CCMB Biologue - Genome-wide mapping of protein-DNA interaction dynamics, with Steven Henikoff

Henikoff's group recently introduced new tools for high-resolution genome-wide chromatin profiling and have applied them to study chromatin organization and dynamics in a variety of model systems, including yeast, flies, and mammals. Among the questions addressed are: How do transcription factors find their binding sites in DNA packaged into nucleosomes? How are nucleosomes depleted from gene regulatory regions? What is the relationship between nucleosome deposition pathways and chromatin deregulation in disease? Their findings illustrate ways in which chromatin dynamics can play a central role in regulating gene expression and silencing.