Föreläsare: Conceicao Bettencourt, University College London, UK
Värd: Vivien Horváth, WCMM
Föreläsningen är på engelska
Much research into the aetiology of neurodegenerative diseases has focused on neuronal dysfunction, while studies on the contribution of glial cells, particularly oligodendrocytes, which produce the myelin sheath insulating neuronal axons, are only starting to emerge. Altered DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression, is well documented in Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as in ageing. Yet, investigations on the contributions of DNA methylation to dysregulation of specific brain cell types remain limited. In recent years, the Bettencourt lab has been investigating the role of DNA methylation on the dysregulation of oligodendrocyte and myelin-related genes across neurodegenerative diseases, and how these changes may impact gene expression. Our DNA methylomic studies cover a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementias, Parkinson’s disease and multiples system atrophy. Our findings suggest that oligodendrocyte-associated DNA methylation changes occur early across neurodegenerative diseases.