Abstract

Publications

Selected publications

See full list

Press

  •

    Article featuring our work on 3D regulatory networks in early embryonic decisions

    n the nucleus of cells, long strands of DNA are tightly wrapped around a scaffolding of proteins in a complex called chromatin, like a rolled-up ball of yarn. A new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators reveals that beyond providing a convenient way to store DNA in a tight space, the 3-dimensional (3D) organization of noncoding gene regulators in chromatin contributes to the control of key cell identity programs in early embryonic development. The results have implications for understanding this critical period and how changes in the 3D chromatin architecture may contribute to developmental abnormalities or diseases like diabetes or cancer.

  • Article featuring our research on the molecular resetting of stem cell identity after cell division

    Molecular "bookmarks," which allow cells to retain their characteristics during cell division, ensure fast reactivation of critical cell identity genes after cell division, according to investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine. The new work helps illuminate a process that has puzzled biologists for decades and suggests new strategies for modulating cell fate both for stem cell therapy and cancer treatment.

  •

    Article from Cornell Research featuring our recent work and publications.

    Embryonic development starts from a single cell known as a zygote. Through multiple rounds of proliferation and differentiation, this initial cell generates the vast array of specialized cells that make up the body. But each time a cell proliferates and goes through mitosis—the process of cell division that results in two genetically identical daughter cells—it faces an identity crisis. It must decide whether to keep its original identity through self-renewal or give rise to a new one through differentiation.

  •

    Multi-million NIH funding supports inter-campus collaboration between the Apostolou group and colleagues from Ithaca Cornell Campus

    A Multi-PI team (Lis, Yu, Apostolou and Josefowicz) will use a bevy of state-of-the-art technologies to investigate large macromolecular complexes involved in transcription and its regulation. They developed an RNA aptamer – RNA selected to tightly bind to a green fluorescent protein ­­– for tagging large complexes. The group will focus initially on RNA Polymerase II, the main machine that transcribes mRNA encoding genes.