Regulation of Transcriptional Elongation

It is a project to address the role of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcriptional elongation on plant responses to environmental conditions and seed priming with emphasis on seed dormancy/germination and seedling establishment. Focus will be on so-called transcript elongation factors (TEFs) that comprise histone chaperones, modulators of histone modifications and regulators of RNAPII activity. Currently, it is unknown to which extent the association of TEFs with elongating RNAPII is affected by altered ambient conditions, possibly resulting in distinct versions of the active RNAPII elongation complex. This may result in modified genomic distribution of RNAPII/TEFs and changed chromatin accessibility, ultimately entailing adjusted gene transcription patterns.

Active collaboration with partners at CSIC-CNB (Madrid, Spain), DSV (Aseldorf, Germany), and CSIC-IBMCP (Valencia, Spain) to get not only specific training in molecular approaches but also intellectual input that will be valuable to the progress of the project