Biography
Biography: Karen Lipkow
Abstract
The questions of how genes are regulated remains fundamental even after many decades of intense study. Rather than just studying the linear, one-dimensional sequence of DNA to inform us about regulatory mechanisms, we can now investigate the complex 3-dimensional organization of whole genomes. It has become clear that this organization is non-random and highly dynamic. To address new questions in genome architecture, we are taking a systems biology approach, combining the bioinformatic determination of chromatin states with quantitative experiments and dynamic, stochastic models of whole genome organization. Comparing these results with our experimental data has led us to understand how biophysical properties of the chromatin fibre lead to significant and biologically relevant self-organization of the genome.