Chromatin re-organization in response to replication stress (ChOReS)

Project summary

Genome organisation plays a crucial role in regulating DNA replication, including in response to replication stress. In regions prone to DNA breaks, replication forks can stall and collapse. Funded by the European Research Council, the ChOReS project will shed light on how genome organisation responds to replication stress, particularly in regions prone to DNA breaks. It will test the hypothesis that stalled replication forks undergo compartmentalisation/reorganisation within the 3D nuclear space to allow efficient fork protection and restart ability. Specifically, it will determine the mechanistic insights of chromatin organisation changes in response to replication stress and identify novel chromatin mobilisers associated with replication forks. It will also determine the significance of chromatin reorganisation for establishing resistance towards chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer cells.

My project will not only advance our fundamental knowledge on spatial & temporal reorganization of chromatin architecture containing stressed replication forks, but it also has a high potential to contribute to identifying novel targets aimed at chromatin organizers that mediates resistance towards replication stress inducing chemotherapeutics.