| Biography | |
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 Dr. Zheng Zuo Washington University, USA |
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| Title: Deciphering the methylation sensitivity of transcription factors by Methyl-Spec-seq | |
| Abstract:
In the last years differential DNA methylation has been recognized as important epigenetic mechanism regulating gene expressions and various cellular process, but how DNA methylation can enhance or inhibit the binding affinity and specificity of individual transcription factor has only been studied in limited cases. Based on our previous high-throughput sequencing method to characterize TF-DNA interaction specificity, we developed a general strategy to discover and characterize TF-DNA interaction specificity and methylation sensitivity simultaneously, which we called Methyl-Spec-seq. We successfully applied this approach to a few important transcriptional regulators, including ZFP57, AP1, CTCF, and Gli1. Besides confirming existing methylation sensitive loci, we found methyl CpG modulation of TF-DNA interaction is ubiquitous phenomenon and can happen in all difference sequence contexts with both directions. Moreover, we proved that the coordinated co-evolution of ZFP57, Gli1, and their corresponding enhancer elements for PTCH gene make placental mammals gain the ability to modulate Sonic Hedgehog pathway activation on the epigenetic level.
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| Biography:
Zheng Zuo is a current postdoctoral researcher in Stormo Lab, Department of Genetics and Center for Genome Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He holds PhD of Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and BS of Physics from Peking University respectively. During his PhD years, he successfully developed a high-throughput sequencing based method, Spec-seq, to quantify transcription factor-DNA interaction specificity in high-throughput way with unprecedented resolution up to 0.1kT. Working with his colleague Yiming Chang and collaborator Dr. Jauch, this approach was generalized to study protein-protein interaction, such as Oct4 and Sox2, called Coop-seq.Most recently, he is combining Spec-seq with other newly developed technique, such as competitive fluorescent anisotropy, to address some molecular mechanism related to human disease, e.g., transient neonatal diabetes. At the same time, he proved that modified version of Spec-seq can detect methylation sensitivity of protein-DNA interaction, i.e., Methyl-Spec-seq. He was awarded Cold Spring Harbor Asia Fellowship in Suzhou, Oct 2014. Besides work, he practices triathlon in spare time and won age group first place in Annual JCC indoor triathlon, Feb 2017.
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