Gene and Genome Regulation in Development.

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• Dr Robert Zinzen, Max-Delbruck-Center, Berlin
• Thursday 14 May 2015, 14:30-15:30
• Part II Room, Department of Genetics.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Caroline Newnham.

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Our overarching aim is to gain a systems-level understanding of the acquisition and maintenance of cell fates in early neurogenesis. More specifically, we are interested in (i.) the molecular mechanisms that specify the neurogenic ectoderm (NE) in the early embryo, (ii.) how the NE then subdivides into specific domains that will give rise to discrete parts of the embryonic nervous system (NS), and (iii.) how distinct sets of neuroblasts (NBs) delaminating from these domains acquire and maintain their identities to allow for their specific developmental trajectories.

To elucidate the regulatory networks underlying neurogenesis, we combine developmental genetics and genomics approaches in the Drosophila model system. We are establishing a dynamic regulatory model of early neurogenesis through the integration of data at complementary regulatory levels (e.g. transcriptomic state, chromatin state, transcription factor (TF) binding profiles, cis-regulatory interactions). By combining global data sets with specific information on the developmental roles of individual network components (e.g. TFs, chromatin modifiers, signaling molecules), we aim to develop experimentally testable hypotheses of the regulatory mechanisms underlying early neurogenesis from tissue specification and subdivision to the start of differentiation. We consider 3 considerations to be particularly important: (a) Regulatory data should encompass and resolve the developmental dynamics of development. (b) Acquired data should be derived from developing embryos, as cultured models often cannot fully recapitulate the entire regulatory spectrum and complex interactions present in the embryo over the course of development. (c) Data should be acquired with tissue specificity. This is especially challenging when the tissue-specific signatures of ubiquitous features (e.g. chromatin state) are to be assessed.

This talk is part of the Genetics Seminar series.

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