Background

 It is expected that activation/inactivation of Transcription Factors by optogenetics alters the accessible chromatin landscape and gene transcriptional regulation. The use of optogenetics for tight protein manipulation with light, at specific developmental stages and tissues,  will allow us to understand how Transcription Factors differentially regulate expression at a fine spatiotemporal resolution. 

Aim

Can we optically manipulate chromatin states in real time? Coupling optogenetic perturbation with analysis of whole-genome profiling (Optogen-omics) will help us understand how temporal coordination of gene expression affects chromatin accessibility and drives cell fate decisions.