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Towards Epigenomic Analysis of Mouse Germ Cells

Reference	BBS/E/B/0000C244
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Gavin Kelsey
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Myriam Hemberger
Institution	Babraham Institute
Department	Babraham Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	34,664
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/05/2010
End date	31/10/2010
Duration	6 months

Abstract

Over and above the sequence of our genes, our DNA is modified by chemical marks (methylation) that help determine which genes should be active and which genes silent in any particular tissue of our bodies. A particularly important time that these chemical marks are added to our DNA is in our gametes, the sperm and the egg. The marks added in our gametes will help dictate which genes are used during the earliest stages of embryo development and some of these marks will remain in place on our genes throughout our lifetimes and can influence how are genes are expressed even in adulthood. Therefore, it is very important to understand the processes that cause these marks to be added correctly to the genes they influence. This is very challenging, because current experimental methods require large numbers of cells, and it is not possible to obtain the required numbers, particularly of mammalian eggs. In this project, we are developing techniques that will allow us to detect the methylation of all our genes in very small amounts of material, such as mammalian eggs. We expect that the results we obtain will provide an important reference for future studies in reproductive health.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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