Chromosomale Domänen und Genexpression
Cellular communcation is essential for development, for the control of proliferation and the maintenance of the differentiated state. For this, molecular networks evolved to relay signals received at the cell surface by transmembrane receptors to downstream effector molecules in the cytoplasm or the nucleus. In the nucleus signalling molecules change the expression state of genes in their chromatin environment by interaction with regulatory factors and chromatin modifying enzymes already in place. Malfunction of these processes causes a number of severe human diseases, most prominent different types of human tumors. Since signalling pathways of a given type are considerably conserved between different organisms in evolution, one may study their principle function in a more simple model organism amenable to molecular genetic analysis and may use this knowledge for an in depht investigation of the same pathways in humans. Using Drosophila as a model our group investigates chromatin switches that are crucial for Notch and TGF-β signal transduction.