In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we talked with Fides Zenk from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne about her work on transgenerational inheritance in Drosophila and brain organoids for human development insights.

Dr. Zenk begins by sharing her journey into the field of biology, revealing her childhood fascination with nature and the intricate details of plant development. Her transition from an interest in ecology to a deep dive into molecular biology and gene regulation lays the groundwork for understanding her current research focus. We explore how her early experiences continue to shape her scientific curiosity, particularly her passion for studying cellular changes over time during embryonic development.

As the conversation progresses, Dr. Zenk paints a vivid picture of her work at EPFL, where she combines functional genomics, chromatin profiling, and molecular biology techniques. She elaborates on her initial research during her PhD with Nicola Iovino, where she investigated the transgenerational inheritance of histone modifications in Drosophila. This discussion includes fascinating insights into how histone modifications can carry information across generations and their implications in gene expression regulation during early embryonic stages.

Dr. Zenk also provides a glimpse into her postdoctoral work with Barbara Treutlein, where she shifted focus to human models and quantitative analysis using brain organoids. This segment of the episode reveals her commitment to translating molecular mechanisms to human health, especially in understanding the intricacies of brain development and neurogenesis. She describes how her team mapped dynamic changes in histone modifications during critical developmental stages, integrating various data modalities to build an intricate developmental atlas.

Zenk F, Loeser E, Schiavo R, et al. Germ line-inherited H3K27me3 restricts enhancer function during maternal-to-zygotic transition. Science (New York, N.Y.). 2017 Jul;357(6347):212-216. DOI: 10.1126/science.aam5339. PMID: 28706074.

Zenk F, Zhan Y, Kos P, et al. HP1 drives de novo 3D genome reorganization in early Drosophila embryos. Nature. 2021 May;593(7858):289-293. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03460-z. PMID: 33854237; PMCID: PMC8116211.

Zenk F, Fleck JS, Jansen SMJ, et al. Single-cell epigenomic reconstruction of developmental trajectories from pluripotency in human neural organoid systems. Nature Neuroscience. 2024 Jul;27(7):1376-1386. DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01652-0. PMID: 38914828; PMCID: PMC11239525.

The Role of Small RNAs in Transgenerational Inheritance in C. elegans (Oded Rechavi)

Mapping the Epigenome: From Arabidopsis to the Human Brain (Joseph Ecker)

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