Developing chemical genetic tools for epigenetic studies

Epigenetic regulation (DNA, RNA, and protein modifications) is one of the frontiers at the interface of chemistry and biology.  Because many of them are key components in complex regulating processes, ideal tools for them are those that can reversibly modulate their concentrations with temporal control and in animal models directly. Our studies are filling this knowledge gap with two major directions: A) study the mechanisms of novel chemical transformations in epigenetic regulation; B) develop conditional knockout tools to reversibly modulate target concentrations in animal models.