How is the behaviour of cells lining blood vessels controlled?

Functional analysis of H3K9-methylation on gene regulation and phenotypic switching in vascular smooth muscle cells (Miss Jennifer Harman)

Supervised by Dr Helle Jorgensen, a PhD student is studying what influences vascular smooth muscle cell behaviour in disease. Vascular smooth muscle cells within the wall of blood vessels change their behaviour in disease in response to gene activation. Genes themselves can be influenced by other factors within their environment – this is called epigenetics. Dr Jorgensen’s research team has found that a region within a molecule associated with DNA called H3K9me2 acts like an ‘epigenetic mark’, reducing the activity of certain genes linked to inflammation and blood vessel remodelling within vascular smooth muscle cells. This suggests H3K9me2 has an important role in their biology. In this project, the researchers will investigate H3K9me2 further. They will manipulate the overall level of H3K9me2 in vascular smooth muscle cells to see how cell behaviour is altered by these changes. They will also find out how reducing levels of H3K9me2 affects vascular smooth muscle cell behaviour in a model of blood vessel disease. Finally, they will identify what other molecules or genes are affected by H3K9me2. Understanding more about how the behaviour of vascular smooth muscle cells is controlled and the role of the H3K9me2 could reveal new ways to treat circulatory diseases.