Date of Completion
Spring 5-12-2013
Thesis Advisor(s)
Joseph LoTurco
Honors Major
Biological Sciences
Disciplines
Biology | Cell and Developmental Biology
Abstract
Regulated repression of gene expression by post-translational modification of histones is required for normal development. The histone methyltransferase G9a is essential for embryonic development, and we have shown that phosphorylation of G9a by the CitK, a gene required for normal CNS development, gates gene repression and dimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9me2) in neural progenitors. CitK and G9a co-localize to promoter regions of genes up-regulated in CitK null cells. CitK mutant progenitors lack H3K9me2 at promoter regions of up-regulated genes, and re-expression of CitK restores both repression of gene expression and H3K9me2 occupancy. In this thesis we examine the role of the G9a inhibitor Bix-01294 effect on gene expression in neural stem cells. Interestingly, we found that the addition of Bix-01294 causes changes in gene expression that are consistent with changes observed in the null CitK cells. These data support a connection between CitK and its effect on G9a as a means by which neural stem cells regulate gene expression.
Recommended Citation
Heliotis, Nicholas, "Pharmacological Inhibition of Histone Methyltransferase G9a Affects Expression of Citron Kinase Target Genes in Neural Stem Cells" (2013). Honors Scholar Theses. 322.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/322