T32 Seminar

Danica Fujimori, PhD

Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology
University of California, San Francisco

Wednesday, June 12 | 4:00 pm
Ryan 4003
Refreshments will be served at 3:45 pm

Abstract:

Chemical Biology of Chromatin Demethylation

Lysine methylation is a functionally diverse chromatin modification with a regulatory role in a number of processes such as heterochromatin formation, transcriptional regulation and DNA repair. The spatial and temporal localization of histone methylation is achieved by opposing activities of histone modifying enzymes – methyltransferases, enzymes that deposit methylation marks, and demethylases, enzymes that remove them. Jumonji demethylases are a large class of enzymes that antagonize lysine methylation. Misregulation of these enzymes is associated with cancer pathogenesis, prompting investigations into identification of druggable sites and development of small molecule inhibitors. In this talk, I will discuss our work on understanding mechanisms that regulate catalytic activity of demethylases, which led to identification of an allosteric site in KDM5 enzymes. Our efforts to develop small molecule inhibitors of these enzymes will also be discussed.

Biography:

Danica Galonic Fujimori is a professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at University of California in San Francisco. Prior to starting at UCSF, Dr. Fujimori obtained her PhD in organic chemistry at UIUC (with David Gin and Wilfred van der Donk), and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School (with Chris Walsh). Her research program broadly investigates how modifications of macromolecules impact their function. 

 

Hosted by CLP Trainee Rebecca Rasmussen.This is a required activity for CLP Trainees. Supported by the Chemistry of Life Processes Predoctoral Training Program NIH/ NIGMS 5T32GM105538-06