Prof. Chandrima Das

Research

Our laboratory is interested in the epigenetic regulation of chromatin structure. All the essential activities of eukaryotic genome including replication, transcription and DNA repair are regulated through dynamic alteration of chromatin structure. Posttranslational modification of core histones alters its interaction with DNA and other chromatin proteins and is one of the key epigenetic regulations. These modifications functions as a signal platform to recruit effector modules or "readers" to local chromatin, which then dictate the "on" or "off" state of the underlying genes. Research in Chromatin Dynamics Laboratory focus on characterizing these critical interactions between histone posttranslational modification and readers, which regulate important cellular pathways and their dysfunction leading to diseases including metabolic as well as infectious diseases. We employ a combination of approaches including conventional biochemistry, biophysics, molecular and cellular biology as well as high throughput sequencing techniques to address these questions.