The role of spatial localization and
packing of DNA in gene expression and recombination
is poorly understood. The goal of this project is
to reveal the nature of chromosome motion during mating-type
gene switching in the yeast,
S. cervisiae.
The experimental work in the lab of
Jim
Haber uses fluorescently tagged DNA binding proteins
to monitor the motion of gene loci on the yeast chromosome
involved in mating-type switching. The observed diffusion
and spatial localization of the fluorescent tags is
analyzed in the context of simple mathematical models
of confined polymers developed by the Jan Kondev group.
Computer simulations are used to study more detailed
questions concerning the dynamics of polymers under
extreme confinement and in the presence of different
types of obstacles, as is the case for DNA inside
the yeast nucleus.
