Gregory Matera

Gregory Matera is a Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) with affiliations in the Department of Genetics, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Curriculum in Genetics & Molecular Biology, and Curriculum in Neurobiology. His research spans epigenetic gene regulation and RNA processing, focusing on histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) and their role in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

• Department of Biology
• Department of Genetics
• Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Curriculum in Genetics & Molecular Biology
• Curriculum in Neurobiology

Research Interests: Dr. Matera investigates how histone PTMs govern epigenetic inheritance and cell fate in metazoan development, with implications for cancer. His lab also studies the SMN complex in SMA, using Drosophila models to dissect disease mechanisms and RNA biogenesis.

• Epigenetic gene regulation
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) models
• RNA processing and RNP assembly
• Cellular memory and chromatin dynamics
• Histone PTMs in transcription

Scientific Awards: Supported by NIH grant R35-GM136435 and the UNC RIDE award, his work includes developing tools to study multi-copy histone genes and uncovering novel SMN complex functions.