Research Topics
Understanding how promoter-associated non-coding RNA (pancRNA) functions for gene activation
pancRNA can form either R-loop or triplex structure. Now we are delineating the functional modes triggered by these structures. For this purpose, we are looking for the molecular signatures that differentiate pancRNAs into subgroups using the combinatorial approaches such as bioinformatics, AI-base methods, experimental validations, etc.
Exploring the functional significance of species-specific non-coding RNAs at the epigenetic level
We postulate that epigenome-level changes are the first step to trigger the formation of subpopulations. In this way, not only species-specific but also conserved genes can be contributing to the differential expression of phenotypes. Acquiring the species-specific pancRNAs may do something in these processes, and therefore, we are experimentally evaluating the effects of pancRNA manupulations on multi-layered molecular and biological phenomena towards the understanding of primate evolution.
Knowing the difference between mouse and human brain development
We obviously need to overcome human brain diseases. For that purpose, studies on mouse brain has been attempted to be applied as an initial step to form systematic approaches. However, many diseases can happen on the basis of human-specific characters that can be rarely modeled. One can imagine that knowing the difference between mouse and human would breakthrough the comprehensive modeling of the human diseases. We now focus on the functions of human- and mouse-specific pancRNAs in the process of brain development.
Resembling the human system in the mouse cells/organoids/tissues/bodies
Integrative approaches will deepen the understanding of the human-specific features. Collecting all pieces into a system, we are trying to reconstruct human-specific features. In this way, we can accelerate the cycles of data- and hypothesis-driven analyses to draw the whole picture of how individuals, population and species have been formed.