Lab Website: https://gaine.lab.uiowa.edu/

Genetics and epigenetics of brain disorders

One of the main goals of the Gaine lab is to study Protein Kinase A (PKA) activity in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. To do this, we generate mouse models relevant to disease using CRISPR and employ a variety of molecular and behavioral techniques to characterize them. Currently, we are characterizing new mouse models for neurodegeneration and autism spectrum disorder that were generated using CRISPR to introduce a mutation in the Prkar1b gene. Another goal of the Gaine lab is understand the role of epigenetics in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders, and how environmental factors can influence this. Projects specifically focus on suicidal behavior, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, and utilize a variety of large-scale sequencing techniques alongside region-specific sequencing to identify changes in DNA methylation and gene expression in human samples.

PubMed link

Department/Program Affiliations:
Human Toxicology
Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Pharmaceutical Sciences & Experimental Therapeutics
Psychiatry