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PRODID:-//Columba Systems Ltd//NONSGML CPNG/SpringViewer/ICal Output/3.3-
 M3//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20190319T091024Z
DTSTART:20190328T130000Z
DTEND:20190328T140000Z
SUMMARY:Seminar: Chromatin remodelling factors in brain development and n
 eurodevelopmental disorders
UID:{http://www.columbasystems.com/customers/uom/gpp/eventid/}k17f-jtfjkk
 57-9qmurr
DESCRIPTION:Albert Basson\, Professor of Developmental Neurobiology\, Kin
 g’s College London will be giving this seminar on 'Chromatin remodelling
  factors in brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders'\n\nAbstr
 act:\nI am interested in understanding how brain development is regulate
 d at the level of chromatin and why the mutation of chromatin remodellin
 g factors lead to specific neurodevelopmental disorders. We use a combin
 ation of molecular\, genetic and developmental neurobiology approaches t
 o determine how these mutations affect chromatin structure\, gene expres
 sion\, brain development and circuitry\, and ultimately impact on behavi
 our and cognition.\nMy work in this area started with an interest in CHA
 RGE syndrome\, a condition associated with multi-organ developmental ano
 malies\, caused by the mutation of a single chromatin remodeler CHD7. We
  identified cerebellar hypoplasia in these patients and our work on mous
 e models has identified several distinct roles for CHD7 in cerebellar de
 velopment\, including a function in maintaining an accessible chromatin 
 structure at enhancer elements in cerebellar progenitors. This work has 
 led to the development of new experimental approaches that will allow us
  to investigate the fundamental question of how changes in chromatin con
 formation coordinate aspects of neuronal differentiation in vivo.\nTo st
 udy the function of CHD8\, one of the strongest autism genes identified 
 to date\, we established a new allelic series of Chd8-deficient mouse mo
 dels and identified striking non-monotonic effects on gene expression an
 d brain growth in these mice. CHD8 was found to control the proliferatio
 n of intermediate cortical progenitors\, a specific type of neuronal pro
 genitors that is of particular importance in brain expansion in humans a
 nd mammals with a gyrencephalic cortex. We also established critical rol
 es for Chd8 in cortical circuitry and current work is focused on determi
 ning whether the proliferation and circuit phenotypes are causally relat
 ed.\nMore recently\, we have identified robust learning deficits in mous
 e models with mutations in factors that read and erase the histone modif
 ication H3K4me3. We propose to use these models to examine how the dynam
 ic regulation of H3K4me3 controls learning and memory.\n\nBiography:\nAl
 bert read Biochemistry at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He
  moved to the UK in 1992 and obtained his PhD from the University of Cam
 bridge in 1996. He underwent post-doctoral training at the National Inst
 itute for Medical Research with Rose Zamoyska\, Mount Sinai School of Me
 dicine in New York with Jonathan Licht\, King’s College London with Ivor
  Mason and UCSF with Gail Martin. He joined the Department of Craniofaci
 al Development at King’s College London as a Lecturer in 2006. He is now
  Professor of Developmental Neurobiology in the Centre for Craniofacial 
 and Regenerative Biology and the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disor
 ders at King’s. His research has provided insights into the causes of a 
 wide range of congenital disorders and he has published over 50 papers\,
  with some in top international journals like Nature and the Journal of 
 Clinical Investigation. He has received funding from the Wellcome Trust\
 , MRC\, the Simons Foundation\, CHARGE syndrome foundation and Anatomica
 l Society as PI and BBSRC as co-PI. Six PhD students have graduated from
  his lab with a further six due to complete over the next year. The curr
 ent focus of his group is to uncover the function of chromatin remodelli
 ng factors in brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders like au
 tism.\n\n
STATUS:TENTATIVE
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
LOCATION:Lecture theatre\, Michael Smith Building\, Manchester
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