Thomas Grigliatti

Genes that encode non-histone chromosomal proteins:The modulation of chromatin domains is the first step in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. Yet the assembly of DNA and proteins into active and inactive chromatin, and into chromosomes, is a process about which we know very little. We have isolated mutations in Drosophila that actually alter both chromosome and chromatin structure and consequently also regulate gene expression and developmental switches. Many of these genes are conserved in vertebrates. We are focussing our current work on the molecular analyses of these genes and their products including DNA sequence analysis, cellular and developmental expression of theprotein products, dissecting the hierarchy of gene action and protein interactions in the assembly of chromatin in vivo.