Epigenetics Lab Course

Content & Learning Objective

Epigenetics is defined as the study of inherited changes in gene expression through cell divisions. These changes are caused by mechanisms other than modifications in the underlying DNA sequence. Recently, Diagenode has launched a new range of products dedicated to 5-hmC studies. We expect that these kits and reagents may represent the first and possibly most compelling set of validated products available for the study of 5-hmC and 5-mC. In the course you will use these kits to perform a chromatin analysis. 

The theoretical part includes:

• Chromatin structure
• Post-translational modifications of histones and chromatin associated proteins
• Different methods for chromatin cross-linking
• Analysis of co-immunoprecipitated chromatin (PCR, Southern, ChIP-on-Seq)
• Possible use of ChIP & MeDIP in the case of other model organisms

In the practical part, you will perform a chromatin and methylated DNA immunoprecipiation from A-Z, starting with cultured cells (cross-linking using formaldehyde, chromatin/DNA extraction, immunoprecipitation, PCR, data analysis).

Target Group

Technical and scientific staff members with basic knowledge and experience in molecular biology.

Teacher

Dr. Ignacio Mazon studied Biochemistry at the University of Oviedo, Spain and at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald. Later on he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Biological Research and Biotechnology, National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens where he was part of the Marie Curie Research Training Network TAF-Chromatin. Since 2009 he has been working at Diagenode as an application scientist and he is an expert on ChIP and DNA Methylation applications.

Dr. Dominique Poncelet studied Biology at the University of Liège. During his PhD he studied a family of highly conserved  Zinc-finger proteins called KRAB in humans. Since 2009 he has been working at Diagenode and is the head of the R&D department. He is an expert in the development of ChIP and DNA Methylation (MeDIP, hMeDIP and MIRA-MethylCap) kits.