Hinrich Boeger

Professor of MCD Biology B.S., M.S., Christian-Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany Ph.D., Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen, Germany Postdoctorate, Stanford University, CA

DYNAMICS AND FUNCTION OF CHROMATIN STRUCTURE

Research in Hinrich Boeger’s laboratory is concerned mostly with the structure and dynamics of chromatin at gene regulatory elements. The eukaryotic cell packages its nuclear DNA by spooling the DNA in regular intervals about a core of specific proteins, forming a jointed chain of DNA spools (‘nucleosomes’). This chain, or ‘chromatin fiber’, folds up into unknown structures of higher order. How does DNA spooling affect both gene expression and regulation, which both require access to the DNA?

            This question is pursued by molecular biological and biophysical methods, including electron and fluorescence microscopy and yeast genetics. These experimental approaches are combined with mathematical modeling of promoter chromatin dynamics and function. The aim is the development of a formal framework that allows for a quantitative understanding of eukaryotic gene expression and regulation.

Please follow this link to find the lab's publications in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database.