Dr. Bomyi Lim from the University of Pennsylvania will be on the Purdue campus Wednesday 9/13, presenting a seminar 9:30 - 10:30 am. in BME Department, rm MJIS 1001. BME students should attend in person. Those further away or off-campus can join via Zoom. Faculty interested in meeting with Dr. Lim, please contact Lee Hua Chiang chiang47@purdue.edu or 765-496-1339.
 

Abstract: Proper gene control across space and time is crucial for the seamless execution of various cellular functions, as too much or too little gene expression in the wrong place or time leads to developmental defects and disease phenotypes. While the importance of gene regulation is well acknowledged, systematic characterization of dynamic gene control is lacking. What is the “normal” range of gene expression, and how does transcriptional kinetics play a role? We employ quantitative live imaging to examine the structure-function relationships of genome topology and gene activity and ultimately relate it to phenotypes. We first systematically varied the distance and orientation between an enhancer and the target promoter and analyzed the changes in transcriptional dynamics. To gain further insights into the kinetics of E-P interactions, we employed the trans-activation (transvection) assay and utilized the DNA and RNA labeling to measure the long-range E-P interaction kinetics and its relationship with transcription. Our study provides a comprehensive characterization of the E-P interaction dynamics required for transcription and normal development.