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McIntyre Medical Sciences Building |
Research:
I received my PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard Medical School in 2003, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University (2003-2007) and at Université de Montréal (2007-2008). My lab studies gene regulation by covalent histone modifications and the impact of these mechanisms on human disease. We focus on two general questions: (1) How are histone modifications established at active genes? (2) What are their functions in gene expression? We use classical and chemical genetics, genomics, biochemistry, and proteomics approaches in yeast and mammalian model systems to elucidate the molecular functions of histone modifications. Our recent work has uncovered a novel link between ubiquitylation of histone H2B and the conserved transcription elongation factor P-TEFb. Ultimately, we aim to target histone modifications and relevant modifying enzymes to develop novel therapeutic avenues for a variety of diseases.