Aktan Alpsoy
Research Focus
In our laboratory, we investigate the interactions between transcription factors, cofactors, and chromatin-modifying enzymes, as well as the roles of these interactions in the regulation of gene expression profiles, cellular differentiation, and lineage specification.
Biography
Aktan was born and raised in Ankara. After completing his undergraduate and Master’s educations at Middle East Technical University, he moved to Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN, USA) to do his PhD in Interdisciplinary Life Science Program. There he worked under supervision of Prof. Emily Dykhuizen on mammalian SWI/SNF complexes.
After PhD, he started his postdoctoral training with Prof. Christopher Vakoc at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA). At CSHL, he focused on the molecular underpinnings of the transcription factor–cofactor interactions from a structural biology perspective. Between October 2023 and September 2025, he worked at the Institute of Cancer Research (London, UK) as a senior postdoctoral researcher in Kristian Helin’s Epigenetics and Cancer Group on the functional redundancies and crosstalk between repressive histone PTMs.
In October 2025, Aktan moved back to Middle East Technical University, Department of Biological Sciences, and is currently establishing his independent research group.
Education
Selected Publications
- Alpsoy, A.*, Ipsaro, J. J.*, Skopelitis, D.* et al. (2025). Structural basis of DNA-dependent coactivator recruitment by the tuft cell master regulator POU2F3. Cell Reports, 44(11), 116572.
- Alpsoy, A.*, Wu, X.S.*, et al. (2024). IκBζ is a dual-use coactivator of NF-κB and POU transcription factors. Molecular Cell, 84, 1–9.
- Alpsoy, A., et al. (2021). BRD9 is a critical regulator of androgen receptor signaling and prostate cancer progression. Cancer Research, 81(4), pp. 820–833.
- Alpsoy, A., Dykhuizen, E. C. (2018). Glioma tumor suppressor candidate region gene 1 (GLTSCR1) and its paralog GLTSCR1-like form SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling subcomplexes. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 293(11), 3892–3903.
Current Funding & Projects
- TÜBİTAK 2232-B (10/2025 – 10/2028)
The diverse subunit composition of SWI/SNF complexes and its relevance in disease context
International Fellowship for Early-Stage Researchers - TÜBİTAK 3501 (05/2026 – 11/2028)
Development and characterization of an in vitro model for human tuft cells, a rare epithelial cell type
Career Development Grant