# Genetic Analysis of Genes Controlling a Position Effect

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 2020 · $534,760

## Abstract

This application builds upon substantial advances in the last period that
uncovered a unique chromatin structure of yeast heterochromatin, developed a powerful
new assay capable of detecting transient lapses in heterochromatin function, and
overturned multiple widely-held views of silenced chromatin. This new assay opened
the window to studies of the dynamics of heterochromatin that have previously been
elusive.
 In the upcoming period, five specific aims will address the most important
unresolved issues regarding the structure, stability and epigenetic inheritance of silenced
chromatin, and reveal what happens to its silencing capacity when it serves as a donor
for double-strand break repair.
 First, the PI and his team will integrate results from their earlier studies of cell-
cycle stages in the assembly of silenced chromatin with their high-resolution chromatin
mapping and determine which features of the final structure accompany each stage of its
assembly and maturation. Second, they will continue a very promising test of whether
nucleosomes are carriers of the epigenetic information for the inheritance of silenced
chromatin, testing first how the inheritance of silenced chromatin is influenced by the
size of the silenced domain. Third, they propose ground-breaking experiments to
address the fundamental questions of all chromatin-based epigenetic inheritance by
developing broadly applicable technology to map the DNA positions of individual
nucleosomes and the proteins that bind them through a round of DNA replication. Forth,
they integrate their experience with microfluidics to study at the single-cell level how
various proteins functioning at or near the replication fork impact the establishment,
maintenance and inheritance of silenced chromatin. Finally, they address the enigma of
how silenced chromatin retains its silencing capacity in the face of the molecular
invasions accompanying its role as a donor in double-strand break repair.
 The most proximal health relatedness of this work lies in the growing recognition
of the importance of epigenetic processes in cancer. In addition much of development is,
by definition, based upon epigenetic processes. Hence the work is highly relevant to
many defects in developmental processes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9982367
- **Project number:** 5R01GM031105-39
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **Principal Investigator:** JASPER D RINE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $534,760
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1982-07-01 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9982367

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9982367, Genetic Analysis of Genes Controlling a Position Effect (5R01GM031105-39). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9982367. Licensed CC0.

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