Department of Biological Sciences

Dodge Hall Rm 375
118 Library Dr
Rochester, MI 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-3550
fax: (248) 370-4225
[email protected]

Chhabi Govind

A head shot of Chhabi Govind

Chhabi Govind

Professor, Ph.D.
333 MSC
248-370-2027
Lab location: 334 MSC
Lab phone: (248) 370-4905
[email protected]

Courses:

BIO 3232 Biochemistry I
BIO 3233 Biochemistry Lab
BIO 5256 Advanced Topics in Cellular Biochemistry and Metabolism

Research Support:

National Institutes of Health

Regulation of Chromatin Structure During Transcription.

The packaging of eukaryotic DNA into nucleosomes, the basic unit of chromatin, plays a central role in regulating all DNA dependent processes. Nucleosomes are composed of DNA wrapped around an octamer of histone proteins– H3, H4, H2A and H2B. We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern the dynamic alterations of chromatin structure during transcription. Several multi-protein complexes, including histone modifying and ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes, are utilized by cells to alter or even remove nucleosomes to facilitate transcription. The current focus of our research is on understanding the importance of co-transcriptional histone acetylation in modulating chromatin plasticity during RNA polymerase elongation. We showed that hyperacetylated histones are evicted from coding sequences during RNA polymerase elongation. Through the use of yeast genetics in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and biochemistry and molecular biology techniques, we are investigating whether acetylation dependent histone eviction is mediated by the recruitment and function of RSC, an essential chromatin remodeling complex known to bind acetylated histones and to remodel chromatin by evicting histones.

Selected Publications:

Chhabi Govind NCBI My Bibliography

Qiu H, E. Biernat*, C.K. Govind, Y. Rawal, R.V. Chereji, D.J. Clark, and A.G.Hinnebusch. (2020). Chromatin remodeler Ino80C acts independently of H2A.Z to evict promoter nucleosomes and stimulate transcription of highly expressed genes in yeast. Nucleic Acids Research 48(15):8408-8430. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa571.

Biernat*, E., J. Kinney, K. Dulap*, C. Rizza* and C.K. Govind (2020). The RSC complex remodels nucleosomes in transcribed coding sequences and promotes transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 

Pathak, R., P. Singh, S. Ananthakrishnan*, S. Adamczyk, O. Schimmel and C.K. Govind. (2018). Acetylation-dependent recruitment of the FACT complex and its role in regulating Pol II occupancy genome-wide in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeGenetics 209(3): 743-756. DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.300943.

Rawal, Y., R.V. Chereji, H. Qiu, S. Ananthakrishnan*, C.K. Govind, D.J. Clark, and A.G. Hinnebusch. (2018). SWI/SNF and RSC cooperate to reposition and evict promoter nucleosomes at highly expressed genes in yeast. Genes & Development 32(9-10): 695-710. DOI: 10.1101/gad.312850.118.

Jones*, J.W., P. Singh, and Govind, C.K. (2016). Recruitment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cmr1/Ydl156w to coding regions promotes transcription genome wide. PLoS One 11(2):  e0148897. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148897.

Burugula*, B.B., C. Jeronimo, R. Pathak, J.W. Jones*, F. Robert and C.K. Govind. (2014). Histone deacetylases and phosphorylated polymerase II C-terminal domain recruit Spt6 for cotranscriptional histone reassembly. Molecular Cell Biology  34(22):  4115-4129. DOI: 10.1128/MCB.00695-14.

Spain*, M.M., S.A. Ansari, R. Pathak, M.J. Palumbo, R.H. Morse and C.K. Govind. (2014). The RSC complex localizes to coding sequences to regulate Pol II and histone occupancy. Molecular Cell 56(5): 653-666. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.10.002.

Govind, C.K., H. Qiu, D.S. Ginsburg, C. Ruan, K. Hofmeyer, C. Hu, V. Swaminathan, J.L. Workman, B. Li and A.G. Hinnebusch. (2010). Phosphorylated Pol II CTD recruits multiple HDACs, including Rpd3C(S), for methylation-dependent deacetylation of ORF nucleosomes. Molecular Cell 39(2): 234-246. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.07.003.

Pascual-Garcia, P., C.K. Govind, E. Queralt, B. Cuenca-Bono, A. Llopis, S. Chavez, A.G. Hinnebusch and S. Rodriguez-Navarro. (2008). Sus1 is recruited to coding regions and functions during transcription elongation in association with SAGA and TREX2. Genes & Development 22(20): 2811-2822. DOI: 10.1101/gad.483308.

Govind, C.K., F. Zhang, H. Qiu, K. Hofmeyer and A.G. Hinnebusch. (2007). Gcn5 promotes acetylation, eviction, and methylation of nucleosomes in transcribed coding regions. Molecular Cell 25(1): 31-42. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2006.11.020.