Chromatin genomics

In every eukaryotic cell, hundreds of chromatin proteins work together to control the expression of thousands of genes. Each chromatin protein interacts with many other proteins and regulates specific parts of the genome. In addition, the spatial organization of chromosomes is important for gene regulation. To study these processes, we take a broad integrative genomics approach, using both fruit fly and mammalian cells as model systems.

Research lines

Genome–nuclear lamina interactions

Lamin DamID

We investigate the role of the nuclear lamina in the spatial organization of chromosomes, and how this contributes to gene regulation and other nuclear functions.

The chromatin network

Clustering

We aim to elucidate how hundreds of chromatin proteins work together to package the genome and regulate gene expression. We study the domain organization of chromatin along the genome, and we investigate the protein interaction networks that underlie the principal chromatin types.

New genomics technologies

DamID

We design and apply whole-genome technologies to study the interactions and regulatory functions of chromatin proteins. We have developed DamID, an approach for large-scale mapping of in vivo protein-genome interactions. Other methods are being developed.

Bioinformatics

PCA animation

Whole-genome datasets cannot be interpreted without the help of bioinformatics. We are developing analytical tools to extract relevant biological information from DamID, expression profiling and other datasets.