Robert Tjian

Robert Tjian

Howard Hughes Investigator and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology*
*And Affiliate, Division of Genetics and Development

Biochemistry of Transcription and Chromatin Transactions: Over the past 20 years, our lab has identified, isolated and characterized a large number (~100) of essential drosophila and human transcription factors. These regulatory proteins that include enhancer/promoter recognition factors, core RNA pol II initiation factors and co-activators form large multi-subunit complexes at promoter DNA to mediate transcription initiation and decode the genome. Our recent studies indicate that large co-activator complexes play a critical role in mediating both universal as well as cell type specific networks of gene transcription and can serve as the interface between transcription and chromatin regulation.

we recently completed a study revealing the mechanism by which the mutant Htt protein (responsible for Huntington's, a glutamine expansion neuro-degenerative disease) disrupts specific interactions between the human transcription factor Sp1 and its' target co-activator.

 In particular, we have focused on the transcription factor Lmxla which appears to be a key regulator that drives the differentiation of dopaminergic neurons implicated in Parkinsons disease.

http://mcb.berkeley.edu/index.php?option=com_mcbfaculty&name=tjianr