BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Regulating gene expression in 3D: a view from Drosophila embryogen esis - Dr Yad Ghavi-Helm\; IGFL\, France DTSTART:20191112T120000Z DTEND:20191112T130000Z UID:TALK128068@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Bobbie Claxton DESCRIPTION:In multicellular organisms\, embryonic development requires th e coordinated expression of genes in both a temporal- and tissue-specific manner. This complex regulation is controlled by the binding of sequence-s pecific transcription factors to enhancer elements\, which can be located at great distances from their target gene. Chromatin conformation studies have shown that gene activation by remote enhancers is associated with the establishment of a chromatin loop. However\, our previous work indicates that enhancer-promoter loops are often formed prior to transcription\, sug gesting that chromatin loops are necessary\, but not sufficient\, for gene activation (Ghavi-Helm et al. Nature 2014). The precise link between chro matin organization and transcription regulation remains therefore unclear. In order to resolve the interplay between chromatin loops and the regulat ion of gene expression\, we studied the effects of major genomic rearrange ments on both transcription and chromatin conformation. We took advantage of D. melanogaster lines with highly scrambled chromosomes\, called balanc er chromosomes\, which are the product of multiple chromosomal rearrangeme nts generated by X-ray mutagenesis. Thanks to this unique setup\, we were able to analyze the functional impact of multiple large rearrangements suc h as translocations and inversions\, but also of numerous smaller structur al variants such as deletions. The results are revealing surprising insigh ts into the relationship between chromatin topology in cis and transcripti onal regulation (Ghavi-Helm et al. Nature Genetics 2019). LOCATION:Babraham - The Cambridge Building - Petersfield Lecture Theatre END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR