Aktan Alpsoy

Current Research Interests:

The polycomb group proteins in health and disease

My research focuses on the activities of chromatin modifying protein complex known as polycomb repressive complex 1. This protein complex together with its companion complexes can modify the gene expression by providing a compact, transcriptionally non-permissive chromatin environment. The particular question I am pursuing is how this protein complex is localized to specific genomic regions to repress the gene expression in mammalian systems. Elucidating the recruitment mechanisms will provide useful information to
designate drug targets since dysregulated targeting and activity of the complex have been associated with multiple disease states including cancer.