An ambitious EC-funded research initiative on epigenetics advancing towards systems biology 177

The last few years have witnessed an explosion of information concerning our understanding of the epigenetic factors, and mechanisms, that regulate chromatin structure and function. Many fundamental questions remain, however, unanswered. Our research addresses the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate three specific processes: centromere/kinetochore assembly, transcription initiation and higher-order chromatin organisation. Below is a brief description of our main goals on each one of these topics.

(a) Centromere/kinetochore assembly and function
(a.1) Characterisation of the molecular mechanisms that determine specific centromeric localisation of the histone H3 variant CenH3/CENP-A and, in particular, the role of CenH3/CENP-A proteolysis.
(a.2) Analysis of the molecular interactions that lead to kinetochore assembly.

(b) Transcription initiation
Analysis of the mechanism(s) of action of two novel epigenetic factors, dKDM5/LID and HP1c/WOC/ROW, which are involved in transcription initiation.

(c) Higher-order chromatin organisation
(c.1) Analysis of the contribution of histone H1 to the epigenetic regulation of chromatin structure and function.
(c.2) Analysis of the contribution of CENP-Bs to higher-order chromatin organisation.

CENTROMERE/KINETOCHORE ASSEMBLY AND FUNCTION
Mònica Torras-Llort, postdoc
Olga Moreno-Moreno, postdoc
Sonia Medina-Giró, PhD student

TRANSCRIPTION INITIATION
Tomás Morán, postdoc
Roman Kessler, PhD student

HIGHER-ORDER CHROMATIN ORGANISATION
Anne Daulny, postdoc
Eva Mejía-Ramírez, postdoc
Carles Bonet-Costa, postdoc
Salva Pérez-Montero, PhD student
Aleix Bayona, PhD student