EMBL Seminars

Abstract
Omics Playground is a cloud-based data discovery software for the analysis and visualization of proteomics and transcriptomics datasets.

It is a collaborative tool for both bioinformaticians and biologists.

Bioinformaticians can share results interactively and more efficiently, while biologists can easily explore their data and get insights faster.

Connection details  
Zoom*: https://embl-org.zoom.us/j/96547319539?pwd=w9DE5w9O7GcW1wQVBJlqig0PdJWDQG.1 (Meeting ID: 965 4731 9539, Password: 124024)

The duration of the seminar is of 50 min with an additional 10-minute Q&A session at the end of the seminar.

In the afternoon, upon request, individual meeting in room 208 can be arranged with the team to discuss more in depth, please contact Jonathan Landry landry@embl.de 

About the speaker
Dr. Singh is a Senior Scientist in the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute and Krembil Research Institute, located with University Health Network (UHN) since 2020. He is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (LMP) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Prior to this, he was at McMaster University from 2012-2020 where he was a Scientist and Neural Program Lead at the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, The David Braley Chair in Stem Cell Research, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University. 

His lab utilizes mouse and patient-derived neural 3D organoid/assembloid models, in combination with multi-omic approaches, to study neurodevelopmental and adult neurological and vision disorders. His program focuses on studying genetic risk factors for neurological and vision disorders, and identifying molecular/cellular mechanisms of disease. The long-term goal is to utilize these platforms to study disease etiology, and develop regenerative medicine approaches such as genetic therapies. 

Abstract
Paternal health at conception is important for offspring health. The susceptibility windows within the male reproductive tract and the molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Using mouse genetics, (epi)genomics and in-depth phenotyping, we show that the germ-cell epigenome and components of the seminal fluid are critical for paternal intergenerational effects.

We use two paternal paradigms of pre-conceptional challenge in mice: acute HFD feeding and circadian disruption.

Paternal circadian disruption leads to hyperphagia, hyperglycemia, hypercorticosteronemia and partial circadian disruption in unexposed male offspring. The phenotypes are gender-specific and the females are partially protected. Mechanistically, mouse seminal fluid contains corticosterone, whose appearance dynamic follows the organismal circadian rhythm and is blunted upon circadian disruption. Offspring phenotypes are sensitive to the levels of corticosterone in the seminal fluid and consequential to impaired placentation, reduced placental efficiency and fetal growth restriction.

Paternal exposure to an acute high-fat diet challenge, instead, leads to a 30% penetrant glucose intolerance exclusively in male offspring. Mechanistically, this is linked to the epigenetic inheritance of diet-induced and sperm-borne mitochondrial RNAs. 

These studies strengthen the importance of paternal health at conception for pregnancy and offspring health and identify germ-cell and non-germ cell factors as potential mechanistic mediators.

Abstract
The oncofetal RNA binding protein Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) is a key player in a wide array of malignancies. Here we demonstrate that IGF2BP3 is required for MLL-AF4 driven leukemogenesis and define the underlying post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms through which IGF2BP3 drives this process in vivo.