Sign in

dandergassen.bsky.social

@dandergassen.bsky.social
177 followers 241 following 68 posts

Professor at TUM - Postdoc in the Rinn & Meissner Lab (Harvard) - PhD in Denise Barlow's lab (CeMM)

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Jake Harris @c-jake-harris.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Very excited to share the new preprint from our lab on transcriptional memory and immune priming! Herculean effort from first authors Linhao and Jenia. Epigenome-engineering experiments provide evidence that H3K4me3 plays a causal role!  doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org
02812
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology @natrevmcb.nature.com · 29/07/2026
New Online! Modulating the degree of X-inactivation escape to establish causal links to sex-biased disease
dlvr.it
Modulating the degree of X-inactivation escape to establish causal links to sex-biased disease
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41580-026-01007-6Gene escape from X-chromosome inactivation can cause sex-biased diseases. A workflow is presented to help find escape genes and experimentally manipulate their expression.
031
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
It was a pleasure to write this Comment with @sarahhoelzl.bsky.social before she "escaped" the lab after a very successful Ph.D. 😊 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Modulating the degree of X-inactivation escape to establish causal links to sex-biased disease - Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
Gene escape from X-chromosome inactivation can cause sex-biased diseases. A workflow is presented to help find escape genes and experimentally manipulate their expression.
011
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
We are offering Postdoc & PhD positions 🥼 If you are interested in the intersection of X chromosome inactivation, epigenetics, aging, sex-biased disease, and allele-specific multi-omics, feel free to reach out or share this with interested candidates. More info: portal.mytum.de/jobs/wissens...
025
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Jonathan Weissman Lab @weissmanlab.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Excited to share a new preprint from the lab led by @lukekoblan.bsky.social and William Colgan in which we describe our efforts to define a quantitative cell fate map of mouse embryogenesis! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
14620
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Proud of the lab team 🎉 @alessia-karasani.bsky.social won 1st prize for her poster 🏆 and @sarahhoelzl.bsky.social presented her PhD work at #EESSexDifferences.
030
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
EMBO @embo.org · 02/03/2026
Explore aspects of X chromosome biology in EMBO Workshop "Dosage compensation and evolution of the X chromosome" in #Sapporo, JP, 19–22 Oct 2026. Early registration/Abstract submission deadline: 15 Jun/1 Jul meetings.embo.org/event/26-x-chromo… #EMBOXChromosomeEvolution #EMBOevents 🧪
0133
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Agnese Loda @agneseloda.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Very happy to share our paper rdcu.be/eUImj out today in @natcellbio.nature.com 🎉🎉🎉 We uncover an unexpected role for endogenous Xist RNA in regulating X-linked genes that escape X-inactivation.
rdcu.be
Escape from X inactivation is directly modulated by Xist noncoding RNA
Nature Cell Biology - The authors show that increased Xist RNA levels can induce de novo silencing of genes that normally escape X inactivation. SPEN depletion prevents the silencing of escape...
67330
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Melé Lab @melelab.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
📣 Yesterday our study uncovering the ancestry bias in gene annotations was finally published in @natcomms.nature.com! www.nature.com/articles/s41... If you work in human genetics or transcriptomics, do not miss our tweetorial!👇 @guigolab.bsky.social @bsc-cns.bsky.social @crg.eu
nature.com
Long-read transcriptomics of a diverse human cohort reveals ancestry bias in gene annotation - Nature Communications
Current human gene annotations are predominantly based on individuals of European ancestry. Here, the authors use long-read RNA sequencing across diverse human populations to reveal ancestry-specific ...
1128
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Giving a seminar today @ethz.ch on our new X-reactivation findings during aging—back at the institute where I started my PhD 10 years ago. Can’t wait to see some familiar faces!
021
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Edda Schulz @eddaschulz.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
📣 SAVE THE DATE Next X-inactivation meeting in Sapporo, Japan, 19-23 October 2026. Visit x-inactivation-meeting.org to join our mailing list. 🧬 speakers @dandergassen.bsky.social @marnieblewitt.bsky.social @heard65.bsky.social @crougeulle.bsky.social @sexchrlab.bsky.social @zhouqi1982.bsky.social
Poster advertising the 6th X-inactivation meeting from Oct 19-23 2026 in Sapporo, Japan. The organizers are Asato Kuriowa, Edda Schulz, Ikuhiro Okamoto, Rafael Galupa, Takashi Sado, Mitinori Saitou.
14018
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
This work, led by Lison Lemoine and co-authors @sarahhoelzl.bsky.social, @hasenbeint.bsky.social and Elisabeth Graf @tum.de, has been published today in Scientific Reports: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
021
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
This workflow provides a powerful and accessible framework for studying allele-specific transcript diversity, highlighting the mechanistic insights made possible by long-read transcriptomic data.
110
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
We explored imprinted loci, known for allele-specific coding and non-coding isoforms, and successfully benchmarked historical findings. Our approach also uncovered isoforms expressed from both the active and inactive X chromosomes of escape genes in females.
