Avtar Roopra
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Regulation of chromatin structure in neurons and cancer
Email: asroopra@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-6930
Address:
5507 Wi Institute Medical Research
1111 Highland Ave
Madison, WI 53705
LAB WEBSITE:
FOCUS GROUPS:
Transcriptional Mechanisms; Cellular & Molecular Metabolism; Cancer Biology
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:
The lab aims to understand the epigenetic mechanisms behind transcriptional regulation and chromatin structure in mammals. A major focus is the study of mechanisms that regulate the expression of neuronal target genes. We have shown that the transcription factor NRSF recruits a number of chromatin modifying complexes that include histone deacetylases and methylases. Also, we have found that NRSF uses a metabolism-sensing co-repressor to repress expression of genes involved in nervous system function as well as tumor metastasis.
ALSO A TRAINER IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: Neuroscience (NTP), Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (MCP)