Biology of Repetitive Sequences

All research teams

Chromatin can be viewed as a highly complex mixture of proteins and nucleic acids that orchestrate DNA-based processes in the eukaryotic genome. Most of the mammalian genome is assembled into heterochromatin, a ‘closed’ structure imposed by several enzymatic activities. Such activities act on histones and the DNA itself to impinge on transcription, replication or repair.
Most of the heterochromatic fraction of the genome can be found at critical loci. These include telomeres, repetitive sequences around centromeres and a portion (about half) of the gene units encoding ribosomal RNAs. Defects in the regulation of these loci have therefore disastrous consequences on cell identity and can lead to developmental problems, cancer, premature aging or immune deficiencies. How precisely heterochromatic enzymes affect the composition of target loci has remained elusive and research in our laboratory primarily focuses on this question.
To understand how heterochromatin acts at the molecular level, we are looking at the effect of abrogating important heterochromatic activities, such as histone and/or DNA methyl-transferases, on the overall composition of key heterochromatic loci (telomeres, pericentromeres and rDNA).

Lise DAUBAN
Researcher
0434359945

Jerome DEJARDIN
Researcher
0434359945

Constance KLEIJWEGT
Researcher
0434359945

Mathieu TARDAT
Researcher
0434359945

Joey DUFOURD
PhD Student
0434359945

Elise GARDES
Doctorante
PhD Student
0434359945

Thi Hai Yen HUYNH
Phd
PhD Student
0434359945

Clément ESTEVE
ITA
0434359945

Raoudha FADHLOUN
ITA
0434359945

Karim MESBAH
ITA
0434359945

Sandrine SAUZET
ITA
0434359945

Publications of the team

Purification and enrichment of specific chromatin loci.

Published the 11/03/2020 - Nat Methods , 17(4):380-389 32152500

Gauchier M, van Mierlo G, Vermeulen M, Déjardin J

Telomeric Chromatin and TERRA.

Published the 11/03/2020 - J Mol Biol 32151584

Barral A, Déjardin J

Locus-specific chromatin isolation.

Published the 31/01/2020 - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol , 21(5):249-250 31996790

Vermeulen M, Déjardin J

Remodeling and destabilization of chromosome 1 pericentromeric heterochromatin by SSX proteins.

Published the 23/05/2019 - Nucleic Acids Res , 47(13):6668-6684 31114908

Traynor S, Møllegaard NE, Jørgensen MG, Brückmann NH, Pedersen CB, Terp MG, Johansen S, Dejardin J, Ditzel HJ, Gjerstorff MF

SMCHD1 is involved in de novo methylation of the DUX4-encoding D4Z4 macrosatellite.

Published the 31/01/2019 - Nucleic Acids Res 30698748

Dion C, Roche S, Laberthonnière C, Broucqsault N, Mariot V, Xue S, Gurzau AD, Nowak A, Gordon CT, Gaillard MC, El-Yazidi C, Thomas M, Schlupp-Robaglia A, Missirian C, Malan V, Ratbi L, Sefiani A, Wollnik B, Binetruy B, Salort Campana E, Attarian S, Bernard R, Nguyen K, Amiel J, Dumonceaux J, Murphy JM, Déjardin J, Blewitt ME, Reversade B, Robin JD, Magdinier F

Integrative Proteomic Profiling Reveals PRC2-Dependent Epigenetic Crosstalk Maintains Ground-State Pluripotency.

Published the 26/11/2018 - Cell Stem Cell , 24(1):123-137 30472157

van Mierlo G, Dirks RAM, De Clerck L, Brinkman AB, Huth M, Kloet SL, Saksouk N, Kroeze LI, Willems S, Farlik M, Bock C, Jansen JH, Deforce D, Vermeulen M, Déjardin J, Dhaenens M, Marks H

Published the 01/01/2018 - 31086817

Telomere chromatin establishment and its maintenance during mammalian development.

Published the 19/12/2017 - Chromosoma , 127(1):3-18 29250704

Tardat M, Déjardin J

Histone H4K20 tri-methylation at late-firing origins ensures timely heterochromatin replication

Published the 01/01/2017 - EMBO J. , 36(18):2726-2741 28778956

Brustel J, Kirstein N, Izard F, Grimaud C, Prorok P, Cayrou C, Schotta G, Abdelsamie AF, Déjardin J, Méchali M, Baldacci G, Sardet C, Cadoret JC, Schepers A, Julien E.

+ Replication and Genome Dynamics

Proteome Characterization of a Chromatin Locus Using the Proteomics of Isolated Chromatin Segments Approach

Published the 01/01/2017 - Methods Mol Biol , 1550, 19-33 28188520

Kan SL, Saksouk N, Déjardin J

The molecular basis of the organization of repetitive DNA-containing constitutive heterochromatin in mammals

Published the 01/01/2017 - Chromosome Res. , 25(1):77-87 28078514

Nishibuchi G, Déjardin J.

The cell proliferation antigen Ki-67 organises heterochromatin

Published the 01/01/2016 - Elife , 5, e13722 26949251

Sobecki M, Mrouj K, Camasses A, Parisis N, Nicolas E, Llères D, Gerbe F, Prieto S, Krasinska L, David A, Eguren M, Birling MC, Urbach S, Hem S, Déjardin J, Malumbres M, Jay P, Dulic V, Lafontaine DL, Feil RP, Fisher D

Switching between Epigenetic States at Pericentromeric Heterochromatin

Published the 01/01/2015 - Trends Genet , 31, 11, 661-672 26431676

Dejardin, J.

End-targeting proteomics of isolated chromatin segments of a mammalian ribosomal RNA gene promoter

Published the 01/01/2015 - Nat. Commun. , 6, 6674 25812914

Ide, S., Dejardin, J.

Constitutive heterochromatin formation and transcription in mammals

Published the 01/01/2015 - Epigenetics Chromatin , 8,3 25788984

Saksouk N, Simboeck E, Déjardin J.

Nuclear-Receptor-Mediated Telomere Insertion Leads to Genome Instability in ALT Cancer

Published the 01/01/2015 - CELL , 160, 5, 913-927 25723166

Marzec, P., Armenise, C., Perot, G., Roumelioti, F.M., Basyuk, E., Gagos, S., Chibon, F., Dejardin, J.

Redundant Mechanisms to Form Silent Chromatin at Pericentromeric Regions Rely on BEND3 and DNA Methylation

Published the 01/01/2014 - Mol Cell , 56(4):580-94 25457167

Saksouk N, Barth TK, Ziegler-Birling C, Olova N, Nowak A, Rey E, Mateos-Langerak J, Urbach S, Reik W, Torres-Padilla ME, Imhof A, Déjardin J.

How chromatin prevents genomic rearrangements: Locus colocalization induced by transcription factor binding.

Published the 01/01/2012 - Bioessays , 34(2):90-3. doi: 10.1002/bies.201100122 22086436