Download Epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. Publications

Dr Alastair Fleming
Short CV
1997
PhD at Heriot Watt University,
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
1997-2004
post-doc with Sari Pennings,
Genes & Development Group,
University of Edinburgh,
Scotland, UK
2004-2007
post-doc with Mary Ann Osley,
University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque,
NM, USA
2007-2009
Since 2009
post-doc with Bob White,
Beatson Institute,
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Lecturer in Microbiology,
Department of Microbiology
Trinity College Dublin,
Ireland
Epigenetic regulation of gene transcription.
Publications
My research uses the budding yeast, Saccharomyces
cerevisiae as a model organism in which to study the
role of chromatin during gene transcription.
Shieh GS, Pan CH, Wu JH, Sun YJ,
Wang CC, Hsiao WC, Lin CY, Tung L,
Chang TH, Fleming AB, Hillyer C,
Lo YC, Berger SL, Osley MA, Kao CF.
H2B ubiquitylation marks exon-intron
structure in budding yeast (2011) .
BMC Genomics. 12: 627-637
The fundamental subunit of chromatin is the
nucleosome, which consists of DNA wrapped around
an octamer of four core histone proteins (H2A, H2B,
H3 and H4). Chromatin packages DNA within the
cell and is repressive to any process which requires
access to the DNA including DNA repair, replication,
recombination and gene transcription.
Understanding how these processes occur in the
context of chromatin is important since defective
chromatin has been associated with developmental
disorders and diseases such as cancer.
Barski A, Chepelev I, Liko D,
Cuddapah S, Fleming AB, Birch J, Cui K,
White RJ, Zhao K.
Pol II and associated epigenetic marks
are present at Pol III genes (2010).
Nat Struct Mol Biol. 17:629-34
By combining yeast genetics with chromatin
analytical techniques, my research focuses on how
the cell overcomes chromatin structure to allow
access to the underlying DNA and enable normal
cellular function.
Fleming AB, Kao CF, Hillyer C, Pikaart M,
Osley MA.
H2B ubiquitylation plays a role in
nucleosome dynamics during
transcription elongation (2008).
Mol Cell. 31: 56-66
Many of the factors involved in ‘remodelling’ the
chromatin are evolutionary conserved. Hence, study
of chromatin in yeast offers an excellent model
system to gain insight into the role of chromatin in
mammalian cells.
Address
Current research areas include:
Investigation of chromatin remodelling during
transcription initiation and elongation.
Using yeast as a model organism to study cellular
aging.
Department of Microbiology
Moyne Institute
Trinity College Dublin,
Ireland
[email protected]