Chromatin dynamics at the maternal to zygotic transition

My laboratory is interested in understanding chromatin regulation in the context of development and disease. Much of our past research focused on regulation of DNA methylation. Our current research is increasingly focused on the regulation of chromatin compaction during the earliest stages of development, including before and after the maternal to zygotic transition. In particular, we have found that nuclei of the early zebrafish embryo harbor an atypical chromatin structure that completely lacks canonical hallmarks of heterochromatin. Through a series of candidate based approaches we are now using this system to identify novel regulators of heterochromatin establishment and chromatin compaction in the early vertebrate embryo.