Achievement

IGERT-LifeChips fellow Rebekah Charney-Le has made significant progress in her research which involves identification of the genes regulated by Nodal signaling, as well as by the Nodal transcriptional regulator FoxH1. First, she has obtained the set of genes regulated by Nodal signaling by carrying out mRNA-seq analysis on X. tropicalis embryos treated with the Nodal chemical inhibitor SB-431542. Next, ChIP-seq analysis has revealed regions bound by the transcription factor FoxH1 during early gastrulation. Currently, Rebekah is optimizing the conditions for additional ChIP-seq analyses (Smad2/3) that will allow her to identify direct Nodal target genes. In order to effectively analyze these datasets, she has been working closely with collaborators in the fields of bioinformatics and computer science. Her involvement in the IGERT LifeChips program has been invaluable, as it has helped her effectively communicate her work to a diverse group of scientists.