The general objective of our laboratory is to understand in molecular details the epigenetic functions of nuclear Argonaute proteins and their associated small RNAs in animals.
We are using C. elegans as a model system to test the hypothesis that nuclear Argonaute proteins and their associated small RNAs constitute an RNA-based epigenetic system for propagating the memory of the transcriptional status of the genome during cell division or across generations.

Specifically, we are investigating:
The molecular mechanism by which small RNAs regulate transcription and chromatin organization
The role of small RNAs in epigenetic inheritance during animal development
The function of small RNAs as an adaptive epigenetic system for propagating the memory of stress responses