Grant: Operating Grant

Mental handicap is a common clinical problem affecting 2-3% of the population, where ~0.3% of individuals are so severely handicapped they cannot live independently and often require continuous nursing care. If we estimate the Canadian population at 35 million, it suggests there are 700,000 affected individuals with mental handicap, of whom ~100,000 are severely debilitated and represent a significant expense to healthcare resources. Understanding the molecular basis of mental handicap is essential for the development of treatments that can improve the quality of life for these individuals. We have recently established that proteins that regulate gene expression by modifying chromatin structure are mutated in several disorders of mental handicap. In the present proposal we examine the specific role of a chromatin remodeling protein in neuronal differentiation during brain development. A complete understanding of how chromatin remodelling proteins regulate cellular differentiation and how this process proceeds will provide valuable information for scientists and clinicians alike interested in stem cell therapy of such developmental disorders.