Telomere-to-telomere assemblies uncover secrets of ape sex chromosomes
Evolution of ape sex chromosomes has remained enigmatic due to their highly repetitive nature and incomplete reference assemblies (particularly for the Y). Here we generated gapless, telomere-to-telomere assemblies of the X and Y chromosomes for all extant great ape species—chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, Bornean and Sumatran orangutans—and for an outgroup lesser ape, the siamang. To achieve this, we utilized state-of-the-art experimental and computational methods developed for deciphering the human...
Speaker:
Matthias Altmeyer
Amphitheater of Genopolys
Dynamics and Functions of DNA Repair Compartments
Our research interest is to understand how human cells deal with genotoxic stress assaults and how they coordinate genome maintenance mechanisms with other vital cellular functions. To this end we combine state-of-the-art molecular biology and biochemistry with powerful advanced cell imaging technologies, in particular employing single cell chromatin perturbations, high resolution live cell imaging, automated quantitative microscopy and software-assisted image analysis. By targeted ablation of specific...
Speaker:
Dr. Nitzan Gonen
Amphitheater of genopolys
The Battle of Sexes: Studying the Gene Regulatory Networks of Mammalian Sex Determination.
Sex Determination is the process by which an organism develops into either male or female. A main research interest of our lab is to understand, at the molecular level, how sex is determined during embryonic development.
In mammals, sex determination is genetically driven with XY individuals developing as males and XX individuals developing as females. Problems in this process lead to a large group of developmental disorders classified as Disorders of Sex Development (DSD), with...
Speaker:
Max Greenberg (Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France)
IGH Seminar room 1st floor
Non-canonical functions of DNA methylation during epigenetic reprogramming in mammals
Immediately after fertilization, mammalian embryos undergo a dramatic reshaping of the epigenome as the embryo transitions from the zygote into the pluripotent cells primed for lineage commitment. This is best exemplified by 5-cytosine DNA methylation (5meC) reprogramming, as the gametic patterns are largely erased, and the embryonic genome undergoes a wave of de novo DNA methylation. Moreover, once 5meC patterns are established, mechanisms faithfully maintain the mark across cell division. Thus,...
