Epigenetics and Development Group
We are interested in understanding how cell potency and differentiation are critically balanced in stem cells and in the developing embryo. In the context of the early mammalian embryo this implies unravelling how cell heterogeneity arises, and how pluripotency is achieved and safeguarded while promoting the formation of two essential extra-embryonic tissues.
Our group studies epigenetic, transcriptional and metabolic mechanisms that underlie pluripotency and lineage choice. Currently, the core research activities of the group include the following inter-related studies:
- Polycomb group members in stem cells and in the early embryo
- Jmjd2 gene family in early cell fate decisions
- Pluripotency and reprogramming
- Esrrb and co-regulators in embryonic stem cells
- Metabolic switches in pluripotent stem cells and in development
Selected publications
Tomaz RA, Harman JL, Karimlou D, Weavers L, Fritsch L, Bou-Kheir T, Bell E, Del Valle Torres I, Niakan KK, Fisher C, Joshi O, Stunnenberg HG, Curry E, Ait-Si-Ali S, Jørgensen HF, Azuara V: Jmjd2c facilitates the assembly of essential enhancer-protein complexes at the onset of embryonic stem cell differentiation. Development 2017 Feb 15;144(4):567-579.
Percharde M, Lavial F, Ng JH, Kumar V, Tomaz RA, Martin N, Yeo JC, Gil J, Prabhakar S, Ng HH, Parker MG, Azuara V: Ncoa3 functions as an essential Esrrb co-activator to sustain embryonic stem cell self-renewal and reprogramming. Genes & Development 2012 Oct 15; 26(20):2286-98.
Lavial F, Bessonnard S, Ohnishi Y, Tsumura A, Chandrashekran A, Fenwick MA, Tomaz RA, Hosokawa H, Nakayama T, Chambers I, Hiiragi T, Chazaud C, Azuara V: Bmi1 facilitates primitive endoderm formation by stabilizing Gata6 during early mouse development. Genes & Development 2012 Jul 1; 26(13):1445-58.
Alder O, Lavial F, Helness A, Brookes E, Pinho S, Chandrashekran A, Arnaud P, Pombo A, O'Neill L, Azuara V: Ring1B and Suv39h1 delineate distinct chromatin states at bivalent genes during early mouse lineage commitment. Development 2010 Aug 1; 137(15):2483-92.
Azuara V: Profiling of DNA replication timing in unsynchronized cell populations. Nature Protocols 2006; 1(4): 2171-7.
Azuara V, Perry P, Sauer S, Spivakov M, Jørgensen HF, John RM, Gouti M, Casanova M, Warnes G, Merkenschlager M, Fisher AG: Chromatin signatures of pluripotent cell lines. Nature Cell Biology 2006 May; 8(5):532-8.
Azuara V, Brown KE, Williams RR, Webb N, Dillon D, Festenstein R, Buckle V, Merkenschlager M, Fisher AG: Heritable gene silencing in lymphocytes delays chromatid resolution without affecting the timing of DNA replication. Nature Cell Biology 2003 Jul; 5(7): 668-74.
Funding
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Genesis Research Trust (GRT)
- Foundation for Sciences and Technology (FCT- Portugal)
- Associated Member of the EuroSyStem Project coordinated by Professor Austin Smith (2nd Call 2010) European Federation for Systematic Stem Cell Biology funded by EU Framework 7 http://www.eurosystemproject.eu
Group Members
- Véronique Azuara (Team Leader)
- Emma Bell (MRC-funded)
- Donja Karimlou (IC President’s PhD scholar)
- King Hang (Tommy) Mau (GRT-funded)
We are currently inviting applications from hard-working, highly motivated postdoctoral and PhD candidates with a genuine interest in the fundamental biology of stem cells.
