Active Motif's Podcast

In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we talked with Janine La Salle from UC Davis about her work on differential methylated regions in autism spectrum disorders. In our discussion, Janine LaSalle highlights her work on the placental epigenetic signature, which offers insights into the impact of fetal exposures and gene-environment interactions during the perinatal period. She emphasizes the placenta's value as a surrogate tissue for understanding human diseases. Her research on DNA methylation in the placenta across different mammalian species reveals consistent patterns in partially methylated and highly methylated domains. She explains the critical role of higher methylation levels in specific regions for gene expression and how this knowledge helps trace the placenta's developmental history. The conversation then delves into Dr. LaSalle's research on the link between placental DNA methylation and autism. Through epigenome-wide association studies, she discovered a novel autism gene and explored the