C. David Allis

C. David Allis (born March 22, 1951) is currently the Joy and Jack Fishman Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Chromatin Biology at The Rockefeller University in New York City, United States. In pursuit of understanding the DNA-histone protein complex and the intricate system which allows for gene activation, the Allis lab focuses on chromatin signaling via histone modifications - acetylation, methylation and phosphorylation. Allis was the first to identify a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and to characterize a histone deacetylase (HDAC) in 1996, sparking a renewed interest in chromatin function. In conjuncture, these modifications may frame the "Histone Code" or "Epigenetic Code." While the DNA code is responsible for the sequence of RNA's and proteins, the Histone Code may ultimately be responsible for the epigenetic regulation of this genetic information.