Date: Thursday 26th of February at 12:30 in Árnagarður room 306
Title: The molecular mechanisms of RHOX5, RHOX6 and RHOX9 in primordial germ cell specification.
Speaker: Milan de Putter
Abstract: The RHOX factors are unique among homeobox transcription factors for their primary expression in the reproductive system and germline. Although it was known that select RHOX factors are sharply upregulated upon primordial germ cell (PGC) specification, their precise functions have not yet been characterized. An in vitro model of PGC-like cell specification now allows us to study the direct molecular mechanisms of a subset of these RHOX factors.
ChIP-MS analysis of RHOX5 and RHOX6 highlighted several potential co-binding proteins that might help facilitate this newly ascribed function. The ongoing study investigates the cooperation between RHOX5 and RHOX6 and these co-binding factors to regulate germline genes prior to and during PGCLC development measured through confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses further illustrate which genes are affected by the expression of these proteins, and allow us to speculate on how their activation affects PGC specification.
Speaker bio: Milan de Putter completed his Master in Biopharmaceutical Science at Leiden University in the Netherlands in 2022 and has since been a PhD student in the Biomedical Science program at the University of Iceland. As part of the group of prof. Erna Magnúsdóttir, he continues work on the RHOX proteins and their role in early embryonic development.
