Febuary 15, 2024
9:00-9:05 Welcome and introduction (organizing committee)
Session 1: Sex determination
9:00-9:35 Keynote speaker: Amir Fallahshahroudi - Evolutionary dynamics of chromatin and gene expression landscapes during mammalian gonad development
Amir Fallahshahroudi is a junior scientist at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University in Sweden, where his research, mainly focuses on studying dosage compensation and sex determination in birds using chicken as a model species. During his international postdoctoral research, he utilized single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (ATAC-seq) to study sex determination and gonad development in primates.
9:35-9:45 Questions and discussion
9:45-10:15 Fika break
10:15-10:50 Carl-Johan Rubin (Researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden) – Sex Determination in Flatfish (tentative title)
10:50-11:25 Nima Rafati (Bioinformatician, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden) – Deciphering the Genetic Underpinnings of Sex Determination in Atlantic Herring
11:25-11:50 Round table discussion
11:50-12:00 Sponsor presentation (ActiveMotif)
12:00-13:00 Lunch
Session 2: Epigenetic programming
13:00-13:30 Keynote speaker: Rosalind John - Placental programming of anxiety across generations
Rosalind John is a Professor at Cardiff University (UK). Ros’ research seeks to understand the mechanisms by which the environment early in life modulates the developing epigenome to cause disease, with a focus on imprinted genes. Using experimental models, her team showed that imprinted genes function to regulate placenta hormones and, through this function, influence birth weight and the behaviour of both mothers and their offspring. Her recent work suggests that these findings may have relevance to perinatal depression and anxiety which are highly common in human pregnancy.
13:30-13:45 Questions and discussion
13:45-14:15 Fika break
14:15-14:40 Arild Husby (Associate Professor, Uppsala University, Sweden) – Rapid DNA methylation changes associated with seasonal timing in a wild passerine
14:40–15:00 Michela Di Criscio (PhD Student, Uppsala University, Sweden) – Exposure to a human-relevant mixture of endocrine disrupting chemicals induces changes in hippocampal DNA methylation correlating with hyperactive behavior in male mice
15:00-15:25 John Lees (Researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden) – Stressing the symbionts: Exposure to developmental stress exerts lasting impacts upon the mitochondrial epigenome, mitochondrial physiology and the adult phenotype
15:25-16:00 Round Table Discussion
18:00-20:00 Dinner and drinks: Williams pub (Åsgränd 5c, 753 10 Uppsala). Sponsored by BioNordika and Active Motif
February 16, 2024
Session 3: Sex chromosome aneuploidy
9:00-9:35 Keynote speaker: Anna Murray - Phenotypic effects of sex chromosome aneuploidies in an adult population-based cohort
Anna Murray is a Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Exeter Medical School (UK). She has expertise in the genomics of multifactorial reproductive traits and single gene causes of conditions such as premature ovarian insufficiency. Her early work in this field led to some of the first publications that reported an association between FMR1 premutation alleles and ovarian function.
9:35-9:45 Questions and discussion
9:45-10:15 Fika break
10:15-10:50 Dominic Wright (Professor, Linköping University, Sweden) – Regulation of methylation on the Z chromosome of chickens (tentative title)
10:50-11:25 Lars Forsberg (Associate Professor, Uppsala University, Sweden) – Hematopoietic loss of chromosome Y (LOY) and higher mortality in men
11:25-11:50 Round table discussion
11:50-12:00 Sponsor presentation (BioNordika)
12:00-13:00 Lunch
Session 4: Inheritance patterns
13:00-13:30 Keynote speaker: Ramji Bhandari - An intergenerational transfer of altered DNA methylation profiles and associated phenotypes in fish
Ramji Bhandari is an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri (USA). Ramji graduated with a Ph. D. in Comparative Endocrinology from Hokkaido University and postdoctoral training in developmental biology, environmental inheritance, and epigenetics at Washington State University and the University of Missouri. He is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia, United States. His research program aims to understand how gene-environment interactions lead to adaptive or maladaptive phenotypic traits at the intra, inter, and transgenerational levels. They are developing strategies to correct the inherited epigenetic memories to restore phenotypic normalcy.
13:30-13:45 Questions and discussion
13:45-14:15 Fika break
14:15-14:40 Aleksandra Łukasiewicz (Assistant Professor, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland) – Condition-dependent mechanisms of gamete-level mate choice in humans
14:40-15:00 Violeta de Anca Prado (PhD Student, Uppsala University, Sweden) – Genetic and germ line methylomic consequences following a multigenerational exposure related to metabolic diseases in mouse
15:00-15:25 Khrystyna Kurta (Researcher, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden) – Dynamics and potential improvements in the Swedish Arctic charr male fertility
15:25-15:50 Fábio Pèrtille (Researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden) – Epigenetic Footprints in Germline Evolution: Tracing Fear Behavior in Red Jungle Fowl
15:50-16:10 Round Table Discussion
16:10-16:15 Closing message