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Laboratory Profile
Principal Investigator: Nir Friedman
Systems Biology of Transcription and Chromatin
Location: Silberman Wing 2, 3rd. floor Room 2-313
Communication:
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E.Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 02-6584295
Web: www.cs.huji.ac.il/~nir
Brief Description of Research:
We aim to decipher the complex pathways that control transcription and how cells
maintain their transcriptional state via chromatin. These are central basic questions for
many biological systems, including cancer and other human diseases. We use yeast as
a model organism, since it provides for powerful genetics and experimental tools, and
yet shares many of the basic regulatory and chromatin mechanisms with all eukaryotes.
Our main tool is using genetic screens to characterize mutations that impact the
induction of stress-response genes. These screens are based on fluorescent tagging of
target genes and measurement of protein induction by fluorescence microscopy/FACS.
These screens are complemented by measurements of mRNA levels, chromatin
modifications, and protein localization to characterize the interactions between cellular
machineries involved in this regulation and understand their dynamics.
Techniques used include:
Yeast genetics, time-lapse microscopy, flowcytometry, and functional genomics assays
(mRNA-seq, ChIP-seq). Automation (liquid handling robotics). Advanced quantitative
data analysis. Stochastic models.
Proposed Research Projects:
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Epigenetic memory: Finding genes involved in cross-generational stress
adaptation.
Dissecting pathways that regulate nuclear localization of stress-activated
transcription factors.