About

The folding pattern of the genome plays an important role in gene regulation. Recent technological advancements have allowed for mapping of genome organization at high resolution. However, these maps are just the first step toward understanding how the looping of DNA in three-dimensional space controls gene regulation during development and disease.

Our laboratory is investigating the function of DNA loops involving genes and their transcriptional regulatory elements. A major question is how a specific regulatory element finds its correct target gene and is prevented from acting on thousands of other genes in the genome. To answer this question we combine genomic approaches (ChIP-Seq, ChIA-PET) and genome editing tools (CRISPR) to study the epigenetic mechanisms by which transcriptional regulatory elements control gene expression in embryonic stem cells. Our current research efforts are divided into 3 areas: 1) Characterizing the folding pattern of the genome 2) Dynamics of three-dimensional genome organization as embryonic stem cells differentiate into other cell types and 3) Functional analysis of altered chromosome structure in cancer and developmental disorders.