The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Research

BindDB: The Meshorer Lab Epigenomic Database

(Livyatan et al., Cell Stem Cell, 2015)

The Meshorer lab is studying:

1. Epigenetic regulation in stem cells and differentiation.

2. Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. HD) using pluripotent stem cell models.

3. Paleo-epigenetics: reconstructing DNA methylation in archaic genomes.

Projects

Chromatin plasticity in embryonic stem (ES) cells and in ES cell differentiation

Using endogenously-labeled fluorescent libraries in mouse embryonic stem cells which we generated, we can visualize differentiation events, nuclear body dynamics, protein binding kinetics, etc. and screen for pluripotency and differentiation relevant factors, in living cells.

Using human pluripotent stem cells to model neurodegenerative diseases

Here we are using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model neurodegenerative diseases. We are studying poly-glutamine (PolyQ) diseases including Huntington's disease (HD) and Machado Joseph disease (MJD), as well as Parkinson's disease (PD).

Chromatin and transcription in ESCs: from single cells to genome wide views.

In our ERC project, we aim to understand chromatin plasticity and the function of non-polyadenylated transcription in pluripotency. We are combining biochemistry, single cell advanced imaging assays and high throughput technologies to study chromatin and transcription at a genome-wide scale in ES cells and during differentiation and reprogramming, as well as decipher the function of candidate chromatin proteins and candidate non-polyadenylated transcripts in pluripotency.

Collaborators:

Gil Ast, Tel-Aviv University

Gustavo Mostoslavsky, Boston University

Karsten Rippe, DKFZ

Paola Scaffidi, London Research Institute

Newman Sze, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Takumi Takizawa, Gunma University, Japan