Rural Health Network Development Planning

Dr. Samir EI-Dahr, Tulane University, will participate in this Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology in several ways. 1. As PI on researc1 Project 2, he will design the experiments, oversee the projects, manage personnel, and help in writing the manuscripts. 2. Dr. EI-Dahr will collaborate with Dr. Gomez in the analysis of sequencing data in their respective projects and share data and expertise with the other project PI's, Pilot Project investigators and students in the Center and mentor Pilot Project investigators and students. 3. As a member of the executive Committee of the Center he will participate in all of the activities of the Center. The Executive Committee advises the Director concerning the research emphasis, the termination of nonproductive areas of research or of completed projects, and in decisions as to disbursement of funds. The committee also examines the scientific merit of proposed new research endeavors, including Pilot projects, and functions as a primary scientific and technical review body. 4. The overall purpose of Dr. EI-Dahr's project is to investigate the role of chromatin-based mechanisms in nephron progenitor cell fate. Specifically, the proposal focuses on two epigenetic regulators: HDAC1/2 and polycomb Ezh2. The hypothesis to be tested is that histone acetylation and methylation mechanisms work cooperatively to remodel the chromatin at key developmental genes, which control the master program of nephron renewal and differentiation. The project utilizes cutting edge mouse genetics and chromatin biology techniques to test the proposed hypothesis. PHS