2. Professor Paolo Sassone-Corsi from
the University of California, Irvine, speaks during his address as part of the KAUST epigenetics research conference.
3. From L to R: Professors Valerio Orlando, Paolo Sassone-Corsi, Emiliana Borrelli, Ueli Grossniklaus and Juan Carlos Belmonte take part in the conference’s roundtable discussion.
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From one cell to another EPFL Lausanne Professor Johannes Graff’s keynote lecture entitled “Histone acetylation - molecular memory aids on the chromatin” concentrated on the role histone deacetylation plays in neurodegeneration and post-traumatic stress disorder and the chemical compounds that inhibit histone deacetylase. He noted how this epigenetic modification might become a new template for therapeutic interventions against cognitive frailty. “For me, the field of epigenetics and neurobiology started with an essay by Sir Francis Crick. In the simplest terms, memory is the transferral of signals from one cell to another—our brains aren't built to hold memory for too long. Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the world today, and through our research we have found that the cognitive blockade related to Alzheimer's is potentially reversible,” he said.
The role nature and the environment play in gene modification Iّt is understood that the environment of relatives who came before us can have a significant impact on the legacy of our genes. The diet of a mother during pregnancy can affect her baby’s epigenetic profile, for example, and the diet of your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents can have a direct effect on you. In turn, you will pass this genetic information onto future generations. KAUST Professor of Bioengineering Timothy Ravasi discussed the legacy of gene inheritance in his keynote address entitled “Rapid transgenerational adaptation of a reef fish to climate change.” “Environment can shape the (epi)genome; a component interacts with the environment and this can shape the phenotype. Chemicals and pollutants induce epigenetic alterations and diet and food can shape the epigenome. The poor diet of the parents can increase the chance of their children inheriting obesity, for example,” Ravasi said.
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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017
Ueli Grossniklaus from ETH Zurich discussed how climate change poses a direct threat to biodiversity and agriculture, as well as acknowledging the large unknown degree plants can adapt to changing environment.
Our meeting is the expression of the philosophy of our epigenetics program—a program that is a mission to investigate phenotype variations. You are the scientific representations of this mission in the wider world." - Valerio Orlando, KAUST professor of bioscience
“We are slowly coming to an understanding of what happens in plants. In mammals, there are very few clear cut examples of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance; however, in plants this is quite different. Epigenetic variation exists and can be very stable and contribute to ecological variation. In plants, epialleles can be inherited over several generations,” he noted.
‘A great place for science’ Professor Paolo Sassone-Corsi from the University of California, Irvine, discussed epigenetics, nutrition and the circadian clock in his keynote address. He noted the circadian clock controls an array of physiological and metabolic functions and how it is vital to understand the interaction of circadian rhythms and metabolic processes on a cell- and tissue-specific level. He expanded on the evidence for the role of the circadian clock in linking enzymatic control and cellular metabolism and how this research has far-reaching implications for human physiology and disease.