Currently, I am extending this study into several different directions. Firstly, I am investigating the interplay of SMC-driven loop extrusion and DNA supercoiling, the two major DNA structures which consist of chromosomes for all domains of life. My preliminary results show a wealth of intriguing phenomena on how DNA topology can significantly influence the molecular functions of active proteins, which has help me to setup my future research questions as detailed below. Secondly, I am studying the mechanism of loop extrusion on nucleosome bound DNA in order to simulate cellular conditions. My preliminary results discovered unexpected function of SMC proteins which can bypass protein roadblocks as big as its own sizes.
I believe that the potential impact of this proposal is significant and long-standing. The understanding of the spatial structure of chromosomes is one of the hottest field in science right now. And for good reasons: Resolving the spatial architecture of genomes profoundly impacts the core of biology, namely, how information is transferred to biological function. It has remained a tantalizing mystery how chromosomes self organize into specific architectures that vary over the life cycle of a cell. If indeed, as we genuinely expect, will succeed to resolve the basic looping structure of DNA and disentangle the fundamental structure of chromosomes, it may be considered a ground-breaking milestone in science, because it addresses a key element of living cells, the basic packaging structure of the genome which directly governs its biological function.
