Nicole Eisenhuth

Dot1 enzymes are conserved histone methyltransferases that can be found in most eukaryotic organisms. The methylation mark of Dot1 is associated with many cellular processes such as telomeric silencing, transcriptional control, cell cycle regulation, DNA repair and developmental differentiation. The parasite Trypanosoma brucei has two Dot1 enzymes, DOT1A and DOT1B. DOT1B is essential for developmental differentiation from the mammalian to the insect stage of the parasite. The aim of my PhD research is to characterize the molecular machinery, which enables DOT1B to execute its functions.