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Professor Richard Festenstein and his research group are studying how individual cells make the decision to switch genes “on” and “off” during development of specific cell types and how they “remember” this decision through cell division which is central to the biology of multi-cellular organisms.
In his lecture, Professor Festenstein will discuss how they are studying factors that influence the decision and maintain it. They have shown that where a gene is located in the chromosome has a large effect on the probability of switching a given gene on or off. This phenomenon was first described in fruit flies and called Position Effect Variegation (PEV).
The group has also identified DNA sequences that can promote or overcome this silencing and shown that the extent of gene inactivation is dependent on the dosage of proteins implicated in DNA packaging. They are investigating the hypothesis that such effects may play a role in some human diseases.