Date:
Friday, February 16, 2018
Speaker:
Jamy C. Peng, PhD
Assistant Member
Department of Developmental Neurobiology
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Title:
“Epigenetic Antagonism Balances Neural Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Differentiation”
Abstract:
Epigenetic modifiers program dynamic gene expression that is required for organismal development. Their importance in human development and disease is revealed by the discovery of their recurrent mutations in diverse cancers, neurodevelopmental defects, and neurologic disorders. However, relatively little is known about the mechanism by which epigenetic modifiers affect gene regulation in a developmental context. My research program aims to fill this gap by characterizing the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression and stem cell functions. My laboratory has built a technologic pipeline to identify and characterize novel epigenetic regulators in human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs). Our preliminary data suggest that we have uncovered a network of Polycomb-group and Trithorax-group proteins that balance the division and differentiation of hNPCs. In the short term, we are characterizing the mechanisms by which novel epigenetic regulators influence this network, gene expression programming, and hNPC functions. In the long term, we will elucidate how this network interacts with transcription circuitry and signal transduction pathways to mediate gene expression programming.
Time:
4:00pm – 5:00pm
Location:
19 S. Manassas St., Cancer Research Building (CRB) Auditorium – Rm. 114