X chromosome reactivation: the Mechanisms

We study the X as an epigenetic exemplar and want to understand whether and how silencing at Xi genes can be reversed. My key discovery shows that the delocalization of XIST long non-coding RNA from the Xi chromosome territory is tightly associated with the reactivation of genes during cell reprogramming. As XIST delocalises at every mitosis, one of our projects investigates whether mitosis is a window of opportunity for stochastic transcriptional events to occur under normal and/or perturbed conditions, and their potential inheritance. In particular, we have identified a family of transcription factors that bind Xi reactivated genes and we are investigating the role of these TF in inducing Xi transcription at the exit of mitosis.