Meg Palacio

Transcription regulation by molecular condensates

Understanding the mechanisms that control RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription are essential to gain insight about human development and disease.  One phenomenon that may modulate transcription is liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). LLPS drives the formation of molecular condensates at regions that contain a high density of transcription factors and nucleic acids.  My projects focus on how phase separation affects Pol II activity and its regulation by other transcription-associated proteins. The goal is to determine the mechanisms by which molecular condensates might influence transcriptional output and how condensates may function at distinct regions in the human genome. 

Publications

Palacio, M; Taatjes DJ. Merging established mechanisms with new insights: Condensates, hubs, and the regulation of RNA polymerase II transcription. J Mol Biol 2022, 433: 167216.

Rudolph, J; Muthurajan, UM; Palacio, M; Mahadevan, J; Roberts, G; Erbse, AH; Dyer, P; Luger, K. The BRCT domain of PARP1 binds intact DNA and mediates intrastrand transfer.Mol Cell 2021, 81: 4994 - 5006.