Authors:

Makayla Marlin

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About Paper:

As an organism gets older, changes in gene expression occur, correlating to age-related ocular diseases. Histones play a critical role in the regulation of gene expression and chromatin structure, influencing a range of cellular processes, including age-related changes in the eye of Drosophila melanogaster or fruit fly. Histone modifiers or regulators such as histone acetyltransferases and histone methyltransferases add or remove acetyl and methyl groups. Manipulating such enzyme activities impacts histone marks and transcription, subsequently affecting age-related eye phenotypes. Prior studies in the Weake lab show a global decrease in histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) and histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3) across expressed genes in fruit fly eyes as they age. However, many other modifications have not been studied in the aging eye. This study aims to elucidate how histone marks change in aging photoreceptors by examining D10 and D50 flies. By employing Nuclei Immuno-Enrichment (NIE) to affinity bind photoreceptor nuclei, coupled with Cleavage Under Targets and Release Under Nuclease (CUT&RUN), a chromatin profiling strategy, we will investigate how histone mark distribution and levels change as the flies age. This study could provide valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms responsible for age-related gene expression, along with ocular diseases that result from this.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

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Co-authors:

Makayla Marlin