110
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
New paper from the lab: we’re using long-read sequencing to disentangle isoform complexity at allele-specific loci 🧬💡 Here, we combine the PacBio Iso-Seq workflow with the established WhatsHap phasing approach to assign long reads to the correct allele in polymorphic F1 mouse hybrids.
11510
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Thank you 🔥
000
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
All mouse (6 major organs) and human (54 GTEx tissues) lncRNA-to-target predictions are easily accessible for visual inspection, allowing researchers to select candidates based on target and mechanism predictions GitHub IGV resource link: github.com/AndergassenL...
github.com
Allelome.LINK/02_resource at main · AndergassenLab/Allelome.LINK
Contribute to AndergassenLab/Allelome.LINK development by creating an account on GitHub.
020
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Importantly, as more individual sequencing data and risk variants become available, we anticipate that this strategy will continue to elucidate targets and mechanisms, ultimately decoding the entire cis-acting landscape of the non-coding genome.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
We applied the strategy to mouse organs and to the largest allele-specific human dataset @gtexportal.bsky.social, including 54 tissues from nearly 1000 individuals. Given the high genetic diversity in humans, each individual allows for the discovery of new allelic correlation events.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
By further integrating H3K27ac data, we showed that the same principle can be used to link enhancers and other cis-acting DNA regulatory elements to their corresponding targets!
110
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
The strategy is simple: A repressive lncRNA-to-target prediction occurs when the lncRNA and nearby protein-coding genes show opposite allele-specific expression biases, while an enhancing interaction occurs when both show allelic expression bias toward the same allele.
110
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
This work, led by @hasenbeint.bsky.social and co-authors @sarahhoelzl.bsky.social, Stefan Engelhardt at the @tum.de #TRR267, has been published in @narjournal.bsky.social link: doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
doi.org
Allele-specific genomics decodes gene targets and mechanisms of the non-coding genome
Abstract. A large proportion of disease variants is found in non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), gene loci that have been identified as key regulatory elements. Howe
130
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Yes! The Allelome.LINK framework integrates allele-specific transcriptomics and/or epigenomics to connect cis-acting lncRNAs and enhancers with their nearby protein-coding targets, thereby linking overlapping non-coding disease variants to the genes they affect.
120
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Cracking the code of the non-coding genome via allele-specific genomics? Can we link non-coding elements—like lncRNAs and enhancers—to their protein-coding target genes, and in doing so, connect overlapping non-coding disease variants to their protein-coding counterparts?
22812
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
maasslab.bsky.social @maasslab.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
📢 Paper Alert: tinyurl.com/yzy2d864. We characterized tRNA-overlapping lncRNA loci = tROLs! tROL perturbations silence codon-biased genes in inter-chromosomal proximity. tROLs bridge the non-coding and coding genomes. @sickkidsto.bsky.social @uoftpress.bsky.social
tinyurl.com
tRNA-overlapping long non-coding RNA loci repress codon-biased genes
Ahmed et al. define tRNA-overlapping lncRNAs (tROLs). tROLs in gene-dense regions interact between chromosomes and depend on each other’s transcription. tROL perturbations silence codon-biased genes i...
063
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Kaessmann Lab @kaessmannlab.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Our study on a male-essential microRNA and the evolution of other dosage compensation mechanisms in birds is now out in Nature! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A male-essential miRNA is key for avian sex chromosome dosage compensation - Nature
Birds have evolved a unique sex chromosome dosage compensation mechanism involving the male-biased microRNA (miR-2954), which is essential for male survival by regulating the expression of dosage-sens...
1012258
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Nature Aging @nataging.nature.com · 18/06/2025
🗞️Our June issue is live!📷 This month, we're featuring work on editing epigenetic age, somatic mutation, senescence, Alzheimer’s biomarkers and much more. Read it all here: nature.com/nataging/vol...
0124
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
We are so happy to be on the cover @sarahhoelzl.bsky.social 🎉 The cover depicts the Three Fates, who manipulate the threads of life and death. The Fates are shown as three older women, unraveling the threads of the inactive X chromosome during aging. www.nature.com/nataging/vol...
171
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Technische Universität München @tum.de · 27/05/2025
Why do women experience aging-related diseases differently than men? A new study shows that with age, genes on the inactive X chromosome can reactivate – potentially influencing conditions like #dementia and #autoimmunity: go.tum.de/987255 #genetics #aging 📷 @dandergassen.bsky.social
go.tum.de
Silent X chromosome awakens with age
In aging female mice, genes on the second X chromosome become active again. This could be an explanation for sex differences in aging humans regarding disease.
086
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Turner Lab @lab-turner.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
We're excited to publish our latest study led by Bryony Leeke @bryonyleeke.bsky.social and Wazeer Varsally, now out in @nature.com 🍾This study focusses on the epigenome of marsupial embryos 🦘 mapping DNA methylation in embryo development to specific embryo events www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵
nature.com
Divergent DNA methylation dynamics in marsupial and eutherian embryos - Nature
A study reports on the DNA methylation dynamics during embryogenesis in marsupials, showing that these differ from those occurring during embryogenesis in eutherian mammals.
910139
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Tuuli Lappalainen @tuuliel.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Our new contribution to the quest to find causal GWAS genes! Sam Ghatan from my lab at @nygenome.org led a systematic comparison of eQTLs and CRISPRi+scRNA-seq screens. TL;DR: they provide highly complementary insights, with ortogonal pros and cons. 🧵👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
19842
Reposted by @dandergassen.bsky.social
Melé Lab @melelab.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Do you work in 💫human genetics💫? Have you ever worried about what’s inside your gene annotation GTF⁉️ WELL, YOU SHOULD! 😱 Especially when studying a genetically diverse 🌍 cohort! 🔴We discover that gene annotations are European-biased 👉 impacting downstream analyses! Don't miss this thread🧵⬇️ 1/13
biorxiv.org
Long-read transcriptomics of a diverse human cohort reveals widespread ancestry bias in gene annotation
Accurate gene annotations are fundamental for interpreting genetic variation, cellular function, and disease mechanisms. However, current human gene annotations are largely derived from transcriptomic...
33113
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Finally, we would like to thank all the reviewers for their valuable comments, the @nataging.nature.com editors, as well as Anton Wutz for highlighting our research in the News & Views section of Nature Aging: rdcu.be/eknAp
rdcu.be
X inactivation shows frail ends when mice age
Nature Aging - Most genes on the inactive X chromosome are repressed throughout life, but there are exceptions. Hoelzl and colleagues map genes that escape repression in multiple organs over the...
031
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Overall, the escape landscape shows a high degree of organ and cell type specificity, with strong evidence of cluster organization. Explore the full Escape Atlas in the IGV browser for each organ and age time point: github.com/AndergassenL...
github.com
AgingX/02_resource at main · AndergassenLab/AgingX
Contribute to AndergassenLab/AgingX development by creating an account on GitHub.
110
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Since we find that several age-specific escapees are associated with human diseases, we propose that their elevated expression in females may contribute to sex-biased disease progression with age, offering a new mechanism for age-related sex differences beyond hormonal influence.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
In addition, allele-specific single-cell analysis revealed that age-specific escape manifests within distinct cell types, further providing evidence that age-related epigenetic changes promote gene escape.
110
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
An intriguing example is Reps2, where a specific isoform escapes in an age-dependent manner. While the long isoform of Reps2 is expressed from the Xa, the promoter of the short isoform shows age-dependent biallelic activity, leading to Xi-specific expression of the short isoform.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Consistently, chromatin accessibility was increased during aging and enriched across multiple megabases at chromosome ends, affecting regulatory elements of escapees.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
We found substantially elevated escape rates during aging across organs, occurring in multiple distinct cell types and concentrated at distal chromosome regions.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Here, we used allele-specific multi-omics approaches to generate a comprehensive catalog of genes that escape X chromosome inactivation across major mouse organs throughout development and aging.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Decades ago, evidence for age-specific X-reactivation came from the observation that a single gene escapes silencing during aging. While stable Barr body inactivation is crucial for balancing gene dosage between sexes, its maintenance during aging remains unclear. Until now! ⌛️
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
This discovery was driven by the outstanding work of @sarahhoelzl.bsky.social, together with co-authors @hasenbeint.bsky.social, Stefan Engelhardt, @tum.de - @dzhk.de, @erc.europa.eu 🙌 .
120
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
I’m incredibly proud to share the results of our lab’s first project, leading to the exciting discovery – Aging promotes reactivation of the Barr body at distal chromosome regions – now published in @nataging.nature.com! 🔗 tinyurl.com/3jkzzy7d
11812
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Finally, we would like to thank all the reviewers for their valuable comments, the @nataging.nature.com editors, as well as Anton Wutz for highlighting our research in the News & Views section of Nature Aging 🔗 rdcu.be/eknAp
rdcu.be
X inactivation shows frail ends when mice age
Nature Aging - Most genes on the inactive X chromosome are repressed throughout life, but there are exceptions. Hoelzl and colleagues map genes that escape repression in multiple organs over the...
000
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Overall, the escape landscape shows a high degree of organ and cell type specificity, with strong evidence of cluster organization. Explore the full Escape Atlas in the IGV browser for each organ and age time point: github.com/AndergassenL...
github.com
AgingX/02_resource at main · AndergassenLab/AgingX
Contribute to AndergassenLab/AgingX development by creating an account on GitHub.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Since we find that several age-specific escapees are associated with human diseases, we propose that their elevated expression in females may contribute to sex-biased disease progression with age, offering a new mechanism for age-related sex differences beyond hormonal influence.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
In addition, allele-specific single-cell analysis revealed that age-specific escape manifests within distinct cell types, further providing evidence that age-related epigenetic changes promote gene escape.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
An intriguing example is Reps2, where a specific isoform escapes in an age-dependent manner. While the long isoform of Reps2 is expressed from the Xa, the promoter of the short isoform shows age-dependent biallelic activity, leading to Xi-specific expression of the short isoform.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Consistently, chromatin accessibility was increased during aging and enriched across multiple megabases at chromosome ends, affecting regulatory elements of escapees.
100
dandergassen.bsky.social @dandergassen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
We found substantially elevated escape rates during aging across organs, occurring in multiple distinct cell types and concentrated at distal chromosome regions.
100