Alumni
- Olivia Alder (Terry Fox Laboratory, Vancouver-Canada)
- Matias Autio (Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore)
- David Barneda (Babraham Institute, Cambridge-UK)
- Tony Bou-Kheir (Barts Cancer Institute, London-UK)
- Anne Helness (McGill University IRCM, Montreal-Canada)
- Fabrice Lavial (Cancer Research Centre of Lyon CRCL, Lyon-France)
- Michelle Percharde (UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco-USA)
- Sandra Pinho (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York-USA)
- Rute Tomaz (University of Cambridge, Cambridge-UK)
- Several talented MSc/MRes students
Collaborators
Professor Mauricio Barahona, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Imperial College London, Biomathematics
Dr Ed Curry, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Bioinformatics
Dr Wei Cui, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Human embryonic stem cells
Dr Tristan A Rodriguez, NHLI, Imperial College London, Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
Professor Miguel Manzanares Fourcade, CNIC, Madrid, Spain, Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
Dr Michelle Percharde, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
Professor Amanda G Fisher, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Epigenetics
Professor Matthias Merkenschlager, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Gene regulation
Professor Niall Dillon, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Gene regulation
Dr Andrea Lopez, BBSRC Babraham Institute, University of Cambridge, Lipodomics
Professor Ludovic Vallier, Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Dr Alice Jouneau, INRAE, ENVA, BREED, Université Paris-Saclay, France, Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
Dr Hendrik Marks, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Epigenetics and Proteomics
Dr Wout Megchelenbrink, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Bioinformatics
Dr Yaser Atlasi, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Epigenetics
Professor Ulrike Eggert, Department of Chemistry, King's College London, Chemical and Cell Biology
Dr Philipe Arnaud, Laboratoire GReD, Clermont Université, France, Epigenetics
Dr Ana Pombo, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Gene Regulation
Dr Laura O'Neill, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Epigenetics
Dr Alex Sardini, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Imaging
Professor Paul French, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Photonics, Imperial College London, Imaging
Professor Hector Keun, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Metabolism
Professor Henk Stunnenberg, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Gene regulation
Dr Helle Jorgensen, Cardiovascular Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Epigenetics
Dr Slimane Ait-Si-Ali, Epigenetic and Cell Fate UMR 7216 CNRS, University Paris Diderot, France, Epigenetics
Professor Shankar Srinivas, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Developmental Biology
Dr Kathy Niakan, The Francis Crick Institute, London, Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
Professor David Carling, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, AMPK and Metabolism
Professor Ian Chambers, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine University of Edinburgh, Embryonic stem cells
Professor Huck-Hui Ng, Genome Institute of SingaporeSingapore, Embryonic stem cells
Dr Mark Christian, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Metabolism
Professor Malcolm Parker, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial CollegeLondon, Gene regulation
Dr Takashi hiiragi, European Molecular Biology LaboratoryHeidelberg, Germany, Developmental Biology
Dr Claire Chazaud, Laboratoire GReD, Clermont Université, France, Developmental biology
Professor Jesus Gil, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Gene regulation
Guest Lectures
BCGB, Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, 2017
Wellcome Trust - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Anne McLaren Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, 2017
Pasteur Institute, Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Paris, France, 2016
IMT, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany, 2016
Blizard Institute, QMUL, ‘London Epigenomics Club’, London, UK, 2015
STEMBRYO Symposium, Sitges, Spain, 2015
ISRMN Meeting, Imperial College London, London, UK, 2014
GReD, University of Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France, 2013
London Research Institute ‘Stem Cell Club’, London, UK, 2013
University Paris Diderot, Epigenetics and Cell Fate Unit, Paris, France, 2012
BACR meeting ‘Chasing Cancer Stem-like Cells’, Harrogate, UK, 2012
Abcam meeting ‘Epigenetics and Stem Cells’, Cambridge, UK, 2012
Wellcome Trust/ CRUK Gordon Institute 'Developmental Biology Seminars', Cambridge, UK, 2012
Euroscicon Meeting ‘Induced pluripotent stem cells: production and utility in regenerative medicine’, London, UK, 2011
Rescues Conference on ‘What is new in Europe in the field of regenerative medicine?’, Oxford, UK, 2010
Institute Necker, INSERM Unit U768, Paris, France, 2010
ESTOOLS Symposium, Lisbon, Portugal, 2010
Institute of Molecular Genetics, Montpellier, France, 2009
INSERM workshop on ‘human ESCs: characterisation and manipulations’, Saint-Raphael, France, 2009
STEMBRYO meeting ‘From oocyte to embryo: a workshop on early mammalian embryogenesis’, Oxford, UK, 2009
Institute for Stem Cell Research, Edinburgh, UK, 2008
Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, Cambridge, UK, 2008
North East England Stem Cell Institute, Newcastle, UK, 2008
Department of Surgery and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge, UK, 2007
Joint meeting: Imperial & Genome Institute of Singapore, London, UK, 2007
Immunology Centre Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France, 2007
Joint CSC/IRDB workshop on ‘Stem cell identity and plasticity’, London, UK, 2006
Research Student Supervision
Alder,OA, PhD project entitled " Epigenetic regulation of key developmental genes during early mouse development" - completion in Oct 2009
Autio,MI, PhD project entitled " Investigating the regulation of distinct epigenetic states in human embryonic stem cells" - completion in Feb 2013
Donja Karimlou,, PhD project entitled "Investigating the role of the lipid droplet associated protein CIDEA in embryonic stem cell metabolism and biology" - ongoing
Emma Bell,, PhD project entitled "Investigating the specific chromatin function of Esrrb and co-regulators at tissue-specific enhancers in pluripotent stem cells" - ongoing
Helness,AC, PhD project entitled " Balancing potency and differentiation in mouse embryo-derived stem cells and in vivo" - completion in Dec 2011
King Mau,H, PhD project entitled "Trafficking, storage and timely release of lipids: unfolding the fundamental mechanisms underlying metabolic reprogramming in pluripotent stem cells" - ongoing
Percharde,M, PhD project entitled " Regulation of nuclear receptor Esrrb function by Ncoa3 in mouse embryonic stem cell pluripotency" - completion in Nov 2012
Pinho,S, PhD project entitled " Regulation of pluripotent states in human embryonic stem cells" -completion in Dec 2009
Tomaz,R, PhD project entitled " Investigating the role of the histone demethylase Jmjd2c as a key regulator of mouse embryonic stem cells" - completion in Nov 2016