Sixth FERO Grant – Dr. Sandra Peiró

DNA is structured three-dimensionally, and this level of organization is intimately linked to genome function and, therefore, to cellular function. The project team believes that to understand how the genome works, it is necessary to integrate all available information about it: DNA sequence, epigenetic patterns, non-coding RNA expression patterns, and the genome’s three-dimensional structure, as it is this 3D structure that determines which genes should or should not be activated during any process.

With the help of this project, the three-dimensional structure of the genome during the acquisition of metastatic properties was characterized for the first time. The work carried out demonstrates how the Lamina B1 protein is necessary for the genome reorganization required to transform a non-invasive cell into one capable of migrating and invading other tissues.