Graduate student in the graduate program in Neuroscience
The olfactory receptor neurons of the olfactory neuroepithelium undergo repeated episodes of degeneration and regeneration during the lifetime of an animal. This unique character makes the olfactory system an excellent model for studying neurogenesis. In my work, I am investigating the role of DNA methyltransferase proteins in the olfactory system. Methylation is a covalent modification of DNA which correlates closely with gene expression and repression. Genes with methylated promoter regions are silent. In contrast, the same gene in a different cell type may lack the methylation and be expressed. In addition, DNA methylation is associated with the process of X chromosome inactivation and allelic exclusion. Abberant DNA methyltransferase expression is correlated with disease phenotypes such as ICF syndrome.
The process by which DNA methylation leads to gene silencing is not well understood, and especially not in nervous system tissue. Even the initial way in which methylation patterns are formed is not well understood. In my research I hope to correlate the expression of the various DNA methyltransferases and their splice variants with stages of olfactory receptor neuron development and changes in genomic methylation pattern. Hopefully, this will lead to a better understanding of how methylation patterns are established and modified in neuron development and lineage restriction.

When I am not in the lab, I am probably playing hockey (ice or roller, depending on the season and predictable Vancouver weather patterns) or computer games
Supported by studentship from NSERC

Links I think are really cool:-
IHC World
Histonet
BioBencHelper
CBR