This preinitiation complex is composed of the general transcription factors and RNA polymerase II and harbours a host of enzymatic activities including kinase, acetylase, ATPase and DNA helicase components. In addition, a multitude of proteins interact with and modulate the transcription machinery. It is therefore not surprising that transcription is interfaced with several other cellular processes, including signal transduction, DNA repair and the cell cycle.
Transcription is at the heart of gene expression and is thus subject to strict control.
How transcriptional regulators function is the focus of research in this laboratory. General mechanisms of transcriptional regulation We are studying the mechanisms by which activator and repressor proteins affect the assembly of the general transcription machinery at the promoter. The mechanism of action of WT1 is complex, having both transcriptional activation and repression activities. We are engaged in dissecting the transcription function of WT1 both in vivo and in vitro. This includes the characterisation of proteins that interact with WT1 to mediate its diverse transcription functions and how this is affected by mutation of WT1 in cancer.