Determining the role of Dosage Compensation Complex in regulation of sex-specific aging of brain
Aging and multiple human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, affect females and males differently. The X-chromosome contains many genes expressed in the brain and X-chromosome Dosage Compensation (DC) has recently been linked to aging and several neurological disorders. DC deploys epigenetic markers to ensure that female and male cells express equal levels of X-chromosome gene products. Therefore, sex-specific transcriptional re-programming of neuronal plasticity-related genes may differentially affect the maintenance of neuronal connectivity and aging in males and females. My research focuses on determining: i) how aging impacts sex-specific DC in the aging brain and ii) sex-specific dysregulation of neuronal connections (synapses) with age. This study will provide new insight into the thus far overlooked role of DC in mediating sex-specific epigenomic changes that impact differential aging and susceptibility to neurodegeneration.
