Eric Julien

Biography

  Recent genomic sequencing and transcriptome analysis in a vast variety of cancers have revealed that a large number of chromatin modifiers and chromatin-binding proteins are found mutated or misexpressed in cancer cells. While known to play key roles in the maintenance of genome structure and functions, these largely unanticipated mutation and/or misexpression findings could illuminate newly recognized epigenetic mechanisms potentially central to the genesis of cancer. By developing targeted approaches in both mammalian and Drosophila genetic models, the aim of our group is to understand the function of cancer relevant gene families involved in chromatin-associated signaling pathways, with a particular focus on the family of lysine methyltransferases that regulate nuclear and epigenetic processes during the cell cycle.  

Research Interest

 Oncology