Dr. Song Tan

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Department:  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
College:  Eberly College of Science
Address:  468A North Frear Laboratory
Phone:  814-865-3355
E-mail:  sxt30@psu.edu
Website:  http://www.personal.psu.edu/sxt30/

Cancer Gene Regulation Enzymes
Our laboratory is interested in how genes are turned off or on since such regulation is altered in cancer cells. Our goal is to determine how gene regulation complexes work using both biochemical and structural biology approaches. A focus of the lab is to determine the three-dimensional structure of epigenetic and chromatin complexes by X-ray crystallography and cryoelectron microscopy. Current undergraduate projects include (a) coexpression of protein complexes in E. coli and insect cells, (b) affinity purification of proteins, and (c) characterizing chromatin enzymes through chromatin enzyme activity and nucleosome binding assays.