Intellectual Merit: The goal of this project is to use the powerful genetic system of Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly) to understand how DNA is managed in the cell and how genes are regulated. In eukaryotic cells, DNA interacts with histone proteins to form a structure called chromatin. Chromatin structure and function is regulated by chromatin modifying enzymes and chromatin remodeling factors. How these proteins generate and maintain chromatin structures to allow proper gene expression throughout the development of an organism is of great interest. The PI's long-term goal is to understand how chromatin remodeling factors regulate the dynamic nature of chromatin. This project is focused on the Drosophila melanogaster CHD1 chromatin remodeling factor and its roles in regulating histone dynamics across genes to regulate gene expression. Experiments will test the working hypothesis that the CHD1 chromatin remodeling factor regulates histone dynamics across genes to antagonize repressive chromatin. The proteins involved in these processes are highly conserved; these studies in Drosophila melanogaster should therefore be applicable to other organisms, including humans. The PI will employ genetic, molecular, and cell biological tools and techniques, which are ideal for the investigation of chromosome morphology, gene silencing and histone dynamics. This work is ideally suited for the PI's undergraduate laboratory, as Drosophila genetics is especially amenable to student research.
Broader impacts: Undergraduate students from Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges will carry out most of the research. During her first nine years in the W.M. Keck Science Department, the PI mentored 43 undergraduates in her research laboratory (37 women and 6 men), including three Latina students, three African-American students, and several first-generation college students. Research students typically spend one to three years in the laboratory. Over the three years of this project, the PI will provide a substantive (often multi-year) research experience for 10-15 undergraduates, providing them with skills to help them succeed in their chosen careers. Three top-tier liberal arts institutions share the PI's unique interdisciplinary department. Approximately 70% of the department's science graduates are women, partially due to a large number of science majors from Scripps, an all-women's college. One of every four Keck Science students is an ethnic minority, and fifteen percent of the department's students are from ethnic groups underrepresented in the sciences. The student body therefore places the PI in the position to encourage science students from historically underrepresented groups. As part of this research, undergraduates will attend and present their work at national conferences including the Annual Drosophila Research Conference and the Asilomar Chromatin and Chromosomes conference.
