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The Heyward Nutritional & Behavioral Epigenetics Lab investigates the neuroepigenetic mechanisms regulating synaptic plasticity in the hypothalamus, their role in maintaining body weight set-point, and how their dysregulation contributes to diet-induced obesity, weight-regain, and aging-related impairments in appetite.
Our studies employ a combination of low-input cell-type specific, and single-cell multiomic, genome-wide assessments of gene expression, epigenetic modifications, chromatin accessibility, and transcription factor DNA binding dynamics, as well as mouse genetic and epigenome engineering tools, in vitro and in vivo assessments of transcription factor activation, and animal behavioral assessments.
Funding Sources
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