Registration

Epigenetics of Renal Cell Carcinoma: The Path Towards New Diagnostics and Therapeutics
Eamonn Maher, Professor, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

I will review the molecular pathology of renal cell carcinoma and the role of epigenetically silenced tumour suppressor genes in RCC and their relationship to pathways of tumor development.

Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation Data at Single Nucleotide Level Using Pyrosequencing
Norbert Hochstein, Scientist, Qiagen, United Kingdom

This seminar describes the solutions and methodology underlying analysis of precious samples, and illustrates how Pyrosequencing can be used as a powerful tool for data analysis and validation of results from other commonly used epigenetic research techniques.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Characterization of Age-Related DNA Methylation Changes
Frank Lyko, Group Leader, German Cancer Research Center, Germany

The presentation will provide a detailed characterization of age-related DNA methylation changes in human tissues a discuss the implications of these observations for human aging.

Histone Turnover and Inheritance in Budding Yeast
Fred van Leeuwen, Group Leader, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands

Histone modifications are very dynamic. However, histones themselves can also be moved or replaced. Using the novel RITE genetic pulse chase method we are determining the patterns and mechanisms of histone turnover and inheritance to determine how they influence the epigenome

Technology Spotlight:
Analysis of Complex Patterns of DNA Methylation
Dave Mukhopadhyay, Senior Scientist, Bio Rad Laboratories Inc

Lunch and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Free Workshop
Improving Your qPCR Results: A Systematic Approach to Understanding qPCR Detection

Poster Viewing Session

Epigenetic Inheritance of Growth Rate Heterogeneity as a Mechanism for Persistence of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Johnjoe McFadden, Professor, University of Surrey, United Kingdom

My research is focussed on using systems biology approaches to understanding the pathogenesis of bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis and meningitis

The Effect of Early Life Nutrition on the Epigenome and Implications for Human Disease
Karen Lillycrop, Senior Lecturer, University of Southampton, United Kingdom

Early life environment can induce stable changes to the epigenome which alter an individual’s susceptibility to a range of chronic diseases in later life. The role of epigenetics in the developmental origins of disease and its implications will be discussed.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Uropathogenic E. coli Infection Leads to CDKN2A (p16INK4A) Hypermethylation in Uroepithelial Cells
Cornelia Toelg, Research Associate/Post-doctoral Fellow, Hospital for Sick Children, Canada

Recently, H.pylori infection of the stomach has been correlated with epigenetic changes in the host genome. To identify epigenetic changes during E.coli induced urinary tract infection (UTI), we developed an in vitro model of persistent infection of human uroepithelial cells with uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC) resulting in intracellular bacteria colonies without inducing host cell apoptosis.

TET DNA Hydroxylases in Development and Disease
Paul Cloos, Associate Professor, Copenhagen University, Denmark

The talk will present recent data on TET proteins, including target genes, molecular partners and discuss the potential biological roles of 5-HMC and the Tet proteins.

Programming DNA Methylation During Development
Irina Stancheva, Lab Head, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Stable patterns of gene expression during development and differentiation are achieved by sequence-specific transcription factors as well as epigenetic mechanisms that facilitate the establishment and propagation of heritable chromatin states. The talk will discuss the role of chromatin remodelling ATPase LSH and G9a/GLP complex of histone methylases in developmentally-programmed DNA methylation.

Drinks Reception

Free Workshop
A User’s Experience: How to Work with Oncological Samples - From Difficult Starting Material Towards Reproducible qPCR Results

Non-Coding RNAs and Genomic Imprinting: Insights From the Gnas Cluster
Jo Peters, Head of Genomic Imprinting, MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit, United Kingdom

Non-coding RNAs have key roles in genomic imprinting but their mechanism of action is poorly understood. Results that have broad implications for understanding the hierarchy of events in epigenetic silencing by macroRNAs will be presented.

A Polycomb-Based Switch Underlying Quantitative Epigenetic Memory
Andrew Angel, Post Doctoral Researcher, John Innes Centre, United Kingdom

We combine mathematical modelling and experimental analysis to study vernalization, the initiation of flowering by prolonged cold, in order to elucidate the mechanistic basis of quantitative epigenetic memory.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Pancreatic Beta Cell Identity is Maintained by DNA Methylation-Mediated Repression of Arx
Anil Bhushan, Associate Professor, University of California, United States of America

Arx is methylated and repressed in beta cells, and gets hypo-methylated and expressed in Dnmt1-deficient beta cells, DNA methylation propagates the transcriptional repression of Arx during beta cell replication, deletion of Dnmt1 results in reprogramming of beta cells to alpha cell.

Lunch and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Free Workshop
Targeted Genome Editing and Epigenetic Modification in Eukaryotic Systems

Poster Viewing Session

Structure, Function and Mechanism of the Dnmt3a DNA de novo Methyltransferase
Albert Jeltsch, Professor, Jacobs University Bremen, Germany

The talk will present recent data on the structure of the Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase and its interaction with DNA and chromatin.

Macrodomains Mediate NAD Metabolite-Dependent Nuclear Dynamics
Andreas Ladurner, Group Leader, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany

Nuclear ADP-ribosylation reactions make key contributions to genome activity in health & disease, but little was known about how this metabolically-regulated modification of chromatin structure is deciphered. We report our discovery of proteins that readily sense and regulate nuclear ADP-ribosylation.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Transcription Networks and Long Range Interactions in the Genome
Frank Grosveld, Group Leader, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Netherlands

The analysis of transcription factors complexes and their binding to regulatory elements that interact with the gene and each other during hematopoietic differentiation.

Controlling Transcription in Three Dimensions
Patrick Wijchers, Post Doctorate Researcher, Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands

Gene expression in mammals is often controlled by distant regulatory DNA elements. We develop and apply novel genomics strategies like 4C technology to uncover where these sites are located and to study how they function.

Modeling the Dynamic Epigenome: Transcriptional Regulation by Histone Modifications
Thimo Rohlf, Research Group Leader, University of Leipzig, Germany

Transcriptional regulation in cells makes use of diverse mechanisms to ensure that functional states can be maintained and adapted to variable environments. Unraveling the hierarchy of these layers of regulation represents a challenge to Molecular Systems Biology.

Close of Conference