The researchers are also involved in studies of stable gene activation and gene silencing. Cellular processes that allow stable maintenance of gene expression patterns are tightly linked to the determination and maintenance of cell fates. Some mechanisms for stable modulation of gene expression are at least partly understood. They involve transcriptional or post-transcriptional feedback loops with autoregulation by small groups transacting regulatory factors. Our studies of long-term and epigenetic silencing are aimed at understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms and the contributions of these mechanisms to developmental control and the maintenance of a functional genome.
Photo shows the use of transgenic technology to track a single cell lineage during development.