At a Glance

• Epigenetic gene regulation
• Animal models of Spinal Muscular Atrophy
• RNA processing and RNP assembly

The research in our laboratory interrogates fundamental molecular, cellular and developmental biological processes. In particular, we are interested in the roles played by small ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) in a genetic disease, called Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  We are also focused on the functions of histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression, important for understanding disease mechanisms in many different types of cancer.

Epigenetics (Regulation of Gene Expression)

• Role of histone PTMs in transcription and RNA processing
• Understanding contribution of histone PTMs to cellular memory
• Developing new tools to study multi-copy gene families

SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy)

• Function of the SMN complex in snRNP biogenesis
• Use of animal models to understand disease etiology
• Identification of novel functions of SMN complex