Gene regulation is fundamental to the proper functioning of a cell, and many cancers can be traced to abnormal gene regulation. Our goal is to understand how genes are regulated by combining genetic, biochemical and structural descriptions. Our expectation is that such information will contribute to the development of future therapeutic agents against cancer and other human diseases.

We are particularly interested in dissecting the molecular mechanisms of transcription on a chromatin template to understand how genes are turned off and on. To do so, we perform biochemical studies of chromatin enzymes and we use X-ray crystallography to determine their three-dimensional structures. The questions that we wish to address include:

Selected Publications:

• Psathas, J.N., S. Zheng, S. Tan and J. Reese (2009) Set2-dependent K36 methylation is regulated by novel intratail interactions within H3, Mol. Cell. Biol., 29:6413-6426. (abstract)
  
  
• S. Tan and J. Reese (editors) (2009) BBA - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms Special Issue on Epigenetics, 1789:1-68.
  
  
• Selleck, W. and S. Tan (2008) Recombinant protein complex expression in E. coli, Curr Protocols Protein Sci, Chapter 5, unit 5.21. (abstract)
  
  
• Altaf, M., R.T. Utley, N. Lacoste, S. Tan, S.D. Briggs, J. Cote (2007) Interplay of chromatin modifiers on a short basic patch of histone H4 tail defines the boundary of telomeric heterochromatin, Mol. Cell, 28:1002-1014. (abstract)
  
  
• Barrios, A., Selleck, W., Hnatkovich. B., Kramer, R., Sermwittayawong, D. and S. Tan (2007) Expression and purification of recombinant yeast Ada2/Ada3/Gcn5 and Piccolo NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complexes, Methods, 41:271-277. (abstract)
  
  
• Berndsen, C.E., Selleck, W., McBryant, S.J., Hansen, J.C. , S. Tan and J.M. Denu (2007) Nucleosome recognition by the Piccolo NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complex, Biochemistry, 46:2091-2099. (abstract)
  
  
• Berndsen, C.E., Albaugh, B.N., Tan, S. and J.M. Denu (2007) Catalytic mechanism of a MYST family histone acetyltransferase, Biochemistry, 46:623-629, Accelerated Publication. (abstract)
  
  
• Sermwittayawong, D. and Tan, S. (2006) SAGA binds TBP via its Spt8 subunit in competition with DNA, implications for TBP recruitment, EMBO Journal, 25:3791-3800. (abstract)
  

• Doyon Y., Cayrou, C., Ullah, M., Landry, A.J., Cote, V., Selleck, W., Lane, W.S., Tan, S. , Yang, X.J. and Cote, J. (2006) ING Tumor Suppressor Proteins Are Critical Regulators of Chromatin Acetylation Required for Genome Expression and Perpetuation, Mol. Cell, 21:51-64. (abstract)
  
  
• Selleck, W., Fortin, I., Sermwittayawong, D., Cote, J. and Tan, S. (2005) The yeast Piccolo NuA4 HAT complex requires the Enhancer of Polycomb A and chromo domains to acetylate nucleosomes, Mol. Cell. Biol., 25:5535-5542. (abstract)
  
  
• Lichty, J.L., Malecki, J.L., Agnew, H.D., Michelson-Horowitz, D.J. and Tan, S. (2005) Comparison of Affinity Tags for Protein Purification, Prot. Expr. Purif., 41:98-105. (abstract)

• Tan, S., Kern, R.C. and Selleck, W. (2005) The pST44 polycistronic expression system for producing protein complexes in Escherichia coli, Prot. Expr. Purif., 40:385-395. (abstract)
  
  
• Doyon, Y., Selleck, W., Lane, W.S., Tan, S. and Côté, J. (2004) Structural and functional conservation of the NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complex from yeast to human, Mol. Cell. Biol., 24:1884-1896. (abstract)
  
  
• Boudreault, A.A. , Cronier, D., Selleck, W., Lacoste, N., Utley, R.T., Allard, S., Savard, J., Lane, W.S., Tan, S. and Côté, J. (2003) Yeast Enhancer of polycomb defines global Esa1-dependent acetylation of chromatin, Genes & Dev, 17:1415-1428. (abstract)
  
  
• Bleichenbacher, M.M., Tan, S. and Richmond, T.J. (2003) Novel Interactions Between the Components of Human and Yeast TFIIA/TBP/DNA Complexes, J. Mol Biol., 332:783-793. (abstract)
  
  
• Boyer, L.A., Langer, M.R., Crowley, K.A., Tan, S., Denu, J.M., and Peterson, C.L. (2002) Essential role for the SANT domain in the functioning of multiple chromatin remodeling enzymes. Mol. Cell, 10:935-942. (abstract)
  
  
• Balasubramanian, R., Pray-Grant, M.G., Selleck, W., Grant, P.A. and Tan, S. (2002) Role of the Ada2 and Ada3 transcriptional coactivators in histone acetylation, J. Biol. Chem., 277: 7989-7995. (abstract)
  
  
• Selleck, W., Howley, R., Fang, J., Podolny, V., Fried, M.G., Buratowski, S. and Tan, S. (2001) A histone fold TAF octamer within the yeast TFIID transcriptional coactivator, Nature Struct. Biol., 8:695-700. (abstract)

• Brown, C.E., Howe, L, Sousa, K., Alley, S.C., Carrozza, M.J., Tan, S. and Workman, J.L. (2001) Recruitment of HAT complexes by direct activator interactions with the ATM-related Tra1 subunit, Science, 292: 2333-2337. (abstract)

• Tan, S. (2001) A Modular Polycistronic Expression System for Overexpressing Protein Complexes in Escherichia Coli, Prot. Expr. Purif., 21: 224-234. (abstract)

• Tan, S. (2001) One HAT size fits all?, Nature Struct. Biol., 8:8-10.

• Gaiser, F., Tan, S. and Richmond, T.J. (2000) Novel Dimerization Fold of RAP30/RAP74 in Human TFIIF at 1.7 Å Resolution , J. Mol Biol., 302: 1119-1127. (abstract)

• Tan, S., Hunziker, Y., Pellegrini, L. and Richmond, T.J. (2000) Crystallization of the yeast MATalpha2/MCM1/DNA ternary complex: general methods and principles for protein/DNA cocrystallization, J. Mol Biol., 297: 947-959. (reprint)

• Tan, S. and Richmond, T.J. (1998) Crystal structure of the yeast MATalpha2/MCM1/DNA ternary complex, Nature, 391: 660-666. (abstract)

• Tan, S., Hunziker, Y., Sargent, D.F. and Richmond, T.J. (1996) Crystal structure of a yeast TFIIA/TBP/DNA complex, Nature, 381: 127-134. (abstract)

• Pellegrini, L, Tan, S. and Richmond, T.J. (1995) Structure of serum response factor core bound to DNA, Nature, 376: 490-498. (abstract)