The Tanny lab studies gene regulation by covalent histone modifications and the impact of these mechanisms on human disease.
We focus on three general questions:
(1) What are the functions of histone modifications in gene expression?
(2) How are patterns of histone modifications established at active genes?
(3) Can we target these regulatory mechanisms in treating human disease?
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 and their relevance to disease.