GEE Seminar - Prof. Vardhman Rakyan, Queen Mary, University London
21 February 2024, 12:00 pm–1:00 pm
Title: 'Genetic variation at Ribosomal DNA - a novel influence on phenotypic variation in humans'
Event Information
Open to
- UCL staff | UCL students | UCL alumni
Availability
- Yes
Organiser
-
Amy Godfrey
Location
-
1.02 Malet PlaceEngineering Building---
Academic Host: Nazif Alic
Abstract: How our genomes respond to stressful environments has a significant impact on health and disease states. Epigenetic down-regulation of ribosomal DNA has long been known to be a key stress response mechanism in all eukaryotes. We recently found that a suboptimal early-life environment results in increased DNA methylation at the rDNA promoter. This epigenetic response remains into adulthood and is restricted to rDNA copies associated with a specific genetic variant within the promoter. Our work identified environmentally induced epigenetic dynamics that are dependent on underlying genetic variation. We are now further characterising these effects in mouse models and extending our work to human populations. These experiments include cell biology, long-read sequencing, epigenomics, and computational biology.
How our genomes respond to stressful environments has a significant impact on health and disease states. Epigenetic down-regulation of ribosomal DNA has long been known to be a key stress response mechanism in all eukaryotes. We recently found that a suboptimal early-life environment results in increased DNA methylation at the rDNA promoter. This epigenetic response remains into adulthood and is restricted to rDNA copies associated with a specific genetic variant within the promoter. Our work identified environmentally induced epigenetic dynamics that are dependent on underlying genetic variation. We are now further characterising these effects in mouse models and extending our work to human populations. These experiments include cell biology, long-read sequencing, epigenomics, and computational biology.
About the Speaker
Prof. Vardhman Rakyan
at Queen Mary, University London
For his PhD (1999-2002) Vardhman investigated epigenetic inheritance under the supervision of Prof. Emma Whitelaw, University of Sydney, Australia. From 2003-2007, he was a CJ Martin Postdoctoral Fellow at the Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK; where, under the guidance of Dr Stephan Beck, he developed functional genomics tools for genome-wide DNA methylation analyses.
More about Prof. Vardhman Rakyan