ORCID
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2235-5673
Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2021
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Type
Dissertation
Abstract
Brain development requires exquisite control of gene expression to establish and refine the proper circuitry of the nervous system. Gene expression control is under the purview of several cellular processes, including chromatin regulation in the form of DNA modification, histone modification, and nucleosome remodeling. Chromatin remodeling enzymes are the major effectors of nucleosome remodeling. These enzymes are clearly involved in brain development – mutations in chromatin remodeling enzymes are likely causative for neurodevelopmental disorders of cognition. Chromatin remodeling enzymes have discrete molecular functions and binding profiles and similarly control distinct phases of nervous system maturation. Chd4 is a Chd family chromatin remodeling enzyme that is mutated in Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss intellectual disability syndrome and is critical for neuronal differentiation. Chd4 binds to active regulatory elements, including promoters and enhancers, to putatively restrict genomic accessibility and repress gene expression. Work on Chd4 in the brain has revealed pathways of gene regulation that impact gene promoters, but the function of Chd4 at enhancers, and their effects on promoters through three-dimensional genomic interactions, in the developing brain remains poorly understood.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
Azad Bonni Harrison Gabel
Committee Members
Azad Bonni, Harrison W. Gabel, Aaron DiAntonio, Milan G. Chheda,
Recommended Citation
Goodman, Jared Vega, "Regulation of genome architecture by chromatin remodeling in the brain" (2021). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2418.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/2418