Short introduction Synthetic Systems Biology and Nuclear Organization

Group leaders: Prof. dr. H.V. (Hans) Westerhoff and Prof. em. dr. R. (Roel) van Driel

Systems Biology unravels the mechanisms by which networks control Life. These mechanisms operate at various levels. Our mission is to understand and control cellular and molecular network behavior (therapy and biotechnology). The regulation of gene expression includes epigenetic modifications, intra- and interchromosomal interactions and chromatin folding. Our goal is to comprehend how these mechanisms together control genome activity and how cells use them to regulate gene expression and thereby their behavior. We concentrate on the dynamics of chromatin structure in relation to gene expression and DNA repair. Our methodology involves a multi-disciplinary approach combining microscopic, molecular, biochemical and genetic analyses, and mathematical modeling.

Combining different model systems

The functional relation between gene regulation, nuclear organisation and chromatin structure is evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotic cells. Therefore, we employ different model organisms, including mammals (man, mouse) and plants (Arabidopsis, maize), each having specific advantages. Animal cells constitute an excellent system to analyze the behavior of molecular machineries inside the nucleus of a living cell, while plant systems can be analyzed more readily in a multicellular context (e.g. tissue, organ and whole organism) and by genetic approaches. Combining information from different model systems gives us unique insights into structure-function relationships of the eukaryotic genome in the nucleus.