Chromatin modifications, at the level of histones, are fundamental regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes as they control the access of the transcriptional machinery to the targeted promoter regions.

Recent studies, including our own, have found that chromatin modifications induced by bacterial pathogens interfere with the host transcriptional program. However, the mechanisms at play are poorly characterized and the role of these modifications for the host or for the bacterium remain unknown. Research in our team is centered on this facet of host-pathogen interactions using the model bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, a pathogen and a natural colonizer respectively.

The main goal of our research is to characterize the role of chromatin modifications induced upon bacteria-host interactions and their long term consequences.

Mélanie Hamon, PhD
Head of the Chromatin and Infection group
Cell biology and Infection department
Institut Pasteur