UC Riverside

High-altitude environments are extremely physiologically stressful, largely due to reduced oxygen availability, or “hypoxia”. In order to adapt to this hypoxic stress, many physiological and molecular changes occur to improve oxygen delivery to tissue. My research identifies the causes and consequences of phenotypic plasticity during acclimatization to high-altitude hypoxia. I investigated the mechanisms underlying ventilatory acclimatization and its downstream impact on sleep quality and cognitive impairment in sojourners. In addition to physiological changes, I also evaluated epigenetic patterns in models of acute and long-term human exposure to high altitudes. I identified genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation changes, significant increases in methylation within key hypoxia-inducible factor pathway genes, and novel changes involving histones and histone modifications. This work provides novel insights into the role of epigenetic mechanisms in shaping high-altitude adaptations and uncovering the intricate interplay between genetics, epigenetics, and physiological responses.