The Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, located within the

School of Life Sciences A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compul ...

, University of Dundee, is a research facility working in the field of

gene expression Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product that enables it to produce end products, protein or non-coding RNA, and ultimately affect a phenotype, as the final effect. The ...

and chromosome biology. Previously part of the Dundee Biocentre and receiving significant Wellcome Trust funding from 1995 onwards, it was awarded Wellcome Trust Centre status in 2008. Professor Tom Owen-Hughes is the centre's director. The centre aims to enhance our understanding of how genes are regulated at both the single cell and whole organism level. Researchers use a wide range of advanced techniques, including live cell fluorescent imaging and mass spectrometry-based

proteomics Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, with many functions such as the formation of structural fibers of muscle tissue, enzymatic digestion of food, or synthesis and replication of DNA. In ...

, to explore the functions of key proteins and molecular mechanisms in cell biology.

Research and discoveries

Live cell imaging and proteomic studies have allowed researchers at the centre to gain fresh understanding of protein function and cell behaviour. The centre is studying many aspects of the cell cycle, including the way in which chromosomes replicate and separate during cell division and how

DNA damage DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as radiation can cause DNA da ...

is detected. Failure of these events can lead to major faults within a genome, potentially leading to the rise of cancerous cells. The centre is also investigating how DNA is tightly wound and compacted so that it can fit into the nuclei of eukaryotic cells, as well as the protein-DNA complexes that are involved in this packaging. The controlled unravelling of DNA is an important step in the regulation of gene function.

Researchers

Angus Lamond, a Wellcome Principal Research Fellow, studies the composition and function of organelles and

multiprotein complexes Protein quaternary structure is the fourth (and highest) classification level of protein structure. Protein quaternary structure refers to the structure of proteins which are themselves composed of two or more smaller protein chains (also refe ...

found within the

nucleus Nucleus ( : nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucle ...

. This work is helping to explain how a cell's nucleus is organised, an area that has particular importance to human diseases such as inherited genetic conditions which can have modified or disrupted organelles. Jason Swedlow is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow and investigates how chromosomes are separated during cell division. The driving force behind this process are strands known as microtubules, which pull the chromosomes apart. His work looks at specialised structures known as kinetochores and the mechanisms which monitor the correct attachment of microtubules to the chromosomes. Tomo Tanaka studies the processes by which eukaryotic cells maintain their genetic integrity. His group use budding yeast to study chromosome duplication and segregation. By understanding the processes that occur during cell division, it is hoped that a better knowledge will be gained of human diseases such as cancer which are often characterised by chromosome instability.

References

External links

Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression website

Wellcome Trust website
{{Wellcome Trust Biological research institutes in the United Kingdom Gene expression Genetics in the United Kingdom Research institutes in Scotland Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression Wellcome Trust Genetics or genomics research institutions

Research and discoveries

Researchers

See also

References

External links