MD/PhD candidate, Ariel Pourmorady, is awarded a three year F30 fellowship for his project titled, "Deciphering mechanisms for olfactory receptor choice in single cells." Congratulations!
Patterned changes to 3D-genome organization and chromatin state prove essential for normal gene expression, whose dysregulation is a causal determinant of many neurodevelopmental diseases. Using mouse olfactory sensory neurons as a model system, we devised a single-cell genomic strategy to understand how neurons achieve the nuclear architecture and chromatin modifications necessary to support normal gene expression. We aim to characterize structural and biochemical features that distinguish genes in active and inactive states, while delineating a molecular mechanism for how these features arise, to clarify parameters for gene regulation relevant to nervous system function in health and disease
