Effects of Champ1 deletion in the telencephalon of E20 rat embryos.

"Mutations in CHAMP1 cause a rare severe developmental disorder characterized by global developmental delay and intellectual disability. While CHAMP1 has been shown to regulate proper chromosome alignment in proliferating embryonic brain precursors, it remains expressed postnatally in neurons and glia, where its function remains unknown. CHAMP1 is part of a chromatin remodelling complex that includes POGZ, an epigenetic gene expression regulator associated with a disorder with similarities to the CHAMP1 disorder. This suggests that CHAMP1 could also play a role in chromatin-mediated regulation of gene expression. Using a recently generated Champ1 knockout rat, we aim to study the effects of Champ1 depletion on rat brain development, identify which cell types are most affected by Champ1 depletion in the brain and which biochemical pathways are affected in specific cell types. "