Dahlem Colloquium: "DNA methylation and the causes of Rett syndrome"
- Datum: 15.05.2019
- Uhrzeit: 10:00 - 11:00
- Vortragende(r): Sir Adrian Peter Bird
- University of Edinburgh, Scotland
- Ort: Seminar Room SI, Tower 3
- Gastgeber: Lila Allou and Michael Robson, Department Mundlos

Adrian Bird is one of the pioneers in the field of epigenetics and DNA
methylation. He is a Buchanan professor of Genetics at the University of
Edinburgh. He led the team which first identified CpG islands in
vertebrate genomes. Bird’s group discovered that the MeCP2 protein,
which causes the autism spectrum disorder Rett syndrome, binds
specifically to methylated CpG sites. In 2007, the Bird laboratory
reported a successful reversal of neurological defects in a mouse model
of Rett syndrome by reintroducing a functional Mecp2 gene in both
immature and mature adult animals.
The Bird laboratory uses a broad range of technologies to answer
questions about the role of DNA and chromatin modifications in health
and disease. Specifically, the lab is part of the international effort
to study the dinucleotide sequence CpG and the extent to which CpG
signaling is involved in development, differentiation and disease.
Bird’s group studies a number of methyl-CpG and CpG binding proteins
function.