Chromatin remodelling in colitis in intestinal epithelial cells

• Grant number: 23/11552-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Immunogenetics
• Principal Investigator: Patrick Daniel Varga-Weisz
• Grantee: Kashaf Javed
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/16113-5 - Chromatin dynamics in host-microbiome crosstalk in health and disease, AP.SPEC

Abstract

Changes in the packaging of the genomic material, chromatin remodelling processes, play critical roles in gene regulation, including during inflammation. However, how these changes are established and their role during ulcerative colitis, are not well understood. Furthermore, the temporal, cell type specific progression of colitis requires illumination. Here we will use a mouse model for ulcerative colitis and state-of-the-art approaches to shed light onto these questions. We will achieve this by studying a mouse where a chromatin remodelling factor -Smarcad1- critical for initiating colitis has been deleted and by observing changes at single cell resolution. Our work will provide new insights into colitis progression, highlighting potential new drug targets and intervention strategies. This work will generate proof-of-principle for the use of ATAC-seq, including single cell ATAC-seq, to study UC on patient samples. Importantly, in conjunction with longitudinal studies, this approach will allow to address epigenetic mechanisms that might be involved in predisposing to UC in the future.