Laboratory Nicola Iovino

Chromatin regulation in early embryo

Fertilisation and early embryogenesis are the foundations of life. Despite much progress in developmental biology, it remains unclear i) how terminally differentiated gametes are reprogrammed to totipotency ii) what is the content and extent of epigenetic information carried from the gametes to the next generation iii) how the de-novo epigenome is established in the early embryo.

Goals

The goal of the lab is to break new ground by unravelling the mechanisms that regulate (i) epigenetic reprogramming of gametes, (ii) germline epigenetic inheritance, and (iii) de novo establishment of epigenetic memory. We use Drosophila early embryo as a model system.

Impact

These mechanisms are evolutionarily conserved, thus our discoveries will open the way for translational research and novel studies of early embryogenesis that could be applied to vertebrate models.

Selected Publications

Atinbayeva N, Valent I, Zenk F, Loeser E, Rauer M, Herur S, Quarato P, Pyrowolakis G, Gomez-Auli A, Mittler G, Cecere G, Erhardt S, Tiana G, Zhan Y, Iovino N (2024)

Inheritance of H3K9 methylation regulates genome architecture in Drosophila early embryos.

The EMBO Journal 43(13), 2685-2714.

Source

DOI

Ibarra-Morales D, Rauer M, Quarato P, Rabbani L, Zenk F, Schulte-Sasse M, Cardamone F, Gomez-Auli A, Cecere G & Iovino N (2021)

Histone variant H2A.Z regulates zygotic genome activation

Nature Communications, 12: 7002.

Source

DOI

Zenk F, Zhan Y, Kos P, Löser E, Atinbayeva N, Schächtle M, Tiana G, Giorgetti L, Iovino N (2021)

HP1 drives de novo 3D genome reorganization in early Drosophila embryos

Nature 593, 289-293.