Our laboratory is interested in the role of chromatin in gene regulation and how other regulatory elements interact with chromatin. The human genome consists of over three billion base pairs of DNA. This information is packaged into each nucleus in the human body by wrapping DNA around collections of histone proteins to form nucleosomes. This packaging must be done in a manner that allows for the precise combinations of genes to be expressed at particular times during development to ensure the faithful production of particular cell types. Modifications to chromatin are associated with many important biological processes, and aberrant modifications are associated with tumorigenesis. Despite their central importance to gene regulation in both normal and disease cells, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the regulation of chromatin organization.

Our lab utilizes an integrative approach combining experimental and computational approaches to study these problems. Our goal is to integrate information on chromatin organization and modifications to chromatin with networks of transcription factors to study how chromatin context contributes to regulatory networks during development and disease progression.