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SUMMARY:Evolution and Development of the vertebrate nervous system: from l
 ampreys to humans - Dr Dorit Hockman
DTSTART:20220525T120000Z
DTEND:20220525T130000Z
UID:TALK172265@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Giacomo Gattoni
DESCRIPTION:Research in my lab at the University of Cape Town (UCT) focuse
 s on exploring gene expression in the vertebrate nervous system. We work o
 n diverse models\, from lamprey to chicken to human\, with the aim of expl
 oring the gene regulatory dynamics that guide cellular development and mat
 uration. My post-doctoral research focussed on the evolution of the neural
  crest (NC): a vertebrate-specific population of cells that develops in as
 sociation with the neural tube and contributes to diverse cell types\, inc
 luding the nerves and glia of the peripheral nervous system.  I used bulk 
 RNA-seq and ATAC-seq to explore the dynamics of gene expression and regula
 tion in dissected lamprey NC. I identified an enhancer for a key NC regula
 tor\, SoxE1\, and showed that this lamprey enhancer activity is conserved 
 in gnathostomes. In my lab at UCT we have now narrowed down the functional
  region of this conserved enhancer using enhancer-reporter assays in both 
 lamprey and chicken embryos. We are have also expanded our investigations 
 of lamprey NC  development to include single cell transcriptomic analysis 
 of the pre-migratory NC\, revealing sub-populations of NC cells at various
  stages of development. My lab is now expanding this single-cell approach 
 to investigate gene expression during human brain maturation. Through a co
 llaboration with local neurosurgeons\, we have built a biobank of brain ti
 ssue collected during elective surgeries to treat epilepsy. Using single n
 ucleus RNA-seq in combination with spatial transcriptomics and bulk ATAC-s
 eq\, we are describing the cell atlas of the paediatric brain. By examinin
 g the dynamics of gene expression and gene regulation from childhood throu
 gh to adulthood\, we hope to reveal the cell type-specific molecular mecha
 nisms that contribute to human brain maturation.
LOCATION:Zoom
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