From molecules to phenotypes: how environments shape organismal function through epigenetics

Chairperson: professor Jan-Bernd Stukenborg

Representative of the Docentship Committee: professor Eva Lindström

Abstract:

Living organisms continuously interact with their environments, yet many of the biological mechanisms linking environmental conditions to long-term phenotypic outcomes remain hidden beyond the DNA sequence. This lecture introduces epigenetics as a central layer of biological regulation that helps explain how environmental exposures can shape gene function through regulatory mechanisms that extend beyond, and interact with, the underlying DNA sequence. Using examples from different biological systems and levels of organization, the lecture will illustrate how epigenetic mechanisms contribute to phenotypic plasticity, brain function, and long-term biological effects. Particular emphasis will be placed on how modern sequencing-based approaches allow us to study these hidden layers of regulation, on open questions regarding whether epigenetic changes induced early in life can be reversed, how this varies across brain regions and hemispheres, and how these changes relate to functional outcomes.

The lecture is an obligatory teaching test for admission as docent and is designed to be accessible to students and others with undergraduate-level knowledge in biology. The lecture will be given in English and will be followed by a discussion.

Welcome!