My primary interest is understanding how the chromatin environment primes gene expression. To study fluid changes in chromatin state and the resulting gene expression changes, we use mouse ESCs and follow them through early development from pluripotency to germline commitment. To investigate epigenetic differences among individuals, we use diverse mouse strains to represent diversity among human beings, studying two paradigms to through the lens of individual diversity: differences in naïve state that impact early development, and differences in mature brain striatum that impact susceptibility to addiction.
