PCOL540

043776

Epigenetics is a fast changing field, with a yearly stream of new discoveries and increasing applicability to toxicology, epidemiology, population, and environmental studies. Epigenetic changes are reversible, responsive to environmental influences, and can have downstream effects as profound as those exerted by DNA mutations. The course will focus on epigenetic mechanisms leading to alterations in chromatin structure that can stably and heritably influence gene expression, as well as downstream phenotypes. We will examine methods to measure epigenetic attributes (DNA methylation, histone modifications, small non-coding RNAs, nuclear architecture, etc) as well as basic, toxicological, and epidemiology studies. These will introduce students to epigenetic changes in prenatal/early and adult life, and examine the impact of environmental factors, including air pollution, metals, pesticides, benzene, PCBs, persistent organic pollutants, and diet. The course will enable students to understand epigenetics and apply it to problems as varied as those pertaining to cardiovascular and respiratory disease, aging, reproductive health, inflammation/immunity, and cancer.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Graduate