Mechanisms of Disease Chromatin Structure and Function

Ferran Azorín

Group Leader

Professor (IBMB-CSIC)

ferran.azorin@irbbarcelona.org

+34 93 40 34958

Research keywords

Genomic functions take place in chromatin, not in naked DNA. In recent years, our knowledge about the regulation of chromatin functions has improved thanks to the identification of components and mechanisms that modify its structural and functional properties, such as remodelling complexes, histone modifications (acetylation, methylation...)and the corresponding enzymes, histone variants that localise to specific chromosome locations, structural non-histone proteins that contribute to the structural properties of specific chromatin regions (heterochromatin), among others. Our research focuses on the study of the molecular basis of chromatin function and its regulation.

Research interests

Epigenetic regulation of genomic functions
Centromere structure and function: chromosome segregation
Study of the structural and functional properties of heterochromatin
Study of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of homeotic gene expression in Drosophila

Research lines

I. Centromere structure and function: chromosome segregation.

We seek to determine the structural and functional properties of centromeric and telomeric chromatin and its contribution to chromosome segregation.

Our specific objectives are:

To perform structural and functional analysis of the centric histone H3 variants and their role in kinetochore assembly.
To analyse the contribution of the RNAi pathway to the establishment and maintenance of heterochromatin.
To study the molecular determinants of the interaction of HP1 proteins with chromatin.
To analyse the contribution of multi-KH domain proteins to the structural and functional properties of centric heterochromatin and its and determine its participation in chromosome condensation and segregation.

II. Epigenetic regulation of chromatin structure and function.

Here we address the contribution of histone modifications to the regulation of chromatin structure and function.

Our specific objectives are:

To determine the pattern of post-translation modification of histone H1 and to analyse its contribution to the structural and functional properties of chromatin.
To perform the functional characterisation of histone methyl-transferases.
To perform the structural and functional characterisation of chromatin factors that specifically recognise methylated histones.

III.- Epigenetic regulation of homeotic gene expression in Drosophila.

Chromatin structure plays a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression. In this context, our efforts focus on determining the contribution of chromatin structure to the establishment and maintenance of the pattern of expression of homeotic genes in Drosophila.

Our specific objectives are:

To analyse the contribution of chromatin structure to the functional regulation of the bithorax complex.
To analyse the contribution of the dSAP18 protein to the regulation of Fab-7 functions.