Jie Xiao

Johns Hopkins University

Title: Chromosome organization and gene regulation by DNA supercoiling  

Abstract:  The classic bacterial gene regulation dogma depicts that a gene’s transcription activity is regulated through the recognition of specific DNA and/or RNA sequences by proteins such as RNA polymerase and transcription factors. In recent years an increasing number of studies has shown that the supercoiling state of chromosomal DNA is a fundamental factor impacting gene expression in bacteria. The topological organization of chromosomal DNA into individual domains, between which the diffusion of supercoiling is prohibited, thus plays an important role in gene regulation. In this work, I will discuss our recent experimental and theoretical studies on how DNA supercoiling impacts chromosome organization and gene regulation.