Ilona Dunkel

Transcription-dependent heterochromatin at the Xist promoter shapes the random choice of the inactive X chromosome

The paper identifies H3K9me3 accumulation at the Xist promoter as a transcription-dependent mechanism that influences random XCI choice in female cells.

Antisense transcription can induce expression memory via stable promoter repression

The paper shows that antisense transcription can create expression memory through promoter repression in mouse embryonic stem cells, with memory capacity increasing during differentiation.

Delay of human early development via in vitro diapause

This study shows that human blastoids and pluripotent stem cells can enter a dormant state via mTOR inhibition, with distinct temporal dynamics compared to mice.

GATA transcription factors drive initial Xist upregulation after fertilization through direct activation of a distal enhancer element

This study identifies GATA transcription factors as essential for initiating Xist upregulation and X-chromosome inactivation in mouse embryos through direct activation of a distal enhancer.

Distal and proximal cis-regulatory elements sense X-chromosomal dosage and developmental state at the Xist locus

The paper identifies distal and proximal cis-regulatory elements that respond to X-chromosomal dosage and developmental state to regulate Xist expression during XCI in mouse embryonic stem cells.

Integrated analysis of Xist upregulation and gene silencing at the onset of random X-chromosome inactivation at high temporal and allelic resolution

The paper uses allele-specific single-cell RNA-sequencing to study Xist upregulation and gene silencing during X-chromosome inactivation in mouse embryonic stem cells, identifying Nanog downregulation as a trigger and genetic variation's role in XCI.

EPIGENE: genome wide transcription unit annotation using a multivariate probabilistic model of histone modifications

EPIGENE identifies genome-wide transcription units using histone modifications, outperforming RNA-seq methods and discovering novel TUs supported by RNA Polymerase II data.

Identification of X-chromosomal genes that drive global X-dosage effects in embryonic stem cells

The paper identifies X-chromosomal genes, including Klhl13, that drive sex differences in murine embryonic stem cells by affecting pluripotency and differentiation.

Kinetics of Xist-induced gene silencing can be predicted from combinations of epigenetic and genomic features

The paper predicts Xist-induced gene silencing kinetics using a Random Forest model based on epigenetic and genomic features, identifying key factors like distance to Xist and promoter pre-marking.

A symmetric toggle switch explains the onset of random X inactivation in different mammals

The paper identifies a symmetric toggle switch as the mechanism for random Xist up-regulation during X-chromosome inactivation in mammals.