Project - 1
Epigenetic determinants of genome stability for mammalian tissue
Robert Hänsel-Hertsch
The newly established Research Unit 5504 funded by the German Research Foundation DFG is pursuing a highly innovative program that aims to understand the physiological causes and consequences of genome instability. The ultimate goal of the Research Unit is to understand both how homeostatic processes affect genome stability and how the DDR maintains the physiological integrity of the organism in the face of DNA damage.
To this end, we assembled a team of leading researchers that all focus on in vivo studies of genome stability using animal models. The research unit will bridge the knowledge gap between causes of genome instability such as transcription-blocking lesions, DNA strand breaks, telomere dysfunction, mechanical stress and structural elements such as G-quadruplexes, and the response mechanisms that determine how genome instability affects cellular and organismal homeostasis