An Associate Professor in the Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Her research focuses on the regulation of gene expression with particular interest in the core promoter - the DNA region that directs the initiation of transcription - often referred to as the gateway to transcription. Her lab combines methodologies of molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, bioinformatics and developmental biology. Juven-Gershon received her B.Sc. from Tel-Aviv University, Israel. She carried out her M.Sc. and Ph.D. research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel and was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego. Juven-Gershon joined the Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University in 2009. She is an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports, a journal from Nature Publishing Group.

Research

Molecular Studies of Transcription and Regulation of Developmental Genes

We study the molecular basis of the fascinating process by which our different body parts are formed during development. 

The regulation of gene transcription is critical for the proper development and growth of an organism. The function of these genes is also crucial for us as adults; in the unfortunate event of malfunction, the end result might be cancer, such as leukemia.

Control elements that are embedded in the DNA sequences of genes are responsible for proper development. We study these DNA sequence elements and how they control different genes. Our analysis is important for understanding the regulation of development and complex systems.

We focus on the core promoter, which is generally defined to be the DNA region that directs the accurate initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. In the past, the core promoter has often been presumed to be a generic entity that functions by a single universal mechanism. Recent findings reveal that there is widespread diversity in core promoter structure and function. We have embarked on the identification of biological functions of core promoter motifs and the identification of core promoter-specific activators.

Our goal is to understand the complex regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. We focus on the unique contribution of the core promoter to transcriptional regulation of gene networks.

In our research, we use the fruit fly (scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster), as our model organism. The fruit fly has been used as an excellent model for genetics and developmental biology for many years. Strikingly, at the molecular level, there is remarkable similarity between humans and flies. Practically, this means that studying the regulation of development in the fly can teach us a lot about the regulation in humans.

In our lab we combine methodologies of molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, bioinformatics and developmental biology.