# Ubiquitin signaling in epigenetic regulation of neuronal development

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $152,459

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 This proposal describes the five-year career development plan for Principal Investigator Cole J. Ferguson,
MD, PhD, with the goal of preparing him for an independent research career as an academic physician-
scientist. Dr. Ferguson enrolled in the Physician-Scientist Training Program within the Pathology &
Immunology Department at Washington University after completing the MD/PhD program at the University of
Michigan. Following the Anatomic and Neuropathology residency-fellowship, Dr. Ferguson began working in
the laboratory of Azad Bonni, where he studies the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in inherited
neurodevelopmental disorders. The long-term goal of Dr. Ferguson's research is to improve the understanding
of the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of this diverse class of disorders. For this proposal, he has
genetically engineered a mutant mouse to study a novel inherited neurodevelopmental disorder caused by
mutation in a major E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. While investigating brain development in mutant mice, he
uncovered a major mechanism of epigenetic regulation during the transition from dividing progenitors to
functional neurons. Aim 1 will characterize the molecular cascade that underlies aberrant chromatin
maturation, while Aim 2 will explore the consequences on gene expression in the developing versus mature
brain. In the course of this project, Dr. Ferguson will become an expert in imaging, biochemical and genomics
approaches to study epigenetics in the brain. This project has the potential for significant expansion and is an
outstanding scientific foundation for the start of Dr. Ferguson's independent laboratory.
 Washington University is the ideal setting for Dr. Ferguson to achieve these aims. His mentor Dr. Azad
Bonni is Chair of the Neuroscience Department and a preeminent molecular neuroscientist who has pioneered
the study of the UPS in brain development. Dr. Bonni has an outstanding record of training independent
investigators in his laboratory. In addition, the Department of Neuroscience has expanded upon its tradition of
collaboration and cutting-edge experimentation across both molecular and systems neuroscience. This
proposal will make extensive use of the School of Medicine's world-class core facilities in microscopy and next-
generation sequencing. The expertise of Dr. Ferguson's esteemed scientific advisory panel encompasses all
aspects of this proposal, including neurodevelopmental disorders, epigenetic regulation, and ubiquitin signaling
in brain development. The Pathology Physician-Scientist Training Program committee will play an active role in
Dr. Ferguson's career development, and this program has an outstanding record of transitioning trainees into
independent investigators through the K08 mechanism. In short, this proposal will make progress on several
important aspects of epigenetic regulation in developmental neurobiology, while providing invaluable technical
training and career d...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10375983
- **Project number:** 7K08HD099314-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Cole John Ferguson
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $152,459
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2021-03-20 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10375983

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10375983, Ubiquitin signaling in epigenetic regulation of neuronal development (7K08HD099314-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10375983. Licensed CC0.

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