DNA methylation in stem cells

One of our research axes is focused on understanding how DNA methylation patterns are established, maintained, and interpreted during embryonic development. To address these questions we use mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells as our model, and we apply a wide array of tools: cell biology, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics… This has led us, for example, to decipher important mechanisms of epigenetic memory (Ferry et al, Mol Cell 2017, review in Petryk et al NAR 2020). More recently, we carried out genome-wide CRISPR screens to identify factors linking epigenetics and cellular state (Gupta, Yakhou et al., NSMB 2023).

A CRISPR screen identifies new repressors of the totipotent state in mouse embryonic stem cells

In mammals, only the zygote and blastomeres of the early embryo are fully totipotent. This totipotency is reflected in vitro by the expression of markers such as Zscan4. We performed a genome-wide CRISPR KO screen in mouse embryonic stem cells, looking for mutants that reactivate the expression of totipotency markers, like for example the knock-out of Spop.

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Congratulations to Dr. Silvia Comunian!

Congratulations to Dr. Silvia Comunian!

On September 25, 2026, Silvia successfully defended her thesis: “Epigenetic control of nuclear mechanics and migration via H3K9 methylation at Lamina-Associated Domains in lung cancer cells”Silvia Comunian  and the jury members: Yegor Vassetzky, Nicolas Borghi,...

Welcome to Sara

Welcome to Sara

Sara is joining the team for a master’s internship. As a student in the Interdisciplinary Master’s in Life Sciences program at the Ecole Normale Superieure, Sara will contribute to a research project aimed at identifying vulnerabilities in DNA repair in high-grade...