Transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms of neuronal diversification

Dr. Luisa Cochella is a professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University.

The evolution of multicellularity occurred hand in hand with the diversification of neuron types with disparate morphologies and functions. Understanding how neurons diversify and what makes them unique, is important to understand animal physiology in health and disease. Our work has explored two aspects of neuronal diversification, with a focus on the gene-regulatory mechanisms that underlie this process. First, we ask how different cell types are specified along the developmental process. Specifically, we have focused on how cell identities are defined by their different transcriptional histories, and have uncovered a mechanism for neuronal diversification based on transient transcriptional inputs early in development. Second, we explore what defines the unique properties of specialized cells. Post-transcriptional repression by miRNAs contributes to cell specialization, and we focus on the roles of miRNAs in neuron and muscle diversification. We have found that miRNAs support the unique physiology of some specialized cells by selective repression of otherwise broadly-transcribed, house-keeping genes. To address these questions, we draw from the molecular biology, genetics and RNA biochemistry toolsets. To extract fundamental concepts in cellular differentiation, we use the nematode C. elegans as our primary model system.

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Hosted by Dr. Jon Pierce

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