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Choi, Youngeun

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Choi

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Youngeun

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Choi, Youngeun

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2014 - 20162

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Author's Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.866bb297-bf6c-40bf-9773-d9483f1dede5

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    Modulation of small RNA silencing by cross-generational signaling in C. elegans
    (2014-06-06) Choi, Youngeun; Mango, Susan; Perrimon, Norbert; Sengupta, Piali; Blackwell, Keith
    Organisms are constantly challenged by the surrounding environment and alter their physiology accordingly. Some environment-induced changes in one generation are inherited in the offspring, and this long-lasting memory of parental experience has gained a lot of attention recently due to its implications in the organism's development and health. One example is transmission of RNAi-induced silencing from parents to progeny in C. elegans. Although this phenomenon has been known for more than a decade, the parental contribution to RNAi inheritance is still unclear. Here, we show that the nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12 mediates a cross-generational signaling that regulates RNAi in zygotes. Pol II ChIP-qPCR revealed that normally, DAF-12 enhances transcriptional repression induced by RNAi. Mutant analysis demonstrated that the role of DAF-12 in RNAi is distinct from its function in developmental timing or heterochronic pathways. Surprisingly, DAF-12 acts in mothers to alter the RNAi efficiency in zygotes, indicating the presence of mother-to-offspring, DAF-12-dependent signals that enhance RNAi in zygotes. Considering the previous studies showing that the function of DAF-12 is determined by environmental cues, we tested and found that the role of DAF-12 in RNAi enhancement in zygotes depends on the environmental cues presented to mothers during their development. These results demonstrate a novel role of DAF-12 as a modulator of RNAi and its contribution to cross-generational signaling. Moreover, the findings imply a potential interaction between environmental conditions and small RNA pathways.
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    Creating Critical Consumers of Health and Science News: Teaching Science to the Non-Scientist Using Newsworthy Topics in the Life Sciences†
    (American Society of Microbiology, 2016) Coderre, Raymond W.; Uekermann, Kristen A.; Choi, Youngeun; Anderson, William
    Scientists constantly make groundbreaking discoveries, some of which receive attention from the press. We designed a course intended for a lay audience that provides the scientific background to appreciate these reports more fully. We discuss three topics in the life sciences: stem cells, cancer, and infectious disease. The course is structured to blend relevant scientific background and evaluation of primary literature with the coverage of these advances by the media and popular press. In short, lectures emphasize exposure to basic biological concepts and tools as a means of informing understanding of prominent biological questions of public interest. The overall goal of the course is not only to expose students to the media’s coverage of scientific progress, but also to hone their critical thinking skills to distinguish hope from hype.