About Dr.Wang's Research

The nucleus of a typical human cell contains approximately 3 billion base pairs of genomic DNA, which in an extended form would be over 1 meter (~3.28 feet) in length. To effectively use the genetic information coded by DNA, the cell has to solve two fundamental problems. First of all, it has to pack 1 meter of DNA into the nucleus, which is usually no more than 10 micrometers in diameter. Imagine fitting 50 miles of fishing line into a basketball - that is equivalent to what the cell faces. Secondly, as if the task of DNA packing is not impossible enough, the cell needs fast and accurate access to any given gene on the packed DNA, so that it can express the right assortment of genes in the right place at the right time.

The machinery that packs and organizes DNA is the chromatin. The basic unit of the chromatin is the nucleosome. Each nucleosome contains ~147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around a protein core of 8 histones. The interaction between DNA and nucleosome plays critical roles in every aspects of DNA metabolism, including replication, recombination and transcription. Chromatin can be “remodeled” by modifying this interaction, which often results in changes in nuclease-sensitivity of specific DNA regions.

Our lab is interested in the roles and mechanisms of chromatin remodeling in the context of mammalian development and diseases. How is the chromatin regulated in the right place and at the right time to accommodate the differentiation and development needs of the mammalian cell? Does chromatin remodeling has gene specificity and cell-type specificity, and if yes, where does the specificity come from? How is chromatin remodeling related to human diseases? We use mouse and mouse embryonic stem cells as model systems to address these questions.

Representative Publications

Baskind HA, Na L, Ma Q, Patel MP, Geenen DL, Wang QT. 2009. Functional conservation of Asxl2, a murine homolog for the Drosophila Enhancer of trithorax and Polycomb Group Gene Asx. PLoS One. 2009;4(3):e4750.

Liu J, Xu W, Sun T, Wang F, Puscheck E, Brigstock D, Wang QT , Davis R, Rappolee DA. 2009. Hyperosmolar Stress Induces Global mRNA Responses in Placental Trophoblast Stem Cells that Emulate Early Post-implantation Differentiation. Placenta . 2009 Jan;30(1):66-73.

Zhong W, Wang QT , Sun T, Wang F, Liu J, Leach R, Johnson A, Puscheck EE, Rappolee DA. 2006. FGF ligand family mRNA expression profile for mouse preimplantation embryos, early gestation human placenta, and mouse trophoblast stem cells. Mol Repro Dev. 73(5):540-50

Wang QT , Piotrowska K, Ciemerych MA, Milenkovic L, Scott MP, Davis RW, Zernicka-Goetz M. 2004. A genome-wide study of gene activity reveals developmental signaling pathways in the preimplantation mouse embryo. Dev Cell 6: 133-44

Wang QT , Xiao W, Mindrinos M, Davis RW. 2002. Yeast tRNA as carrier in the isolation and global amplification of RNA from microscale samples. BioTechniques 33: 788-92 passim.

Lefers MA*, Wang QT *, Holmgren RA. 2001. Genetic dissection of the Drosophila Cubitus interruptus signaling complex. Dev Biol 236: 411-420 * co-first authors

Wang QT , Holmgren RA. 2000. Nuclear import of cubitus interruptus is regulated by hedgehog via a mechanism distinct from Ci stabilization and Ci activation. Development 127: 3131-3139