Akshat Ubale

How do CTCF binding sites change over time in the gastrointestinal system?

Started May 11, 2022

Abstract or project description

It has been shown that there are hotspots in the gastrointestinal system that overlap with CTCF binding sites. These mutations are in non-coding regions of the genome which may drive cancer. It is known that age is a risk factor for developing a majority of cancer. I will be using genome browsers and R code to perform CHIP-SEQ analysis to see how CTCF binding differs in the gastrointestinal system across time. Specifically between humans in their 30s and 50s. I will be performing this analysis with genomes from different types of tissues of the gastrointestinal system and compare to see where CTCF binding has changed the most drastically. Tissue types will include but not limited to the stomach, gastrocnemius medialis, and gastroesophageal sphincter. We will be looking to see how much mutations build up in a human from their 30s to 50s in many different tissue types. A major increase of mutations overtime means there is evidence that cancers specific to the gastrointestinal system may develop in this stage of a human's life. The tissue where the mutations accumulate the most will show what tissue is most vulnerable and perhaps the most common stem of cancer as CTCF mutations is associated with gastrointestinal cancer. This can be applied to the real world see if adults in their 30s-50s should start caring more about their gastrointestinal system and when and if gastrointestinal cancer testing should start. Finding where the most mutations build up shows where healthcare regarding the gastrointestinal system should be focused on and do potential testing on.