12 December 2024 – “During neurodevelopment stem cells divide, giving rise to different types of neurons,” explains Bhavana Muralidharan, principal investigator at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine in Bengaluru, India. “These cells eventually connect with each other to create the entire functional brain, allowing you to interact with the world around you.”
What type of neuron a stem cell will become, however, is encoded in our genes. Muralidharan and her group are interested in the molecular regulation of this process, in particular, why and how this goes awry. “Proteins known as chromatin factors interact with each other to regulate how a gene is expressed, ultimately deciding what type of neuron a stem cell will become,” she explains. “However, when there are mutations in the genes coding for the chromatin factors, mistakes in stem cell gene regulation and development occur.” Ultimately this can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders.
Muralidharan uses an interdisciplinary mix of molecular biology tools and cell biology approaches to understand these disorders on a molecular level. Her lab uses mouse models to study general molecular mechanisms, and cerebral organoids derived from patient tissue to understand biological processes specific to humans. In the future she plans to integrate clinical data and machine learning approaches.
About joining the EMBO Global Investigator Network, she says she is looking forward to connecting with potential collaborators as well as to taking advantage of training opportunities for her team. “My research is collaborative and interdisciplinary,” she says. “Being part of the EMBO Global Investigator Network will elevate my science by creating new opportunities for collaboration.”
