Genome Architecture

The long-term goal of our research group is to understand how the architecture of the genome impacts gene expression. We develop our own technologies, combining molecular biology and bioinformatics to study how the genomic context (chromatin, sequence at a large scale, local conformation of the genome) influences gene regulation. This method, called Thousands of Reporters Integrated in Parallel (TRIP) allows us to measure the expression of a reporter inserted at different locations of a target genome. We are also using TRIP in the clinical context of HIV infections. The expression of proviruses depends on the insertion site, as HIV seems to hijack the nearby enhancers. As a consequence, proviruses inserted far from active genes and enhancers are more likely to become latent and reinfect the patients later in their life. In the context of the 4D Genome ERC Synergy project, we use the contextual information of the three-dimensional organization of the genome to understand and predict the search trajectories of transcription factors. With this information at hand, we hope to understand why the same regulatory element behaves differently in different contexts.

• Develop the TRIP technology
• Understand latency in HIV
• Understand the role of genome conformation