also affects critical nuclear processes such as gene expression, duplication of the DNA, and DNA repair. Therefore, understanding how chromatin is assembled, regulated and copied is critical for defining the basis of a vast array of biological processes. This research is designed to take advantage of techniques involving chemical modification of chromatin proteins developed in this laboratory and the unique properties of a slime mold known as Physarum. This organism has the unusual ability to grow as a single giant cell, several centimeters across in a petri dish. More importantly, this slime mold readily absorbs foreign proteins whole into the cell from its upper surface. The PI has demonstrated that chromatin proteins can be easily introduced into Physarum and has used this property to study how these proteins are copied and chromatin re-assembled during cell division. In this project, he will extend these studies to determine how chromatin is reassembled after DNA repair and during gene expression and to get some clues as to what enzymes or co-factors are required for chromatin assembly in general. The results of this research will advance our understanding how chromatin is assembled and maintained during cell division and other critical periods in the cell division cycle.