Research Groups > Lymphocyte Development

We are interested in cell commitment and gene regulation during development. We use lymphocytes and other cell types as models to study how gene expression patterns are transmitted through cell division, and to explore the molecular basis of lineage choice.

The group studies transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms that underlie cellular differentiation and experimental reprogramming. Currently, the core research activities of the group include the following inter-related studies:

Ikaros family transcription factors

cohesin function in gene expression and genome organization

REST and Polycomb repressor complexes in stem cells

Pluripotency and reprogramming

RNA interference, dicer and small non coding RNAs

Chromatin profiling is being used to identify events involved in maintaining embryonic stem (ES) cell pluripotency versus differentiation towards mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm, and in examining the differentiation of T and B cell subsets from haematopoietic precursors.

Figure 1. Alternative models of Haematopoiesis (click on image to enlarge).

Figure 2. Reprogramming human B cells for pluripotency
– a human nucleus (green) is reprogrammed by a mouse ES cell nucleus (red) contained within an experimental heterokaryon

Group heads: Amanda Fisher; Amanda Fisher(Professor) Telephone 38249 (Director) 38238/38242 (Group)
amanda.fisher@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Matthias Merkenschlager; Matthias Merkenschlager(Professor) Telephone 38239
matthias.merkenschlager@csc.mrc.ac.uk

Group members: Hakan Bagci; Hakan Bagci(Mr) Phd Student Telephone 32145
h.bagci10@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Rory Blevins; Rory Blevins(Mr) Telephone 32145
r.blevins08@imperial.ac.uk; Karen Brown; Karen Brown(Dr) Telephone 38234/38329
karen.brown@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Ludovica Bruno; Ludovica Bruno(Dr) Telephone 32145
ludovica.bruno@imperial.ac.uk; Irene Cantone; Irene Cantone(Miss) Postdoctoral Research Fellow irene.cantone@imperial.ac.uk; Isabel Ferreiros Vidal; Isabel Ferreiros Vidal(Dr) Telephone 32145
isabel.ferreiros@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Cynthia Fisher; Cynthia Fisher(Dr) Telephone 38236
cynthia.fisher@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Bryony Graham; Bryony Graham(Miss) bryony.graham08@imperial.ac.uk; Preksha Gupta; Preksha Gupta(Miss) p.gupta10@imperial.ac.uk; David Landeira; David Landeira(Dr) Telephone 38286
david.landeira@imperial.ac.uk; Thais Lavagnolli; Thais Lavagnolli(Ms) t.lavagnolli08@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Feng Li; Feng Li(Dr) f.li@imperial.ac.uk; Ziwei Liang; Ziwei Liang(Miss) z.liang10@imperial.ac.uk; Andy Malinowski; Andy Malinowski(Mr) a.malinowski11@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Antoine Marcais; Antoine Marcais(Dr) Telephone 32140
antoine.marcais@imperial.ac.uk; Hegias Mira; Hegias Mira(Mr) hegias.mira@imperial.ac.uk; Francesco Piccolo; Francesco Piccolo(Mr) Telephone 32145
f.piccolo08@imperial.ac.uk; Jorge Soza Ried; Jorge Soza Ried(Mr) Career Development Fellow jorge.ried@csc.mrc.ac.uk; Vlad Seitan; Vlad Seitan(Dr) vlad.seitan@imperial.ac.uk; Luke Williams; Luke Williams(Dr) Telephone 38286
luke.williams@imperial.ac.uk

Admin contact: Tathiana Santana; Tathiana Santana(Ms) Telephone 38236
tathiana.santana@csc.mrc.ac.uk

Contact details: Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8383 8238/8239
Facsimile: +44 (0) 20 8383 8338

Selected publications: Seitan VC, Hao B, Tachibana-Konwalski K, Lavagnolli T, Mira-Bontenbal H, Brown KE, Teng G, Carroll T, Terry A, Horan K, Marks H, Adams DJ, Schatz DG, Aragon L, Fisher AG, Krangel MS, Nasmyth K, Merkenschlager M, (2011) A role for cohesin in t-cell-receptor rearrangement and thymocyte differentiation. Nature 476, 467–471. Abstract

Jørgensen, H. F. and Fisher, A. G. (2010). Can Controversies be put to REST? Nature 467, E3–E4. Abstract

Pereira, C. F., Piccolo, F. M., Tsubouchi, T., Sauer, S., Ryan, N. K., Bruno, L., Landeira, D., Santos, J., Banito, A., Gil, J. Koseki, H., Merkenschlager, M. and Fisher, A. G. (2010). ESCs require Prc2 to direct the successful reprogramming of differentiated cells toward pluripotency. Cell Stem Cell 6, 547–556. Abstract

Landeira, D., Sauer, S., Poot, R., Dvorkina, M., Mazzarella, L., Jørgensen, H. F., Pereira, C. F., Leleu, M., Piccolo, F. M., Spivakov, M., Brookes, E., Pombo, A., Fisher, C., Skarnes, W. C., Snoek, T., Bezstarosti, K., Demmers, J., Klose, R. J., Casanova, M., Tavares, L., Brockdorff, N., Merkenschlager, M., Fisher, A. G. (2010). Jarid2 is a Prc2 component in embryonic stem cells required for multi-lineage differentiation and recruitment of Prc1 and RNA polymerase II to developmental regulators. Nature Cell Biology 12, 618–624. Abstract

Hadjur, S, Williams, L. M., Ryan, N. K., Cobb, B. S., Sexton, T., Fraser, P., Fisher, A. G., Merkenschlager, M. (2009). Cohesins form chromosomal cis-interactions at the developmentally regulated IFNG locus. Nature 460, 410–413. Abstract

Parelho, V., Hadjur, S., Spivakov, M., Leleu, M., Sauer, S., Gregson, H. C., Jarmuz, A., Canzonetta, C., Webster, Z., Nesterova, T., Cobb, B. S., Yokomori, K., Dillon, N., Aragon, L., Fisher, A. G. & Merkenschlager, M. (2008). Cohesins functionally associate with CTCF on mammalian chromosome arms. Cell 132, 422-433. Abstract

Thompson, E. C., Cobb, B. S., Sabbattini, P., Meixlsperger, S., Parelho, V., Liberg, D., Taylor, B., Dillon, N., Georgopoulos, K., Jumaa, H., Smale, S. T., Fisher, A. G. & Merkenschlager, M. (2007). Ikaros DNA-binding proteins as integral components of B cell developmental-stage-specific regulatory circuits. Immunity 26, 335-344. Abstract

Azuara, V., Perry, P., Sauer, S., Spivakov, M., Jørgensen, H. F., John, R. M., Gouti, M., Casanova, M., Warnes, G., Merkenschlager, M. & Fisher, A. G. (2006). Chromatin signatures of pluripotent cell lines. Nature Cell Biology 8, 532-538. Abstract; View all publications for this group
Subscribe this group's publications RSS feed