Discover the latest research in comparative epigenomics at our upcoming seminar with Alex de Mendoza, Group Leader at Queen Mary University of London (UK).

DNA methylation is one of the most widespread epigenetic mechanisms in eukaryotes, yet its functions and genomic distributions vary dramatically across lineages. Most of our mechanistic understanding comes from a handful of model organisms, which represent only a small fraction of the evolutionary diversity of eukaryotic epigenomes. My research aims to understand how DNA methylation systems originated and diversified across the tree of life.

 

Using comparative genomics and epigenomic profiling across diverse eukaryotic lineages, my group has investigated both canonical cytosine methylation and alternative DNA base modifications. This work has revealed that DNA methylation systems are far more dynamic than previously appreciated, with repeated evolutionary losses, functional repurposing, and interactions with genome parasites such as transposable elements and endogenous viruses. By combining large-scale comparative genomics with experimental work in non-traditional model systems, we have uncovered unexpected roles for DNA methylation in genome defence, gene regulation, and genome evolution. These findings suggest that epigenetic systems have played a central role in shaping genome architecture throughout eukaryotic evolution.

Alex de Mendoza studied Biology at the University of Barcelona, Spain, where he completed his PhD researching the evolution of animal multicellularity. In 2014, he moved to Perth, Australia, to join the University of Western Australia, where he investigated evolutionary epigenomics. In 2020, he joined the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London, where he is the Group Leader of the Comparative Epigenomics of Eukaryotes group.