Pamela Garcia Lopez

Current Research:

Transcription factors (TFs) regulate transcription by binding to cis-regulatory elements on the DNA and recruiting cofactors (COFs). COFs recruited to the DNA affect transcription by methylating DNA, modifying histones, remodeling the chromatin structure, or serving as a scaffold for the transcription machinery. Although binding of TFs to the DNA is relatively well studied, the principles guiding TF-COF recruitment are less clear. My research focuses on characterizing how TFs recruit COFs to specific sites in the genome to shape gene expression. Using high-throughput approaches, such as protein binding microarrays (PBMs) and ChIP-seq, I aim to define the rules of TF-COF interactions and uncover how changes in these networks contribute to gene regulation in different cell contexts.