My lab investigates the effects of genetic variation on regulation, as can been seen through allelic imbalance in signal from chromatin and transcription factor data, as well as in quantitative trait loci (QTL)-based analyses of these data across individuals. We are particularly interested in molecular and microbial characteristics of Crohn's disease phenotypes. Using both human tissue and mouse models, we seek to identify where chromatin is altered, the impacts on gene expression, the contributions of genetic variation, and the relationship to the microbial community in tissues and cells from affected individuals. We are also investigating the effects of exposure to ozone on the lung inflammatory response in the genetically diverse Collaborative Cross mouse model resource. In particular, we are assaying how ozone-induced chromatin structure and gene expression changes in alveolar macrophages, along with genetic variation, explain variability in ozone response.