Two developments in technology made the current study possible. The first, TRAP, was developed at Rockefeller. It enables researchers to map gene expression in specific types of neurons. Hatten’s team applied this method to identify the genes expressed in granule cells, one of the two cell types that make up the cerebellum, in the mouse brain from birth through adulthood. The researchers focused on changes in gene expression 12 to 21 days after birth, for this is the main period during which the circuitry of the cerebellum is formed.
The second key method used in this study is metagene analysis, which is a mathematical model developed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard that allows the researchers to study large sets of genes and see changes in patterns that would be too difficult to interpret by looking at each genes. Three researchers from Broad collaborated on the study. Using the analytical tool, the researchers found that during this crucial period of time in development, all the pathways that control the remodeling of chromatin changed.
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