W. M. Keck Program in Chromatin Structure
and Function
 In 2001, the scientific community and the general public celebrated the pioneering achievement of the sequencing of the human genome. However we now realize that we have an extremely limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which the genome is controlled, largely because human genes are tightly packaged into chromatin rather than existing as freely accessible, linear DNA within the cell. It is therefore imperative to better understand the complex relationships between chromatin and gene transcription at the atomic and macromolecular levels. Without this knowledge, the applications of the decoded human genome are limited. Building on unprecedented cooperative research strengths and activities of four CSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology researchers, the Program in Chromatin Structure and Function consists of innovative research projects centered around three interrelated themes involving transcription and chromatin structure/function relationships: Programmatic Themes Theme 1: Higher Order Organization of the Chromatin Fiber. Theme 2: Transcriptional Regulation in a Chromatin Environment. Theme 3: Biophysical Analysis of Transcription-related Complexes. Program Faculty The Program in Chromatin Structure and Function brings together the expertise of four CSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology faculty to form a unique and highly synergistic research and training program. Dr. Karolin Luger is the world's expert at solving X-ray structures of nucleosome core particles, and her recent crystallographic and biochemical studies have established CSU at the forefront of chromatin research. Dr. Jeffrey C. Hansen, who joined the CSU faculty recently, is an acknowledged leader in the use of solution-state biophysical techniques to characterize higher order chromatin folding and protein-mediated assembly of specialized chromatin domains. Dr. Paul Laybourn is a highly respected researcher in the field of transcriptional activation in the context of chromatin. Dr. Jennifer Nyborg has made significant breakthroughs on the mechanism of transcriptional activation by Tax, an oncoprotein encoded by the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1). |