Centromere biology and Epigenetics

Our lab is broadly interested in epigenetic inheritance and chromatin structures with a focus on centromeric and pericentromeric chromatin and its role in chromosome segregation and genome stability. We study the regulation and function of centromeres in chromosome segregation and how its misregulation can lead to genome instability.

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with its versatile genetic tools as well as human cell cultures are our primary model systems. We are using a wide range of cell and molecular biology techniques as well as biochemistry, genetics, and genome engineering to better understand centromere function and regulation.