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Dr. Brian
Strahl

Brian D Strahl - Field of Epigenetics and Chromatin Biology

Brian David Strahl has served as a faculty member of the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine since 2002. Dr. Strahl holds his primary appointment in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, and has a secondary appointment in UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2008, Dr. Strahl was promoted to Associate Professor.

Brian Strahl’s lab has been conducting ground-breaking research in the field of Epigenetics. Specifically, Dr. Strahl’s group has been studying the role of histone post-translational modifications in chromatin structure and function. In particular, his group has been exploring the role of histone-modifying enzymes in RNA polymerase II transcription. Brian Strahl’s laboratory has contributed to the finding that a variety of enzymes that either methylate, acetylate or ubiquitinylate histones contribute to transcription elongation and are associated with the elongating form of RNA polymerase II. Dr. Strahl’s current efforts are aimed at understanding how these enzymes (and their modifications) contribute to chromatin organization, gene regulation and how their dysregulation leads to cancer. In addition to studies into gene regulation, Dr. Strahl’s laboratory is also engaged in a high-throughput proteomics project involving peptide arrays to decipher how histone modifications, and the histone codes they generate, regulate the recruitment of chromatin-associated proteins that govern the diverse functions associated with DNA.


Dr. Brian Strahl's Schools

  		•  University of Virginia , Class of 2001

    Postdoctoral Studies – Brian D. Strahl worked on identifying and characterizing the enzymes that methylate histones. Dr. Strahl, with Dr. Allis, also proposed the histone code hypothesis.
  		• UNC Greensboro , Class of 1993
    Bachelors in Biology and Chemistry and Music

    Brian D. Strahl obtained his B.A. in Chemistry and also a second degree in Biology. He worked under the mentorship of Dr. Julian Lombardi, where Dr. Strahl obtained in interest for scientific discovery.
  		• North Carolina State University , Class of 1988
    Ph.D in Biochemistry

    Brian D. Strahl was a graduate student in the Biochemistry Department at NC State University. There, Dr. Strahl worked under Dr. William L. Miller and studied the transcriptional regulation of the Follicle Stimulating Hormone beta gene.

Dr. Brian Strahl's Companies