About the group
Transcriptional programs drive cell identity by determining which genes are active or turned off. This creates the many different cell types in the body of a multicellular organism. Key players in these programs are transcription factors and the chromatin packaging of the genome, which represent the double focus of our research group.
The transcription research is headed by Odd Stokke Gabrielsen and is focusing on understanding the molecular function of one specific transcription factor, c-Myb, a cancer-related transcription factor operating as a regulator of stem and progenitor cells in the bone marrow. Key problems are to understand how the activity and function of c-Myb is controlled by its interaction partners and by post-translational modifications and how this affects the activation of its target genes.
The epigenetic line of research is headed by Ragnhild Eskeland and focuses on how nuclear organization and chromatin packaging of the genome affect gene expression. Specific projects study the role of two histone H2A.Z variants in normal development and cancer, the role of chromatin organization in cancer and studies of the chromatome of specific loci.
Academic programmes and courses
MBV4230 - Eukaryotic transcription factors - structures, function, regulation