Imaging bursts of activity in DNA transcription
The aim of the Lenstra lab is to understand the dynamics and regulation of transcription. Transcription, the process where DNA is copied to RNA to eventually form proteins, is often not continuous in time, but happens in bursts of high activity, followed by periods of inactivity. These bursts result in variability between cells, which can influence cell fate decisions and disease progression. Even though transcriptional bursting is conserved from bacteria to yeast to human cells, the origin and regulators of bursting remain largely unknown. Our lab uses cutting-edge single-molecule RNA imaging techniques to directly observe and measure transcriptional bursting in living cells. Our imaging techniques are combined with genetic targeting approaches to reveal how bursting is regulated at the molecular level and how different bursting patterns affect the heterogeneity and fitness of the organism.
