Summary of the science
Each cell contains genetic information in the form of DNA that effectively tells it how to behave. Protecting this information is integral to normal cellular function and changes to it can lead to cancer. DNA exists as a long sequence of different molecules and is associated to different proteins. Both its sequence and its protein associations represent important information that must be preserved and passed on to future cells. The Groth Lab focuses on the maintenance of these DNA-protein associations and how this may have relevance for disease.
About the research
Chromatin, not just the DNA sequence, needs to be replicated faithfully to preserve information represented by epigenetic modifications. Maintenance of chromatin and the epigenome is crucial to understanding disease at the cellular level. The Groth Lab uses genomic and proteomic techniques to identify the processes that enable faithful replication and transmission of chromatin states and epigenetic changes across cellular lineages.
About the illustration