Cell Cycle Chromatin Proteomics (funded by Cancer Research UK)

The events of the cell cycle have profound effects on nuclei and chromosomes. Chromosome replication, nuclear disassembly and reassembly, chromosome condensation and apoptosis all involve proteins that directly interact with chromatin. This project combines a powerful cell-free system based on Xenopus egg extracts with proteomic analysis using mass spectrometry to identify proteins associated with chromatin at different cell cycle states. While many chromatin-associated proteins will show no changes throughout the cell cycle, differences in abundance or modification are likely to reflect proteins with cell cycle-specific function. This proteomic screen will therefore identify new factors important for cell cycle dynamics and provide novel details about the post-translational modifications of known ones. The project is a collaboration between the Swedlow Lab and the Blow Lab.