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SUMMARY:Placenta: The epigenetics behind the forgotten organ - Stephanie C
 hrysanthou
DTSTART:20160301T203000Z
DTEND:20160301T210000Z
UID:TALK63730@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Paulina Rowicka
DESCRIPTION:The first differentiation event at the blastocyst stage in ear
 ly mammalian development results in two distinct cell populations: the inn
 er mass\, which harbours embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and gives rise to the
  embryo\, and the trophectoderm\, which includes trophoblast stem cells (T
 SCs) and gives rise to the placenta and other extraembryonic tissues.\nThi
 s lineage potency restriction is set by various proteins\, including epige
 netic modifiers\, which function by chemically modifying the DNA to regula
 te the expression of genes and\, in turn\, the proteins they encode. Tet e
 nzymes are one such class of epigenetic modifiers. They catalyse the conve
 rsion of one epigenetic feature\; 5-methylcytosine (5mC)\, to another\; 5-
 hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). The Tet enzymes are known to be involved in 
 the maintenance of the pluripotent state in ESCs. Our hypothesis is that t
 hey also play a role in safeguarding the developmental plasticity of TSCs.
  Understanding how the chemical modification of DNA (epigenetics) affects 
 trophoblast differentiation paves the way for underpinning the mechanisms 
 of placental development and disease.
LOCATION:Senior Parlour\, Gonville and Caius College
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