Aims

Our research aims to determine the structural basis underlying the interplay between chromatin remodelling factors, transcription factors and DNA, a crucial requirement for the precise regulation of eukaryotic gene expression.

Background

The flow of gene transcription in the eukaryotic cell is tightly regulated by transcription factors and is strongly linked to the physical packaging of the DNA into chromatin. Chromatin is continuously packed and unpacked, a process known as chromatin remodelling. This process is performed by chromatin remodelling ATPases, which are able to alter the histone-DNA interactions within the nucleosomes. The importance of chromatin structure in human disease has become increasingly clear as mutations in genes whose products are predicted to regulate chromatin structure often cause complex multi-system diseases and cancer.