异染色质是一种独特的染色质状态，其结构高度浓缩，且处于转录沉默状态，具有复杂的调控方式及重要的生理功能。异染色质通常造成基因沉默，但也存在一类异染色质基因，其正常的表达依赖于邻近的异染色质。本实验室研究发现甲硫氨酸合成酶基因（met-8）上游存在50-kb异染色质区域，并且该异染色质结构对于维持met-8基因的高转录水平具有重要作用。本项目以粗糙脉孢菌为材料，围绕此独特的生物学现象，结合生物化学、分子遗传学、表观遗传学、系统生物学等多学科研究手段，对异染色质基因表达调控分子机制进行深入探讨。其研究结果不仅可以增进我们对真核生物异染色质基因表达调控的认识，同时也为解析异染色质的新功能及表观遗传学修饰的调控机制开拓了新方向。

Heterochromatin is a unique type of chromatin that is characterized by its transcriptionally repressed state and highly condensed structure. The assembly of heterochromatin is kept under tight regulation, and play important roles in many cellular processes. The heterochromatin always results in neighbor gene silencing, however another genes are positively regulated by its proximal heterochromatin region named heterochromatic genes.Our studies showed that the highest expression of methionine synthesae (met-8) gene was required in its proximal 50 kb AT-rich heterochromatin in Neurospora crassa. In this study, by means of a diverse mix of technologies such as biochemistry, molecular genetics, epigenetics, and systematic biology, we are trying to explore the mechanism of heterochromatin formation and how heterochromatin regulates the transcription of heterochromatic genes in Neurospora crassa. Our work will improve our knowledge about heterochromatic gene regulation and provide a novel insight into the heterochromatin functions and epigenetic regulation.