Project at AIAS

In experiments aimed at establishing large animal models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) we have obtained preliminary data suggesting that an epigenetic event in early development might be involved in priming cells for development of neurological disease later in life. In our efforts to understand this epigenetic phenomena, we are studying expression of specific transcripts from several complex imprinted loci. We want to explore the significance of our observations by analyzing the loci for changes in relevant epigenetic marks, DNA methylation and chromatin modification. We also plan to study expression patterns and pathways for small ncRNA genes included in multi-cistronic transcripts from the locus, followed by functional studies, in order to explore potential links to the triggering or progression of ALS.