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Genetics and Genomics Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Genetics and Genomics

Dynamic Gene Expression In The Human Cerebral Cortex Distinguishes Children From Adults, Kirstin N. Sterner, Amy Weckle, Harry T. Chugani, Adi L. Tarca, Chet C. Sherwood, Patrick R. Hof, Christopher W. Kuzawa, Amy M. Boddy, Asad Abbas, Ryan L. Raaum, Lucie Grégoire, Leonard Lipovich, Lawrence I. Grossman, Monica Uddin, Morris Goodman, Derek E. Wildman May 2012

Dynamic Gene Expression In The Human Cerebral Cortex Distinguishes Children From Adults, Kirstin N. Sterner, Amy Weckle, Harry T. Chugani, Adi L. Tarca, Chet C. Sherwood, Patrick R. Hof, Christopher W. Kuzawa, Amy M. Boddy, Asad Abbas, Ryan L. Raaum, Lucie Grégoire, Leonard Lipovich, Lawrence I. Grossman, Monica Uddin, Morris Goodman, Derek E. Wildman

Publications and Research

In comparison with other primate species, humans have an extended juvenile period during which the brain is more plastic. In the current study we sought to examine gene expression in the cerebral cortex during development in the context of this adaptive plasticity. We introduce an approach designed to discriminate genes with variable as opposed to uniform patterns of gene expression and found that greater inter-individual variance is observed among children than among adults. For the 337 transcripts that show this pattern, we found a significant overrepresentation of genes annotated to the immune system process (pFDR>0). Moreover, genes known to …


Pre-Whaling Genetic Diversity And Population Ecology In Eastern Pacific Gray Whales: Insights From Ancient Dna And Stable Isotopes, S Elizabeth Alter, Seth D. Newsome, Stephen R. Palumbi May 2012

Pre-Whaling Genetic Diversity And Population Ecology In Eastern Pacific Gray Whales: Insights From Ancient Dna And Stable Isotopes, S Elizabeth Alter, Seth D. Newsome, Stephen R. Palumbi

Publications and Research

Commercial whaling decimated many whale populations, including the eastern Pacific gray whale, but little is known about how population dynamics or ecology differed prior to these removals. Of particular interest is the possibility of a large population decline prior to whaling, as such a decline could explain the ,5-fold difference between genetic estimates of prior abundance and estimates based on historical records. We analyzed genetic (mitochondrial control region) and isotopic information from modern and prehistoric gray whales using serial coalescent simulations and Bayesian skyline analyses to test for a pre-whaling decline and to examine prehistoric genetic diversity, population dynamics and …


Pten Regulation Of Local And Long-Range Connections In Mouse Auditory Cortex, Qiaojie Xiong, Hysell V. Oviedo, Lloyd C. Trotman, Anthony M. Zador Feb 2012

Pten Regulation Of Local And Long-Range Connections In Mouse Auditory Cortex, Qiaojie Xiong, Hysell V. Oviedo, Lloyd C. Trotman, Anthony M. Zador

Publications and Research

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are highly heritable developmental disorders caused by a heterogeneous collection of genetic lesions. Here we use a mouse model to study the effect on cortical connectivity of disrupting the ASD candidate gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10). Through Cre-mediated recombination, we conditionally knocked out PTEN expression in a subset of auditory cortical neurons. Analysis of long-range connectivity using channelrhodopsin-2 revealed that the strength of synaptic inputs from both the contralateral auditory cortex and from the thalamus onto PTEN-cko neurons was enhanced compared with nearby neurons with normal PTEN expression. Laser-scanning photostimulation showed …