Sarah Nemsick (HANSEN LAB)

Characterizing Bidirectional Promoter Transcriptional Dynamics Using Live-cell Nascent RNA Imaging

Approximately 11% of genes in the human genome are under the control of a bidirectional promoter (BDP), defined as two divergent genes with <1kb between their transcription start sites. Despite an enrichment for essential and oncogenic genes, the regulatory function of BDPs remains largely unknown. Here we aim to study BDP transcriptional dynamics using dual-color live-cell nascent RNA imaging of the endogenous NIPBL/AS1 bidirectional promoter. This system will provide a basis for in-depth, mechanistic study of BDP transcriptional regulation.

Domenic Narducci (HANSEN LAB)

Dynamics of ZNF143’s Nuclear Search Revealed Using Live-cell Imaging

Proper gene regulation in both space and time is an essential process underlying nearly all biological phenotypes, yet how this process is regulated at the level of enhancers and promoters remains poorly understood. The transcription factor ZNF143 is enriched at chromatin loop boundaries genome-wide and has been shown to bind enhancer and promoter sites forming ZNF143-dependent loops. Here, we use fast single-particle tracking and FRAP to understand the dynamics underlying how ZNF143 finds its genomic targets.