Gene regulation in embryonic development

Berg, P.R. van den (2021)

Doctoral Thesis

The human body consists of hundreds, perhaps thousands of different types of cells, each with different morphologies and functions, despite having the same genome. This diversity is created by gene regulation, a set of mechanisms that determine, which genes are used to make proteins and which genes are kept silent. During embryonic development, gene are turned on and off in a tightly orchestrated manner, to make sure that the right cell type is created at the right time and place.

In this thesis we report several studies pertaining to gene regulation in embryonic development. Each of the four chapters will cover a different layer of the gene regulation toolbox: gene inactivation by DNA methylation, transcriptional regulation in the developing kidney, regulation of protein turnover and translational regulation through micro-RNAs. Together, these studies provide a refined understanding of the crucial role of gene regulation for embryonic development.

• Gene regulation
• Embryonic development
• Single cell transcriptomics
• Proteomics
• DNA methylation
• Micro-RNA (miRNA)

• All authors: Berg, P.R. van den
• Supervisor: Schmidt, T.
• Co-supervisor: Semrau, S.
• Committee: Orlova, V.V.; Zon, J. van; Eliel, E.R.; Noort, S.J.T. van; Drukker, M.E.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Leiden Institute of Physics (LION), Faculty of Science, Leiden University
• Date: 2021-05-19
• Title of host publication: Casimir PhD Series
• ISBN (print): 9789085934752
• Name: 2021-09
• Sponsorship: This work was supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO/OCW), as part of the Frontiers of Nanoscience (NanoFront) program. Data analysis was carried out on the Dutch national e-infrastructure with the support of SURF Foundation.