Research Abstract
The Chen lab does bioinformatics research with a focus on cell identity regulation in prostate cancer and cardiovascular endothelium. Different cell types in a healthy body share the same genetic sequence. Difference in identity of these cell types is determined by epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Meanwhile, many genetic mutations in germ line or somatic cells were found to affect epigenetic factors and can cause disease due to cell identity dysregulation. To study cell identity dysregulation in disease, the lab is focused on prostate cancer. To study cell identity regulation in development, we are focused on the cardiovascular endothelial lineage. One major interest of the Lab is in how cell identity genes are transcriptionally regulated in a way different from the regulation of other genes. An important finding of the Lab is that cell identity genes are often regulated by a significantly larger number of transcription factors when compared to other genes. Many of theses cell identity genes play roles as tumor suppressors and oncogenes during tumorigenesis.
