Research interests
Interchromosomal interactions are rare but critical and highly regulated processes in mammals. One example is the trans-allelic pairing event at the Oct4 locus that is associated with Oct4 repression during mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) differentiation, and concordant with the deposition of H3K9me2 repressive histone marks at the locus. This event, also highlights an important but not fully understood interplay between gene regulation, epigenetic states and chromatin structure, specifically trans-allelic interactions. In my project I am using the Oct4 locus as a model to understand this relationship and uncover the mechanisms of homologous pairing during differentiation.
