Silent Chromatin Mechanisms

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Intellectual Merit. In eukaryotic cells, the genome is organized into a DNA/protein complex called chromatin. Chromatin can exist in two forms, termed "euchromatin" and "heterochromatin." What distinguishes them is the identity of the proteins that are associated with each type. Euchromatin typically contains actively expressing genes (e.g., those that are ON), while heterochromatin typically contains inactive genes (i.e., those that are OFF, silent). This project will explore the molecular basis for how genes that are located in heterochromatin, and are therefore normally silent, get turned ON (e.g., become "transcriptionally activated") in response to stresses such as high temperature or exposure to toxic chemicals. The project will use the power of yeast genetics combined with the modern techniques of molecular biology and biochemistry. Building on previous results that suggested genes in heterochromatin are activated in a fundamentally different way than genes in euchromatin, this project will provide important mechanistic insights into this striking dichotomy.Broader Impacts. This project will provide training for a postdoctoral research scientist. From the scientific perspective, insights obtained about how heterochromatic genes are activated in yeast could have wide-ranging impacts on regulation in other eukaryotic organisms.