A24 - Identification of the molecular and biophysical determinants controlling heterochromatin formation and silencing in the mouse embryo
Our project will address how heterochromatin is formed de novo at the very beginning of mammalian development after fertilisation. Specifically, we will investigate the mechanisms that control the formation of heterochromatin and lead to its functional silencing. For this, we will employ combinatorial gain-of-function approaches followed in mouse embryos, followed by transcriptomic analysis and the study of chromatin marks genome wide. In addition, we will investigate whether heterochromatin establishment occurs through phase separation. For this, we will implement new imaging methods to address whether mouse embryos display features compatible with phase separation properties.
Mouse zygote stained with an anti-H3K9me3 antibody, highlighting the chromatin asymmetry between the parental genomes after fertilisation
![]() Prof. Dr. Maria Elena Torres-PadillaInstitute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells (IES), Helmholtz Zentrum München +49 (0)89 3187 3317 (office) |