Epigenetic regulatory mechanisms during neurodevelopment

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Among other insights, this NSERC funded research has established that the natural variation associated with gene expression is much more common than DNA polymorphism. From evolutionary perspective, this variation offers among the first defence to environmental stresses particularly during neurodevelopment. Further, we have demonstrated that advances in molecular technologies to appraise this variability reliably now offers effective strategies to investigate this defence during neurodevelopment, which has remained enigmatic. Our strategy is to interrupt neurodevelopment at desired time(s) by stressors (eg. alcohol) and evaluate genome-wide changes using RNA-seq and microarrays. The results have allowed us to conclude that alcohol yields a lifelong “molecular footprint” of its encounter during neurodevelopment. Further, this “footprint” may underlie critical behavioral defects often associated with neurodevelopmental exposure to alcohol. This proposal will specifically focus on molecular studies on hippocampus that directs learning and memory often affected by prenatal alcohol.