The cohesin complex is a key player in the three-dimensional organisation of mammalian genomes within the nucleus. This organisation is critical for genome function. Cohesin folds DNA into loops and accumulates at specific genomic sites to support transcription, DNA replication, repair, and recombination, as well as sister chromatid cohesion and chromosome segregation.  

How cohesin controls such diverse biological processes is a major unanswered question in genome biology. Closing this knowledge gap is important because the processes coordinated by cohesin are central to human development, homeostasisand disease. 

Wellcome Discovery Awards provide funding for cross-disciplinary teams to pursue bold and creative research ideas that will deliver significant shifts in our understanding of human health and wellbeing. Through a six-year collaborative project, the three teams will investigate how cohesin controls genomic processes and how its function is regulated by a network of interacting proteins. They will take an interdisciplinary approach combining expertise in structural biology, biochemistry, cell biology, model organisms and integrative imaging across scales from the atomic to the organismal level.  

“My team and I are very excited about this opportunity to address important questions about genome control by cohesin with support from the Wellcome Trust. We are honoured to do so in collaboration with Professors Daniel Panne and BenjaminRowland, who are leaders in their fields.” Professor Matthias Merkenschlager, Head of the Lymphocyte Development Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences