XIST@HARVARD (LEE LAB)
Picture

Picture
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Research
  • Publications
  • Current Members
  • Alumni
  • Social
  • News
  • Join Us
  • support us

Recent NEWS


May 19, 2023
Picture
Congratulations to Hun-Goo et al.!  We are excited to present a method of correcting the Fragile X defect by recruiting cellular repair mechanisms via R-loops:

Lee HG, Imaichi S, Kraeutler E, Aguilar R, Lee YW, Sheridan SD, 
Lee JT. 2023. Site-specific R-loops induce CGG repeat contraction and fragile X gene reactivation. Cell, in press. May 16:S0092-8674(23)00469-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.035.

June 6, 2022
We welcome Vicky Yan, Sedina Ackuayi, and Jose Manuel Garcia Castello to the lab!
Picture
Picture
Picture

May 26, 2022
Picture
Picture
2022 Harvard graduation ceremony.
Our graduate, Andrea Kriz — all grown up!


May 13, 2022
Yu-Ting passes PQE#1 in Systems Biology!  Congratulations to our newest graduate student.

May 10, 2022
Picture
We welcome a new postdoctoral fellow, Chris Ball, to the lab!

May 4, 2022
Our X-reactivation platform was selected as one of the "Disruptive Dozen" technologies at the 2022 World Medical Innovation Forum! (click here for video)

Picture

March 30, 2022
Picture
Thrilled that our Xist-small molecule paper is published! 
Congratulations to Rodrigo Aguilar, the Merck Team, and the Patel Team!!  A big team effort that also included Kerrie Spencer, Elliot Nickbarg, Barry Kesner, Noreen F. Rizvi, Maulik Badmalia, Tyler Mrozowich, Jonathan D. Mortison, Carlos Rivera, Graham F. Smith, Julja Burchard, and Peter Dandliker.

Aguilar R, Spencer KB, Kesner B, Rizvi NF, Badmalia MD, Mrozowich T, Mortison JD, Rivera C, Smith GF, Burchard J, Dandliker PJ, Patel TR, Nickbarg EB, and Lee JT. 2022. Targeting Xist with compounds that disrupt RNA structure and X inactivation. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04537-z. Read

March 23, 2022
Congratulations to Carlos Rivera and Hungoo Lee on an outstanding collaboration with the Andres Group!  We found that RCOR1/HDAC associated with and represses active genes by (1) erasing histone modifications and (2) de-acetylating POL-II's CTD to inhibit elongation -- a surprising non-canonical mechanism.

Rivera C †, Lee HG †, Lappala A, Wang D, Noches V, Olivares-Costa M, Sjoberg-Herrera M, Lee JT *, and Andres ME *. 2022. Unveiling RCOR1 as a rheostat at transcriptionally permissive chromatin. Nat Commun 13, 1550. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29261-0. Read.

Picture

March 15, 2022
Picture
We are thrilled to have Yu-Ting Huang join our lab for her PhD work in Systems Biology!

March 4, 2022
Picture
Welcome to Bahareh Derafshi, a new postdoc in our lab!

March 3, 2022
Excited to share our Review on methods of treating Rett syndrome, written with PhD student, Niklas Grimm!
Grimm NB and Lee JT. 2022. Selective Xi reactivation and alternative methods to restore MECP2 function in Rett syndrome. Trends in Genetics. Read


Dec. 20, 2021
We sadly say goodbye to Lu, who will join Arrakis Therapeutics. Congratulations and farewell!

Dec. 1, 2021
Congratulations to Hyun Jung on her monumental paper!

Oh HJ, Aguilar R, Kesner B, Lee HG, Kriz AJ, Chu H.-P., and Lee JT. 2021. Jpx RNA regulates CTCF anchor site selection and formation of chromosome loops. Cell doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.11.012. Read

Picture

Nov. 24, 2021
Carlos' 1st PhD paper is published!
Rivera C, Verbel-Vergara D, Arancibia D, Lappala A, González M, Guzmán F, Merello G, Lee JT* , Andrés ME* . 2021. Revealing RCOR2 as a regulatory component of nuclear speckles. Epigenetics Chromatin. 14(1):51.  Read


Oct. 15, 2021
See the Xi in 4D!  
Our wonderful collaboration with Anna Lappala & Karissa Sanbonmatsu:  Lappala A, Wang CY, Kriz A, Michalk H, Tan K, Lee JT*, Sanbonmatsu KY*. 2021. Four-dimensional chromosome reconstruction elucidates the spatiotemporal reorganization of the mammalian X chromosome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 118(42):e2107092118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2107092118.  Read

Picture

Sept. 29, 2021
Two protocols for the RNA biologist:
(1)  Rosenberg M, Levy V, Maier VK, Kesner B, Blum R, and Lee JT. 2021. Denaturing cross-linking immunoprecipitation to identify footprints for RNA-binding proteins. STAR Protoc. 2021 Sep 16;2(4):100819.
(2) Chu HP, Minajigi A, Chen Y, Morris R, Guh C-Y, Yu HH, Boukhali M, Haas W, and Lee JT. 2021. iDRiP for the systematic discovery of proteins bound directly to noncoding RNA. Nature Protocols doi: 10.1038/s41596-021-00555-9.

July-Aug,
2021
We bid farewell to two valuable lab members:  Andrea Kriz, who starts her postdoc with Chris Walsh; and Elizabeth Kraeutler, who starts graduate school in U Penn's MCB PhD program!
Photo:  Andrea & family

Picture

July 15,
2021
Picture
Mom and Lab are all very proud of Andrea Kriz for successfully defending her PhD! 

June 1, 2021
Picture
So pleased to have Sachiko Imaichi join us from Takeda!

May 3, 2021
Clarifying Polycomb targeting during XCI:
Colognori D, Sunwoo H, Wang D, Wang CY, Lee JT.  2021. Xist Repeat A contributes to early recruitment of Polycomb complexes during X-chromosome inactivation. Dev Cell 56(9):1236-1237. Read


March 15, 2021
Honored to receive the 2020 Cozzarelli Prize for the discovery that B2 and ALU RNAs are SELF-CLEAVING RIBOZYMES!  Congratulations to all coauthors!

Hernandez AJ, Zovoilis A, Cifuentes-Rojas C, Han L, Bujisic B, Lee JT. 2019. B2 and ALU retrotransposons are self-cleaving ribozymes whose activity is enhanced by EZH2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Dec 23. pii: 201917190. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1917190117.  Read.


March 15, 2021
PhD student Andrea Kriz shows us how to create megadomains and superloops on the active X (Xa) — and get away with it !

Kriz AJ, Colognori D, Sunwoo H, Nabet B, Lee JT. 2021. Balancing cohesin eviction and retention prevents aberrant chromosomal interactions, Polycomb-mediated repression, and X-inactivation. Molecular Cell 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.02.031. Read
Picture

Feb 15, 2021
Picture
We welcome Emily Xia to the lab!

Jan 4, 2021
Michael and Roy publish their breakthrough understanding of RNA's interaction with Polycomb! -- resolving the mystery of why RNA-PRC2 complexes occur within active genes, and how specificity is achieved. 

Rosenberg M†, Blum R†, Kesner B, Aeby E, Garant J-M, Szanto A, and Lee JT. 2021. Motif-driven interactions between RNA and PRC2 are rheostats that regulate transcription elongation. Nature Struct Mol Biol. 10.1038/s41594-020-00535-9. Read

News coverage:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/mgh-srl010421.php

Picture

Jan 4, 2021
Picture
Happy New Year!
​We welcome Niklas Grimm to the lab!

Dec 18, 2020
Congratulations to our PEW Latin American Fellow, Rodrigo, on becoming Assistant Professor at Andres Bello University, Chile! He is starting with funding both the Pew Foundation and the Chilean government. 

Dec 15, 2020
Nico Simonet joins our lab!  Welcome.
Picture

Aug 30, 2020
Farewell to Tom Dial !!

Aug 17, 2020
X chromosomes play TAG --> YOU'RE IT !! See how sex chromosomes decide who will stay 'ON' through PAIRING, an RNA decapping enzyme, and CTCF:

Aeby E, Lee H-G †, Lee Y-W †, Kriz A, del Rosario BC, Oh HJ, Boukhali M, Haas W, and Lee JT. 2020. Decapping enzyme 1A breaks X-chromosome symmetry by controlling Tsix elongation and RNA turnover. Nature Cell Biology, doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0558-0. Read for free

Congrats to Eric Aeby et al. !!

Picture

June 11, 2020
Picture
Congrats to David and Hongjae on another outstanding collaboration!  Be confused no more about the relationship between Xist, Polycomb recruitment, and gene silencing:

Colognori D, Sunwoo H, Wang D, Wang CY, Lee JT. 2020. Xist Repeats A and B Account for Two Distinct Phases of X Inactivation Establishment.  Dev Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.021. Read


April 14, 2020
Tom Dial successfully Zoom-defends his thesis!  Congratulations, Dr. Dial!
And thanks to Professors Nancy Kleckner, Craig Hunter, and Brian Liau for serving on the thesis committee.

