Characterization of RNA-chromatin interactions

• Antragsteller: Dr. Marc Schneider
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Allgemeine Genetik und funktionelle Genomforschung
• Förderung: Förderung in 2010
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 171819304

Epigenetic processes play a crucial role in multicellular organisms, like humans. They are responsible for inheriting cellular information without affecting the DNA sequence and key players in cell differentiation and cancer development. There is compelling evidence that RNAs are involved in a large number of essential cellular processes. However, the role of RNAs in the establishment and inheritance of epigenetic information is still poorly understood. I want to use two different approaches to characterize interactions between the RNA and a key source of epigenetic information - the chromatin. On the one hand I would like to analyze the types of RNA that bind to heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) - a protein that plays an important role in gene silencing through formation of compact chromatin structures. Furthermore the effects of the binding of RNA to HP1 on the interaction of HP1 with other proteins will be investigated. On the other hand, I would like to address the question, whether the messenger RNA (mRNA) can indirectly influence epigenetic information. Therefore, I would like to investigate, if the splicing machinery - a macromolecular complex involved in mRNA processing - interacts with the chromatin and thereby contributes to epigenetics. Evidence for such an interaction would impact our understanding of mRNA processing and epigenetic information establishment.

• DFG-Verfahren: Forschungsstipendien
• Internationaler Bezug: Großbritannien
• Gastgeber: Professor Dr. Tony Kouzarides