Development of novel epigenome editing tools based on anti-silencing factors derived from transposons
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- Principal Investigator
Tenure Track Associate Professor / Akihisa OSAKABE
- Affiliation
Chiba University Institute for Advanced Academic Research /Graduate School of Science
Researchmap
- Principal Investigator
In animals and plants, the genome contains abundant repetitive sequences, primarily composed of mobile DNA elements known as transposons. While the activity of transposons has played a positive role in promoting genome evolution through the expansion of gene functions, it also poses a potential threat to genome integrity. To counteract this, host genomes employ repressive epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation and histone modifications to silence transposon expression. Despite over 70 years having passed since their discovery, the regulatory mechanisms underlying transposon silencing, as well as their broader impact on host genome and epigenome integrity, remain largely understood.
In this study, I focus on the molecular strategies by which transposons have evolved to proliferate within a host species. By combining biochemical approach using in vitro reconstitution systems with molecular genetics and genomic analyses in model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, I aim to elucidate how transposon-encoded factors evade host silencing mechanisms and achieve proliferation without disrupting host genome function.
Through this research, we seek to deepen our understanding of the dynamic epigenetic “arms race” between transposons and their host genomes, and to pave the way for innovative applications in genome and epigenome editing technologies.
