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Christian Schöfer/ Klara Weipoltshammer

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Research Focus
Our research centers on the functional and dynamic architecture of chromatin in cell nuclei during differentiation and aging processes.

Chromatin organization and gene expression control are fundamental determinants of cellular life. Structural and functional constituents of nuclei determine chromatin organization and are in turn influenced by the dynamic landscape of chromatin. The interplay of chromatin and the different constituents results in an important element of epigenetic gene expression control, which is characteristic for each differentiated cell type. Thus, the coordinated generation of different chromatin states within the three-dimensional nuclear space is a hallmark of cell differentiation processes. Consequently, regular and aberrant differentiation processes, organ development and aging-related variation in structural tissue homeostasis reflect the particular importance of coordinated chromatin organization in healthy tissues and in pathological conditions.

Main Objectives

  • We wish to gain insight into the dynamic interdependence between 3D-chromatin arrangement and gene transcription during differentiation, aging and disease
  • We aim to study the dynamic interplay between chromatin and structural constituents like nuclear lamina during the re-formation of the cell nucleus after mitosis