We have established that vascular lesion formation is associated with histone modifications and that these modifications are important determinants of vascular cell fate. Besides modifications observed in disease or disease-promoting conditions, pharmacological probes and genetic methods are being used to induce histone modifications and the patterns of histone modification genome-wide and at promoters and coding regions of specific genes are determined. These histone modifications are linked to gene expression profile changes and the fate of vascular cells. This simulation help define the epigenetic mechanisms by which disease-promoting conditions alter gene expression leading to the disease. To carry out this work, state-of-the-art techniques such as DNA arrays, quantitative real time PCR, various ELISA and Western blot techniques, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, nuclear run-on, transient and stable transfections, promoter analysis, and determination of activities of various histone modifying enzymes are used.

Related Sites for Chromatin Research:

• Chromatin Structure & Function