Picture

Feb. 10, 2020
Excited to share an important finding for the X reactivation community:  Surprising tolerance to increased X chromosome dosage in multiple tissues. ​​Read.
Yang L, Yildirm E, Kirby JE, Press W, and Lee JT. 2020. Widespread organ tolerance of Xist loss and X reactivation except under chronic stress in the gut.  PNAS 117: 4262-4272. 

Jan. 5, 2020
Picture
Welcome to the Lab, Antonino!

Dec. 26, 2019
Picture
We publish our surprising conclusion:  SINE retrotransposons, B2 and ALU, are SELF-CLEAVING RIBOZYMES!

Hernandez AJ, Zovoilis A, Cifuentes-Rojas C, Han L, Bujisic B, Lee JT. 2019. B2 and ALU retrotransposons are self-cleaving ribozymes whose activity is enhanced by EZH2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Dec 23. pii: 201917190. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1917190117.  Read.



Oct. 1, 2019
Welcome, Anna!
Picture

Sept. 14, 2019
FRAXA Biotech Games a success! Our lab had a great time meeting families and fellow competitors. 

​Photo: William Press, Hungoo Lee, Tom Dial, and Elizabeth Kraeutler.
Picture

Sept. 13, 2019
Really excited about our collaboration with Roy Perlis, Steve Sheridan et al.  First publication now online:  
​Jagtap S, Thanos JM, Fu T, Wang J, Lalonde J, Dial TO, Feiglin A, Chen J, Kohane I, Lee JT, Sheridan SD, Perlis RH.  (2019) Aberrant mitochondrial function in patient-derived neural cells from CDKL5 deficiency disorder and Rett Syndrome. Hum Mol Genet. 2019 Sep 13. pii: ddz208. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddz208. ​Read

Aug 30, 2019
We say farewell and good luck to our PhD students -- Chen-Yu Wang who will become postdoc in Gord Fishell's Lab, and David Colognori who will become postdoc in Jennifer Doudna's Lab!
Picture

Aug 16, 2019
Chen-Yu is unstoppable.  Publication #3!  ​Wang CY, Brand H, Shaw ND, Talkowski ME, and Lee JT.  (2019) Role of the Chromosome Architectural Factor SMCHD1 in X Chromosome Inactivation, Gene Regulation, and Disease in Humans. Genetics ePub doi: 10.1534/genetics.119.302600.

July 11, 2019
Congratulations to Andrea on an NIH predoctoral award!  She is now anointed by both NSF and NIH.  Great start to a scientific career!

July 3, 2019
Another of Chen-Yu's masterpieces!  A chromosome-folding pathway that enables Xist RNA to spread:  (1) Xist recruits Polycomb PRC1, (2) PRC1 fuses A/B compartments, (3) SMCHD1 merges the resulting S1/S2 structures, (4) and then Xist spreads across the X without getting "stuck".
Read here:
https://rdcu.be/bIriO

Wang CY, Colognori D†, Sunwoo H†, Wang D, and Lee JT. (2019) PRC1 collaborates with SMCHD1 to fold the X-chromosome and spread Xist RNA between chromosome compartments. Nat Communications  10:2950. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10755
Picture

July 1, 2019
Katya Nizovtseva, Hao Yin, and Elizabeth Kraeutler join our lab.  Welcome!
Picture
Picture
Picture

May 30, 2019
Picture
A bumper crop of PhD students:  Chen-Yu Wang, John Froberg, and David Colognori at the Graduation Hooding Ceremony.  Congratulations to our outstanding students!!

May 14, 2019
Hongjae Sunwoo "graduates" from the lab
-- off to Intellia he goes! 
He will be missed.
Picture

May 1, 2019
Picture
We are thrilled that David Colognori successfully defended his PhD thesis today!

April 24, 2019
Picture
Our iBiology Lectures on X-chromosome inactivation are now online! 
3 Lectures for the general public and interested students.
​Watch here.

April 22, 2019
A warm welcome to Vered Levy, who just joined us as Lab Manager!
Picture

April 11, 2019
Congratulations to Hungoo on his FRAXA postdoc award!
Picture

April 3, 2019
Picture
Congrats to Chen Yu who successfully defends his PhD today!
Picture

March 31, 2019
We say farewell to Attila Szanto and Teddy Jegu!
Picture
Picture

Feb. 28, 2019
Congratulations to David and Hongjae on a great finding:  Although Xist recruits Polycomb complexes, Xist also depends on Polycomb complexes to continue to spread along the Xi.

