Grant review

CONTI grant evaluation

meeting organization

• first: Tako Hensch, microRNA — AGO2 is imprinted
• Lichtman then Dulac then us?

Bogdan Talk: Chromatin structure

• ‘identical’ probably too strong for imprinted genes
• one allele is 1.5-2x larger than the other in imprinted tissue
• look at this ratio for non-imprinted genes (or same genes in non-imprinted tissue).
• whose maternal whose paternal?
• imprinting is highly tissue specific

Feedback

• too long (maybe 30 min?)
• intro is good (CD). why is structure important at length scale of genes (interactions matter?)
• cut the internal organization scaling laws.
• quantification of multiple domains for interaction (within and between domains).
• intermixing between domains needs a contrast.
• XZ likes the schema of why dense chromatin is harder to transcribe.
• conformation changes, cell-specific differences (single cell vs bulk).
  • kidney vs. brain validation (not)
  • show well studied example for which there is data (bulk).
  • large scale, single cell, 3D study. — imprinting in brain is 40:60 – is this per cell or only in average?
• IGF H19 data
  • preliminary but intriguing difference between allele size.
  • mark what’s labeled (full cluster of H2 IGF)
  • link spidery domain to active (just say provocative similarity)
  • don’t mention loops

MERFISH

• feedback to follow
• use Allen Brain atlas to motivate one gene at a time. No correlation analysis
• emphasize single cell resolution, high detection efficiency.
• much too long.
• less technical validation, more emphasis of the scale.

DJ

• behaviors in general
• instinctive behaviors — genetically programmed?
• Genes known for behavior
• The Medial Preoptic area of the hyothalamus: Distinct neurons active in the MPOA in different behaviors (Male infanticide, male parenting, male agreesion, male mating, female mating, female parenting)
• many definitions of cell types: propose that many of these are governed by combinatorial code of genes.
• RNAsin added to tissue to co-stain with antibodies.
  • differences in stains not so evident.