Research
General summary
The Taatjes lab investigates the molecular mechanisms by which the human transcription machinery functions and is regulated.  Proper regulation of gene expression is fundamental to every major physiological process, and changes in gene expression patterns are hallmarks of human development and disease.  Consequently, the questions that we address are fundamentally important and have broad relevance to human health. Read more
Regulation of RNAPII activity by Transcription Factors, IDRs, condensates
Sequence-specific, DNA-binding TFs are the major regulators of cell identity and cell physiology. As examples, expression of select TFs can revert differentiated cells back to a pluripotent state and mutations in a single TF can drive tumor formation. Read more
Regulation of transcription and cell signaling by transcription-associated kinases
The transcription-associated kinases CDK7, CDK8/19, and CDK9 are essential for development and normal physiological function, and altered function of each kinase is broadly implicated in myriad human diseases. Read more
Mechanistic studies of RNAPII initiation, re-initiation and bursting
Although the basic mechanisms underlying RNAPII initiation are fairly well studied, re-initiation mechanisms, which involve rapid engagement of a second (or third) RNAPII enzyme, remain poorly understood. Re-initiation is related to transcriptional bursting, which is generally defined as periods of activity followed by periods of inactivity. Read more