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Transcriptional regulation in early human development

1. Placentation

In the first days of human life, distinct cells called trophoblasts are specified and go on to form most of the placenta. Given the critical importance of the placenta for fetal and maternal health, our lab studies transcriptional control of trophoblast specification and early placental development.

2. Heterochromatin establishment

Dramatic epigenetic changes occur in early human development. Most notably, there is a global increase in DNA methylation, an epigenetic mark critical for silencing genes and transposons. The methylation pattern established in early development is largely conserved through the rest of life. We use stem cell-based models to determine how DNA methyltransferases are regulated and how DNA methylation is patterned.