Spotlights
Combinatorial action of enhancer elements
Epigenomic mapping has led to the identification of numerous putative enhancer elements within one cell state and often multiple enhancers can be found in the vicinity of one putative target gene. But how are these enhancer elements working together? We have dissected the enhancer elements that control the expression of Fgf5 during the exit from naive pluripotency. Surprisingly, individual elements had low intrinsic enhancer activity, however, multiple elements work together in a super-additive manner to activate the target gene at the endogenous locus. See our publication in Molecular Cell.
Self-protection against viral infection in the early embryo
Stem cells express a set of genes that are normally upregulated in the event of infection. However, in stem cells, these interferon stimulated genes are not triggered through an external event, their regulation was so far unclear. During the exit from naive pluripotency, the same transcription factors that are driving the differentiation, are also responsible for the upregulating Irf1, a master transcription factor that protects cells from viral infection. See our publication in EMBO Reports.
Enhancer reorganization during the exit from naïve pluripotency
Genome wide changes in the enhancer landscape during the exit from naïve pluripotency are driving by reorganization of the pluripotency master regulator Oct4 to newly activated enhancers through collaboration with Otx2. This work highlights the combinatorial nature of transcriptional regulation and builds the foundation to understand this cell fate transition in depths. See our publication in Cell Stem Cell.
11:00
IMBA/GMI Lecture Hall
Dea Slade
Gaia Novarino