Genome Center - Faculty Profile

Janine M. LaSalle
Professor
Microbiology and Immunology (School of Medicine)
Rowe Program in Human Genetics
3428 Tupper Hall
Office 754-7598
Lab 754-7906
jmlasalle@ucdavis.edu
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/biochem/our-team/lasalle.html

My laboratory is interested in the role epigenetics in human autism-spectrum disorders. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in chromosomes that are not encoded in the DNA sequence, including DNA methylation and chromatin organization. The clinical applications of our research include understanding the pathogenesis of the neurodevelopmental disorders autism, Rett syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, and Angelman syndrome. Our laboratory has recently focused on a protein that binds to methylated DNA, methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2). The gene for MECP2 is on the X chromosome and is mutated in Rett syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders. We are currently testing the role of MeCP2 in the regulation of gene expression and the organization of parentally imprinted chromosomes. We are also investigating the role of MeCP2 in chromatin dynamics of neuronal ontogeny during post-natal neuronal maturation in the cerebral cortex.

Degrees:
1993 - PhD - Harvard University - Immunology

Awards:
Editorial board, Human Molecular Genetics
Member, Developmental Brain Disorders NIH study section

Department and Center Affiliations:
UC Davis Cancer Center
UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute
Rowe Program in Human Genetics
Genome Center

Professional Societies:
American Society of Human Genetics
International Society for Autism Research
Society for Neuroscience

Grad Group Affiliations and Specialties:
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Biophysics
Genetics
Neuroscience

Publications:
Samaco RC, Nagarajan RP, Braunschweig D, and LaSalle JM. 2004. Multiple pathways regulate MeCP2 expression in normal human brain development and exhibit defects in autism-spectrum disorders. Hum. Mol. Genet. 13:629-639.

Braunschweig D, Simcox T, Samaco RC, and LaSalle JM. 2004. X-chromosome inactivation ratios affect wild-type MeCP2 expression within mosaic Rett syndrome and Mecp2-/+ mouse brain. Hum. Mol. Genet. 13:1275-1286. (cover article)

Samaco RC, Hogart A, and LaSalle JM. 2005. Epigenetic overlap in autism-spectrum neurodevelopmental disorders: MECP2 deficiency causes reduced expression of UBE3A and GABRB3. Hum. Mol. Genet. 14:483-492.

Thatcher KN, Peddada S, Yasui DH, and LaSalle JM. 2005. Homologous pairing of 15q11-13 imprinted domains in brain is developmentally regulated but deficient in Rett and autism samples. Hum. Mol. Genet. 14:785-797.

LaSalle JM, Hogart A, Thatcher KN. 2005. Rett Syndrome: A Rosetta Stone for Understanding the Molecular Pathogenesis of Autism, in International Review of Neurobiology, D. Dhossche, ed. Elsevier Publishers. 71:131-165.

Thatcher KN and LaSalle JM. 2006. Dynamic changes in Histone H3 lysine 9 acetylation localization patterns during neuronal maturation require MeCP2. Epigenetics. 1:24-31. (inaugural issue, cover article)

Peddada S, Yasui DH, and LaSalle JM. 2006. Inhibitors of differentiation (ID1, ID2, ID3, ID4) genes are neuronal targets of MeCP2 that are elevated in Rett syndrome. Hum. Mol. Genet. 15:2003-2014. (cover article)

Delgado IJ, Kim DS, Thatcher KN, LaSalle JM, Van den Veyver IB. 2006. Expression profiling of clonal lymphocyte cell culture from Rett syndrome patients. BMC Genetics. 7:61

Nagarajan RP, Hogart A, Gwye Y, Martin M, and LaSalle JM. 2006. Reduced MeCP2 expression is frequent in autism frontal cortex and correlates with aberrant MECP2 promoter methylation Epigenetics, 4:172-182.

LaSalle JM. 2006. The Odyssey of MeCP2 and Parental Imprinting. Epigenetics. 2:5-10.

Hogart A, Nagarajan RP, Yasui DH, Patzel KA, and LaSalle JM. 2007. 15q11-13 GABAA receptor genes are biallelically expressed in brain yet are epigenetically dysregulated in autism-spectrum disorders. Hum. Mol. Genet. 16:691-703.

Yasui DH, Peddada S, Bieda MC, Vallero RO, Hogart A, Nagarajan RP, Thatcher KN, Farnham PJ, LaSalle JM. 2007. Integrated epigenomic analyses of neuronal MeCP2 reveal a role for long-range interaction with active genes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 104:19416-19421.

Research Interests:
Human genetics, epigenetics, Rett syndrome, Angelman syndrome, nuclear organization, fluorescent microscopy, laser scanning cytometry

autism

Laboratory Personnel:
LaSalle Lab
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/biochem/our-team/lasalle.html

Teaching Interests:

Genetics, immunology

Courses Taught:
GGG 201a Genetic Analyses - Term(s): Fall
MMI 188 Immunology - Term(s): Winter,Spring
OBG 420 Genetics and Reproduction - Term(s): Fall,Spring