Colloquium: Christopher Bohrer, National Cancer Institute
Dissecting the Relationship Between Genome Organization and Transcription Regulation
Event Details:
- Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
- Location: 1080 Physics Research Building
- Faculty Host: Michael Poirier
Abstract
Transcription represents one of the earliest decision-making steps within the cell. In humans, enhancers activate target genes despite being genomically distant from their target promoters. A point of contention within the field is whether the enhancer-promoter (E-P) physical distance is important for transcription regulation.
In this talk, I first describe Loci Enabled Advanced Resolution (LEAR), a methodology that improves the resolution of chromatin tracing. By reducing this error, LEAR revealed that Sox2 transcription activation exhibits a dependence on physical E-P proximity within individual cells—a relationship previously obscured by localization error. Second, I present a single-cell analysis revealing correlated gene expression at the nascent level. And I provide evidence that enhancers drive these correlations and establish a characteristic enhancer working distance of approximately 300 nanometers.
Finally, I briefly introduce a cell selection methodology enabling the construction of synthetic enhancer-promoter pairs from the ground up. This approach will form the cornerstone of my research program to systematically dissect the physical rules governing enhancer function.
Bio
Dr. Christopher H. Bohrer received dual B.S. degrees in physics and science education before pursuing a Ph.D. in Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University. Under the co-mentorship of Drs. Jie Xiao and Elijah Roberts, he received training in both theoretical and experimental approaches, focusing on super-resolution microscopy method development and the relationship between DNA organization and transcription regulation. Since joining Dr. Daniel R. Larson's group at the NIH in 2020, Christopher has investigated how chromatin organization influences transcription regulation, with particular emphasis on enhancer biology. His work has revealed fundamental principles governing how the physical distance between genes drives co-expression. Outside of science, Christopher has three little boys, a wife, and a dog (Galileo) who keep him busy.