BIOCHEMISTRY

Mechanisms regulating the highly conserved transcription factor Grainy head during Drosophila melanogaster development

The lab of Professor Melissa Harrison is interested in how molecules called transcription factors bind to DNA and control how the DNA genome is decoded, particularly during development. Markus Nevil in the lab spent his Ph.D. studying one of these transcription factors, called Grainy head, which is present in all animals, including humans, and required for development. Using the fruit fly to understand why Grainy head is essential, he found that Grainy head stably binds to the genome through development. Nonetheless, its effect on genes expression varies across the same time in development. Additionally, he found that while it sometimes acts as a “pioneer factor” that leads the way for other transcription factors, Grainy head isn’t required as a pioneer factor during early development.

To learn more about his work, attend his Thesis Review at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22 in the Khorana Auditorium of the HFD Biochemistry Laboratories.