Michael Krangel, Immunology

Our laboratory focuses on the regulated rearrangement and expression of murine T cell receptor genes. We study both the T cell receptor alpha/delta locus and the T cell receptor beta locus to learn how cis-acting elements within these loci specify region-specific and developmental-stage specific activation and inactivation of V(D)J recombination and transcription. We are particularly interested in understanding how developmentally regulated changes in chromatin structure impact these processes. Our central approach is to identify and characterize cis-acting elements and to test their roles in the endogenous loci by gene targeting.