The crux of my research goal over the years has been to understand exactly how RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) acquires selectivity for subsets of genes in a regulated manner. My strategy was to gain a sound grasp of RNAPII-mediated transcription as the template complexity was progressively increased. Efforts by my group through the years initiated with defining the prerequisites for RNAPII transcription from a minimal, naked DNA template, and then proceeded to the functional analysis of more complex arrays of activities that together reconstitute chromatinized templates that exhibit different extents of compaction and others that refurbish the templates into a state amenable to transcription. This latest endeavor entails studies of the post-translational modifications of histones and their potential epigenetic character, and this is the most invigorating stage of my research career.

It is now understood that ncRNAs play an important role in regulating some signaling pathways that may have epigenetic implications. To best dissect the role of ncRNAs in chromatin biology, I will combine our expertise in established biochemical approaches, with the genome-wide power of next generation sequencing. This approach was instrumental determining the function of post-translational methylation of RNAPII, and will have a broad impact on our studies. The availability of an Illumina MySeq instrument in our sequencing facility will be instrumental for us to conduct our studies in a timely manner.