Transposable element expression heterogeneity and functional characterisation in pre- implantation development

Abstract
Transposable elements make up half of our DNA, and yet we do not understand their role in our cells. Due to our limited understanding of their function, these elements have long been known as just 'selfish DNA', as they were considered to only expand in our DNA at our expense. Nevertheless, evidence of their central importance in pre-implantation embryo development is rapidly accumulating. We aim to apply a novel RNA-sequencing technique, CELLO-seq, to better understand transposon expression during this key developmental stage. CELLO-seq will provide us with unprecedented accuracy and single-cell resolution of transposon expression, which will be invaluable to clarify which specific transposons play pivotal roles in pre-implantation. We aim to corroborate our findings with functional studies by genetically removing specific transposons of interest to see their effects on development. Hence, this project aims to better understand the nature of transposon expression and their roles in embryonic development.
UKRI-BBSRC priority areas: Understanding the rules of life, transformative technologies