🚨 New preprint alert!
DNMT1 is often elevated in cancer, but its direct impact on DNA methylation regulation has been hard to isolate in tumours full of confounding processes.
Using a clean genetic system in mESCs, we asked:
What does excess DNMT1 by itself do to the methylome?
Let’s dive in 🧵
1/9
Now had a chance to read through this pre-print. Interesting and unexpected findings! Increasing DNMT1 expression leads to remodelling of the methylome in mouse ES cells including gains and losses 😮 🧵 1/2
#epigenetics
Please share: we're hiring a new tenure-track faculty member to our Department of Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
faculty-einstein.icims.com/jobs/17847/a...
If you're interested in DNA methylation dynamics, DNMT biology, disease modeling or epigenetic therapy, we hope this work sparks new ideas! 💡
Happy to discuss, critique, or collaborate! 9/9
Together, our findings reveal that DNMT1 overexpression alone is sufficient to generate cancer-like DNA methylation patterns and highlight candidate underlying mechanisms that warrant deeper exploration. 8/9
Conserved promoter hypermethylation between mESCs and human cancers showed signs of epigenetic priming and had sex-specific effects. 7/9
The same promoter regions hypermethylated by DNMT1 overexpression in mESCs are also hypermethylated in various human cancers — demonstrating the biological relevance and translational potential of this model. 6/9
DNMT1-targeted cancer therapies may have limits: some hypermethylation in mESCs resisted erasure following acute DNMT1 depletion. 5/9
We also found increased CpG‑to‑CpG methylation variability, a feature associated with epigenetic instability in cancer.
DNMT1 excess didn’t just shift DNA methylation levels — it disrupted DNA methylation precision. 4/9
Despite global hypomethylation, we observed focal hypermethylation at promoters and CpG islands — another hallmark of cancer methylomes.
These promoter DMRs were linked to pathways that align with the vast pathological potential of DNMT1 overexpression. 3/9
Despite DNMT1 being a maintenance methyltransferase, overexpression led to global, widespread hypomethylation in mESCs, mirroring a paradox seen in cancer. 2/9
🚨 New preprint alert!
DNMT1 is often elevated in cancer, but its direct impact on DNA methylation regulation has been hard to isolate in tumours full of confounding processes.
Using a clean genetic system in mESCs, we asked:
What does excess DNMT1 by itself do to the methylome?
Let’s dive in 🧵
1/9
Slowly killing science....
Scary number...
New work from the lab by @eli-elder.bsky.social !! Tread to follow shortly...
The recruitment campaign is on! We’re seeking outstanding MSc, PhD, and Postdoctoral candidates to join @cra-chusj.bsky.social . If you’re passionate about epigenetics, development, and neurodevelopment, consider exploring the opportunities available in my lab.
event.fourwaves.com/campagnerecr...
My Canadian university, Queen's, is offering TWENTY 4-year funded PhDs (40k CAD/yr) for a student of ANY citizenship who has been accepted at a top 100 US university but have had offer rescinded OR are reconsidering offer due to US policy.
Details found here👇
www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc...
EMBO is delighted to announce that this year the EMBO Gold Medal is awarded to Tanmay Bharat @tbharat-lab.bsky.social @mrclmb.bsky.social and David Bikard @dbikard.bsky.social @pasteur.fr for their remarkable contributions to the #LifeSciences.
www.embo.org/press-releas...
#award 🧪
Congrats to all winners! ...but especially to own, Michelle Robb, for the Best Poster Award at #DOHaDCanada2025! Michelle presented our recent advances on Early Embryonic Alcohol Exposure ! 🏆
Thank you, #DOHaDCanada2025, for organizing and for the invitation to present our work on Early Embryonic Prenatal Alcohol Exposure! #FASD #DOHaD #communautéFRQ
Congratulations to our co-president, Dr. Kristin Connor (@kconnor.bsky.social), for being awarded the Nick Hales Award by the International DOHaD Society. #DOHaD2025
Come join us at @mcgill.ca as an assistant professor in virus-host interactions! Please share widely.
mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Paper Out👇🥳 thanks to ALL authors, Nakatani-san @tamas-schauer.bsky.social @palmrinmoy.bsky.social and bluesky-less
RIF1 regulates Replication Timing in mouse embryos & (suprising) findings disentangling effects on transcription and LADs...lots to think about 🙄👍🤔
👉 www.cell.com/developmenta...
Sophie Petropoulos, chercheuse au CRCHUM, et son équipe révèlent pour la première fois que l’embryon préimplantatoire de cochon d’Inde est très similaire à l’embryon humain, ce qui ouvre la voie à une meilleure compréhension de l’infertilité et du développement humain précoce.
🥂Congratulations to Petropoulos & co for their new Open Access study in our journal (@naturecellbiology.bsky.social): single-cell #transcriptomics, spatial, functional and comparative analyses show that the guinea pig presents high similarity with early human #embryogenesis.
bit.ly/3RaRwWY
The Lim Lab at the @crchum.bsky.social is recruiting PhD students or Postdoctoral Fellows to study the roles of 14-3-3zeta in #adipocytes or pancreatic #betacells.
Projects are supported by CIHR, NSERC, or Diabetes Canada.
Please share with people who might be interested!
Thanks!
I urge folks to sign this letter and share it with their university colleagues to get critical mass.
🔊Share widely!
Were looking for a Tier 2 CRC in Human Metabolic Disease!
Just posted but hurry as app deadline is May 15!
Got expertise in #obesity or #diabetes and are an emerging expert in your field?
Apply now!!!!
carleton.ca/deputyprovos...
Dear USA colleagues, paradoxically the environment is warmer for doing science north of the border.♥️
Just because you are unique doesn’t mean you are useful over a picture of a wooden headed axe.
This should save grant reviewers a lot of time on some of those proposals…..
