In vitro characterisation of neurons and glia derived from mouse ES cells having Y chromosome gene deficiencies (360G-Wellcome-207268_Z_17_Z)

The brain is a sexually dimorphic organ, which can explain why many psychiatric disorders are gender-biased. While it has been thought that fetal sex hormones play a crutial role in brain sexual differentiation, emerging evidence indicates that genetic and/or epigenetic factors encoded by sex chromosome genes are also involved. Here, we focus on several Y-linked genes expressed in the male brain, which may act in a dominant manner. Sry, Uty and Smcy genes, whose products can participate in histone modification, are of particular interest. However, their functions in the brain remain unknown mainly because of difficulties in conventional gene-targeting of Y loci in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). In this project, we will take advantage of Crispr/Cas genome-editing technology that allows us to modify Y-linked genes. Mutant alleles of these three genes in ESCs were created and then differentiation will be induced of neurons and glia from the mutant ES cells. Differential gene expression between wild-type and mutant cells will be analysed by RT-RCR and bisulfite PCR, and subsequently epigenetic status of these differential genes will be elucidated. The project will reveal influences of Y-linked genes on sex-specific epigenetic modification and lead to better understanding of gender-biased psychiatric disorders.