Ping Lu Email & Phone Number

The regulation of chromatin structure has been recognized as a key mechanism in establishing appropriate developmental gene expression patterns. When this process is perturbed, aberrantly regulated chromatin structures may lead to disrupted gene expression, arrested development and, in many cases, the growth of cancers. The SWI/SNF complex is a prototypical chromatin regulator that is conserved across species. More recently, sequencing studies have revealed that genes encoding various SWI/SNF subunits are frequently mutated in a wide spectrum of major human cancers. My current research focuses on utilizing the SWI/SNF complex as an experimental platform to explore the molecular events underlying chromatin regulation and their downstream effects on gene expression. More importantly, I am using this model to investigate how perturbation of chromatin regulation is related to human cancer formation.Another area of my research interest is on the chromatin basis that governs the generation of immune cells. I have previously identified a new gene called Gon4-like that is absolutely required for early B cell development. Using a novel biochemical approach, I discovered that the Gon4-like protein is part of a large protein complex that contains known chromatin regulators Sin3A, Yin Yang 1 (YY1), and histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1). Upon these findings, further studies will be concentrated on defining the mechanisms as how Gon4-like is recruited to DNA, what its target genes are, and what the characteristic chromatin structures are associated with Gon4-like binding.

Listed skills include Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cancer, Protein Chemistry, and 20 others.