Epigenetic control of gene activity and repression: Regional influence of large repetitive domains in mammals. (360G-Wellcome-079052_Z_06_Z)

£192,245

The function of the mammalian genome is regulated by epigenetic modifications to DNA and chromatin that affect a wide range of processes including gene activity and repression and chromosome architecture. It is now well established that alterations in such genome modifications are associated with disease. Understanding and describing the epigenetic state of the normal mammalian genome is one of the big challenges in the post-genomic era and high-throughput genomic microarray-based approaches are currently being developed to determine the 'epigenome' and define the DNA sequences that direct epigenetic states. Repetitive sequences constitute around 45% of the mammalian genome and by their nature are intractable to genomic array analysis. Growing evidence suggests that in some contexts these sequences might define epigenetic processes, but little is known about the function of stretches of repeat sequence in mammals. Here we propose the deletion of a 250kb block of repetitive DNA located at the boundary of a mouse imprinted domain to assess its consequences for the establishment and maintenance of regional epigenetic modifications and for the epigenetic control of gene activity and repression. In particular, we will determine whether imprinting in the domain is affected and whether the repetitive DNA acts as a barrier preventing the spread of imprinting to adjacent regions.

Where is this data from?

This data was originally published by The Wellcome Trust. If you see something about your organisation or the funding it has received on this page that doesn't look right you can submit a grantee amendment request. You can hover over codes from standard codelists to see the user-friendly name provided by 360Giving.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded 192245
Applicant Surname Ferguson-Smith
Approval Committee Molecules, Genes and Cells Funding Committee
Award Date 2006-02-21T00:00:00+00:00
Financial Year 2005/06
Grant Programme: Title Project Grant
Internal ID 079052/Z/06/Z
Lead Applicant Prof Anne Ferguson-Smith
Partnership Value 192245
Planned Dates: End Date 2009-06-30T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2006-07-01T00:00:00+00:00
Recipient Org: Country United Kingdom
Region East of England