Research

How cells keep their identity

Every cell in an organism shares the same genome, yet a neuron is fundamentally different from a muscle cell. How do cells establish and maintain these distinct identities?

The answer lies in epigenetic cell memory, a crucial mechanism ensuring cells "remember" who they are across successive divisions. This cellular identity relies on inheriting specific gene expression patterns, which are tightly regulated by two evolutionarily conserved protein families: the Polycomb group (PcG) for gene repression, and the trithorax group (trxG) for gene activation. Our lab investigates how these opposing systems preserve transcriptional memory throughout development.

Utilizing Drosophila melanogaster, alongside cell-based reporter assays, functional genomics, and molecular genetics, we aim to identify the core factors shaping this memory and explore how cell signaling pathways modulate them.

Research themes

From screens to mechanisms

The genesis of this research traces back to 2011, when our first BS senior project student, Zain Umer, and our first postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Saima Anwar, successfully developed a novel cell-based reporter for PcG and trxG proteins. Utilizing this foundational system, we subsequently conducted robust ex vivo kinome-wide and genome-wide RNAi screens in the lab of Prof. Dr. Michael Boutros at DKFZ, Heidelberg. Ongoing follow-up studies on the identified candidates have since established their critical roles in epigenetic gene regulation.