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Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Identification Of Dna Methylation Episignatures For Classification And Phenotype/Genotype Correlation In Mendelian Neurodevelopmental Disorders, John Reilly
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
ABSTRACT: Diagnosis for neurodevelopmental disorders poses numerous challenges, related to the lack of specific findings and limited understanding of clinical impact of the majority of genetic variation. Epigenomics mechanisms involve chemical modifications in DNA that involve a range of cellular mechanisms. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism involving addition and removal of methyl groups to cytosine residues. These methylation signals form episignatures; patterns of methylation that can be used as biomarkers capable of differentiating neurodevelopmental disorders. EpiSigns have enabled molecular diagnosis of a number of genetic conditions, classification of variants of unknown significance, and provided insights into the pathophysiology of …
The Role Of Histone Demethylases In Learning And Memory In The Mushroom Body Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Crystal Keung
The Role Of Histone Demethylases In Learning And Memory In The Mushroom Body Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Crystal Keung
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with many epigenetic regulators and chromatin modifying enzymes like histone lysine methyltransferases (KMTs) and demethylases (KDMs). Here, I systematically investigate the role of 7 KDMs: Su(var)3-3, KDM2, Lid, CG2982, UTX, KDM4B, JHDM2, and 1 KMT: trr in the context of learning and memory using Drosophila melanogaster. Genetic knockdown of each gene in the mushroom body (MB) of flies are tested for short- and long-term memory impairment using courtship conditioning. Knockdown of 6 KDMs and trr resulted in memory loss. MB morphology was analyzed to determine potential cause of memory loss. …
Chromatin Organizer Ctcf In Brain Development And Behaviour, Adrienne Elbert
Chromatin Organizer Ctcf In Brain Development And Behaviour, Adrienne Elbert
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Chromatin architecture is an important regulator of gene expression, which dictates development. Mutations in one copy of the CTCF chromatin organizer gene cause intellectual disability and autism. Polymorphisms in CTCF have also been associated with increased risk for schizophrenia, a condition that overlaps in biological etiology with autism and intellectual disability. In this thesis, we sought to understand the role of CTCF in neurodevelopment using brain-specific conditional knockout and heterozygote mouse models. Using the Ctcf-null animals, we identify a cell-autonomous role for CTCF in regulating cortical interneuron development in the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) through the transcriptional control of …
Role Of The Swi/Snf Chromatin Remodelling Complex In The Axon Development Of The Drosophila Mushroom Body, Melissa C. Chubak
Role Of The Swi/Snf Chromatin Remodelling Complex In The Axon Development Of The Drosophila Mushroom Body, Melissa C. Chubak
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The SWI/SNF complex is an evolutionarily conserved ATP-dependent chromatin remodelling complex that has been implicated in the aetiology of intellectual disability (ID). Among the dominant ID genes, the SWI/SNF complex is the most highly enriched protein complex. However, its role in the nervous system is not yet understood. I systematically investigated the role of this complex in the development of the Drosophila mushroom body (MB), a complex brain structure required for learning and memory. Gross MB morphology was assessed using confocal microscopy to identify morphological defects following RNAi-mediated knockdown of the 15 individual SWI/SNF genes in the MB. Knockdown of …