Chen Yong

Biography

CHEN Yong, Professor, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, China. Research Interests: Eukaryote chromatin is highly organized and is composed of repeating units of nucleosome. The chromatin structures are dynamically regulated by different epigenetic mechanisms: DNA methylation, histone modification, ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling, histone variant and non-coding RNA. These mechanisms can act independently, and also cross-talk with each other to play important roles in regulation of gene transcription. There are increasing evidences to link alteration of these epigenetic factors to cancer initiation and tumor progression. We are interested in mechanistic understanding of epigenetic regulation of chromatin. We will aim on the following questions: How does ATP-dependent remodeling complex drive DNA translocation on nucleosome? What is the cross-talk pathway between ATP-dependent remodeling complex and histone modification complex? How does cell establish specific heterochromatin region in the telomere? We will try to answer these questions from structural elucidation of a serial of important protein complexes by X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy combined with a series of biochemical and cellular analyses. By the end, we hope these studies will not only give us the insights into molecular mechanisms of chromatin regulation, but also provide clues for drug design and novel therapeutic approaches for some human diseases.

Research Interest

Eukaryote chromatin is highly organized and is composed of repeating units of nucleosome. The chromatin structures are dynamically regulated by different epigenetic mechanisms: DNA methylation, histone modification, ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling, histone variant and non-coding RNA. These mechanisms can act independently, and also cross-talk with each other to play important roles in regulation of gene transcription. There are increasing evidences to link alteration of these epigenetic factors to cancer initiation and tumor progression. We are interested in mechanistic understanding of epigenetic regulation of chromatin. We will aim on the following questions: How does ATP-dependent remodeling complex drive DNA translocation on nucleosome? What is the cross-talk pathway between ATP-dependent remodeling complex and histone modification complex? How does cell establish specific heterochromatin region in the telomere? We will try to answer these questions from structural elucidation of a serial of important protein complexes by X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy combined with a series of biochemical and cellular analyses. By the end, we hope these studies will not only give us the insights into molecular mechanisms of chromatin regulation, but also provide clues for drug design and novel therapeutic approaches for some human diseases.