Studying transcription one bacteria at a time
The Brewster lab combines systems and synthetic biology approaches to learn how to read, write and design gene regulation
Our approach emphasizes the interplay between quantitative theoretical models and modern experimental techniques. We are located in the Department of Systems Biology at UMass Chan Medical School.
TF Titration library paper published on the cover of MSB
Excited to have this paper published and available to the community. Lots of cool work testing TF function in a controlled, systematic way. Check it out!
New manuscript on characterizing TF function published in Cell Reports
How do TFs work? What do they do once bound? We are interested in characterizing the regulatory behavior of TFs in E. coli based on factors such as TF identity, binding location and binding sequence. Read it here!
Preprint on gene expression timing posted to Bioarxiv
A fundamental question in our lab has been to quantify how gene architecture and network structure controls gene expression levels. We think much less about how the timing of gene expression can be encoded in this way. How can we (or nature) design gene circuits to produce specific timing responses?
Manuscript on regulatory asymmetry in networks published in Elife
Two genes with identical regulation in a cell should experience the same transcriptional regulation, on average. This was a premise we thoroughly believed, it turns out to not be true; the way in which the genes are connected to the network matters. Here we look at a negative autoregulatory TF gene and compare its response to identically regulated target genes. This asymmetry in regulation is fundamental to the network structure and depends on the size of the network, the physiology (growth rate) and the binding affinity of the TF. Read the manuscript to see why!