Development of new technologies to study the connection between chromosome architecture and regulation of the gene expression program

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Like computers, our cells depend on operating systems to drive normal functions. The gene expression program is the main source code our cells rely on to play these biological functions. Therefore, maintaining the integrity of the gene expression program is critical for all cells. Rules governing the gene expression program are expanding rapidly mainly fueled by the arising of new cutting-edge technologies. With this Discovery Grant, our research program will study how the chromosome (DNA) structure is connected to regulation of the gene expression program. Expression of each gene is highly dynamic as gene products (RNA) need to be increased and decreased depending on the cellular context. We will develop new technologies to dynamically measure gene expression at any given time. The chromosome structure is also highly dynamic during cell division. Moreover, chromosome sizes need to be adapted to fit the small nuclear space. Therefore, we will develop new methods to study chromosome conformation globally. These cutting-edge technologies are needed as the research community moves from single gene analysis to global methods visualizing all genes at once. This research program will train the next-generation of highly qualified personnel using global genomic technologies to address biological questions. The resulting methods will be easily adaptable to many research programs ongoing in the Canadian scientific community. Overall, this research program will greatly benefit Canada by providing new cutting-edge genomic tools and highly qualified personnel to a rapidly evolving research field.