Colognori D †, Sunwoo H †, Kriz A, Wang C-Y, and Lee JT. (2019) Xist deletional analysis reveals an interdependency between Xist RNA and Polycomb complexes for spreading along the inactive X. Molecular Cell   10.1016/j.molcel.2019.01.015.    Read


Picture

Jan. 24, 2019
Brian and Andrea have just published a novel CTCF modification!
​
Del Rosario BC 
†, Kriz AJ †, Del Rosario AM, Anselmo A, Fry CJ, White FM, Sadreyev RI, Lee JT. (2019) Exploration of CTCF post-translation modifications uncovers Serine-224 phosphorylation by PLK1 at pericentric regions during the G2/M transition. Elife. 2019 Jan 24;8. pii: e42341. doi: 10.7554/eLife.42341.  Pre-proof PDF here.

Picture

Jan. 21, 2019
The 2 faces of Xist RNA: (1) Attractant for silencers, and (2) Repellant for activators. Our new paper shows how it repels SWI/SNF-BRG1 from the inactive X. Congratulations to Teddy and Roy!!   To read for free, click here.

 Jegu, T. †, Blum R. †, Cochraine, J.C., Yang, L., Wang, C.Y., Gilles, M.-E., Colognori, D., Szanto, A., Marr, S.K., Kingston, R.E., and Lee, J.T. (2019) Xist RNA antagonizes the   SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler, BRG1, on the inactive X chromosome. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 10.1038/s41594-018-0176-8.


Picture

Jan. 11, 2019
Our Rett Syndrome work has been featured in the Atlas of Science.  Click here to read it!

Dec 21, 2018
Montse Michelman, our lab manager of 14 years, has retired!
And we wish Eric Aeby a safe return to Switzerland and a new beginning!
Picture
Picture

Dec. 1, 2018
We welcome Uri Weissbein (postdoc) to the lab.

Nov. 27, 2018
Our BioRxiv paper is now published!  Froberg JE, Pinter SF, Kriz AJ, Jegu T, and Lee JT. (2018) Megadomains and superloops form dynamically but are dispensable for X chromosome inactivation and gene escape. Nature Communications 9, 5004.

Oct. 1, 2018
We welcome Lu Han (postdoc) and Carlos Rivera (student) to the lab.

Sept. 30, 2018
Our Rett Syndrome expert, Lieselot Carrette, becomes a Visiting Scientist at Scripps, La Jolla.

Sept. 17,
2018
John Froberg successfully defended his PhD today -- Congratulations!
Wishing you all the best as postdoc in the Macklis Lab (Harvard).
Picture

Sept. 14, 2018
Picture
Lab alumnus, Ruslan Sadreyev (center), is promoted to Assistant Professor of Pathology, MGH. Well done!
Lab reunion at CSH Epigenetics - with Stefan Pinter, Montserrat Anguera, Kavitha Sarma, and Jeannie Lee.

Sept. 5, 2018
Our worm paper is published - Congrats to Arneet!  Multiple Histone Methyl-Lysine Readers Ensure Robust Development and Germline Immortality in Caenorhabditis elegans.  Saltzman AL, Soo MW, Aram R, Lee JT.  Genetics. 2018 Sep 5. 
Picture

August 28, 2018
Congrats to Rodrigo for receiving the MGH ECOR Fellowship!

July 23, 2018
Congrats to postdoctoral fellow, Lieselot Carrette, on a new publication!
Tsix–Mecp2 female mouse model for Rett syndrome reveals that low-level MECP2 expression extends life and improves neuromotor function.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/07/17/1800931115 …

July 22, 2018
We have a new website!

July 9, 2018
Check out John Froberg's work:
X-Chromosome without Borders:  Firre(d) up about Dxz4! .
.. and our lab's 1st pre-print in BioRxiv!
www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/07/08/364893
Picture
June 7, 2018
Chen Yu Wang's paper is now published!
Folded like Origami - is the Inactive X chromosome by SMCHD1:

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)30584-1​
Picture
Laboratory of Jeannie T. Lee
Department of Molecular Biology
Massachusetts General Hospital & Department of Genetics
The Blavatnik Institute | Harvard Medical School
​185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114 USA
Contact: Molly O'Mara Fillmore

Copyright 2018 | Lee Lab
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Research
  • Publications
  • Current Members
  • Alumni
  • Social
  • News
  • Join Us
  • support us