Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The term "genome" refers to the entire DNA within our cells and the term "epigenome" refers to the chemical modifications of DNA and proteins that control the structure and activity of the genome. While the genome remains mostly the same throughout an individual's life, the epigenome changes dramatically in very controlled ways during normal development and aging. Deviations from these normal changes in the epigenome can have profound effects on which genes are turned on and cause cells to behave abnormally. One type of epigenetic modification is DNA methylation. In mammals, a protein family called DNA-methyltransferases (DNMT) adds methyl groups (a type of chemical modification) to DNA. DNMT3L is one of 4 DNMT protein family members. Recently, Dr. Shau-Ping Lin's laboratory at the National Taiwan University discovered that forced expression of DNMT3L bypasses a natural process where 'older' cells stop growing. Using mouse cells engineered to express DNMT3L, we hope to understand how DNMT3L bypasses aging to better understand the aging process and potentially disrupt it for therapeutic benefit.