In 1953 the DNA double helix (CCB Logo) was discovered to be the structure that transmits our genetic inheritance. However, the simple sequence of the double helix alone does not provide enough blueprint to determine what occurs in the cell. An important additional component of genetics is the packaging that envelops DNA which plays a crucial role in encoding and enabling life. The packaging is called chromatin and is organised into higher structures called chromosomes. Such ordering allows our cells to regulate genes and control genome replication.

Our work in the Centre for Chromosome Biology revolves around understanding the makeup of chromatin and the regulation of it to facilitate gene expression and faithful genome replication. We are interested in how DNA has evolved through mutations (Gahan Group) and how mutations can go awry (Lahue Group). We try to further our understanding on how DNA is packaged into nucleosomes (Flaus Group) with modifiable histones (Rea Group) that regulate the packaging of the chromatin and chromosomes. We study how these chromosomes are replicated (Santocanale Group, Nasheuer Group), segregated at centromeres (Dunleavy Group, Sullivan Group) and separated by centrosomes (Morrison Group, Bourke Group) into daughter cells that divide in cytokinesis (Luessing Group). “Mistakes” in chromosome replication and segregation can lead to chromsome instability (Mirkovic Group) which can lead to advantageous or disadvantageous outcomes.

The primary function of DNA is to produce proteins using ribosome machines assembled at nucleoli (McStay Group). What proteins a cell can or cannot produce is controlled by areas of opened or closed chromatin (Farrona Group) and is specialised for different cell types (Frank Group). Examples of this are insulin produced in the pancreas, keratin in our hair, and melanin in our skin. Melanin protects the chromatin in our skin cells from double strand breaks (Lowndes Group, Dodson Group) caused by UV radiation. While our cells are equipped with a DNA damage response (Carty Group), it can make mistakes and lead to diseases like cancer. As such, our research can have important impacts on health and medicine in addition to enlightening our fundamental understanding of chromosome biology.