Personal Statement
I have extensive experience in epigenetic regulations, especially on how chromatin structure is regulated by energy-dependent chromatin structure regulators and transcription factors, and how defects in these proteins lead to disease. My research has been funded by NIH since I was a postdoctoral fellow, including K01 and R01s and that had given me experience in project management. My laboratory has worked out the protocols to obtain highly purified mitotic cells (both adherent and suspension cells) and to perform chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing (ChIP-seq).
Education
Graduate School: New York University (1996)
Research Fellowship: Mass General Hospital / Harvard Medical School (2006)
Gender
Female
Research and Scholarship
The Fan lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms of epigenetic regulation, focusing on two main directions: (1) the function and regulation of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers, and (2) the mechanisms of mitotic transcription memory by the retention of sequence-specific transcription factors on mitotic chromatin. Results from these studies will shed light on fundamental mechanisms of epigenetic regulation and provide novel insights into the causes and mechanisms of disease.
ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers make nucleosomal DNA accessible by altering DNA-histone contacts in a non-covalent manner to control fundamental nuclear processes. Thus, these enzymes play critical roles in cell growth, differentiation and development. Aberrant chromatin remodeling activities lead to numerous diseases, including developmental syndromes and cancer, highlighting the importance of these enzymes to human health. The Fan lab has been using the Cockayne syndrome complementation group B protein (CSB) as an experimental paradigm to understand the biochemical properties of remodelers and determine how these activities are utilized in specific biological processes. Currently, the lab is determining how CSB is distinct from other chromatin remodelers and how its unique features equip this enzyme to protect cells from genotoxic stress.
For more information about my cancer research, please visit the Fan Laboratory (https://unmhealth.org/cancer/research/programs/labs/fan.html)