Lukas Grein

PhD Student

Michael Naumann

Project Leader

Martin Fischer

Project Leader

Functional progression of the cell cycle is vital for growth of multicellular organisms. A complex network of proteins, regulated on a transcriptomic and proteomic level, control the progression through G1, S, G2, and M phase. While the regulation of the cell cycle at the G1/S and G2/M transitions is well-researched, genome-level research on gene regulation during cell cycle entry and early G1 phase has been limited. The transcription factor MYC plays a crucial role in regulating early cell cycle progression. Furthermore, MXD proteins, proposed antagonists of MYC, may play an important role in maintaining cells in a quiescent state. Consequently, the equilibrium of expression between MYC and MXD proteins is thought to influence cell fate. NF-κB, a family of transcription factors that regulate inflammatory processes, has also been demonstrated to play a role in early cell cycle progression. The objective of this project is a genome-wide assessment of the regulatory processes that occur during cell cycle entry and the early G1 phase. Preliminary data from my Master’s thesis are not in support of a general antagonism between MYC and MXD proteins, questioning this longstanding model. I plan to delineate the MYC, MXD, and NF-κB target gene networks and assess their interplay during cell cycle entry genome-wide.