Onkarpreet is a biological sciences major whose research studies maternal care and brain development. She will receive a $50 gift certificate to the UMBC bookstore for her selfie taken with her sister, Jasmine Kaur (a UMBC junior and bio major) in front of the URCAD 30 graffiti banner. Indeed, she is with Smart!!
Title: Early-Life Maternal Care Programs Social Behavior Through Dnmt3ab Mediated DNA Methylation
Presenter: Onkarpreet Kaur
Mentor: Cheng-Yu Li, Biological Sciences
Maternal care and early-life maternal interactions exert profound and lasting effects on offspring brain development and social behavior across taxa. These maternal effects can shape offspring phenotypes independently of genetic inheritance, yet the molecular mechanisms through which maternal environments become biologically embedded in the developing brain remain poorly understood. Epigenetic mechanisms offer a compelling framework for understanding maternal effects because they enable stable, experience-dependent regulation of gene expression without altering DNA sequence. Among these mechanisms, DNA methylation is especially well suited to encode maternal influences due to its sensitivity during development and long-term stability. However, the specific methylation pathways linking maternal care to neural and behavioral outcomes remain largely unexplored. Here, we use African cichlid fish, a system with well-characterized maternal care and conserved neuroendocrine circuitry, to investigate the epigenetic basis of maternal effects on social behavior. We propose a model in which maternal cues during early development modify dnmt3ab-mediated DNA methylation, leading to persistent changes in neural circuit organization and offspring social behavior. By comparing offspring reared with maternal care versus artificial rearing, we assess brain-specific dnmt3ab expression, DNA methylation patterns, and social behavior. This study provides mechanistic insight into how maternal care generates lasting behavioral variation.
Save the date for URCAD 31:
April 28, 2027
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