A5028592703- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Cancer Cells and Metastasis
- Gut microbiota and health
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Mycobacterium research and diagnosis
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Pluripotent Stem Cells Research
- Cancer-related gene regulation
- RNA modifications and cancer
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Urinary Tract Infections Management
- Ion channel regulation and function
University of Zurich
2022-2025
University of Basel
2020-2024
University Hospital of Basel
2020-2023
SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
2020-2023
Swissmedic
2023
Redeemer's University
2022
Friedrich Miescher Institute
2008-2018
Novartis (Switzerland)
2012
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics
2003-2005
Freie Universität Berlin
2005
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe form of mental retardation, which caused by spontaneous mutations in the X-linked gene MECP2. How loss MeCP2 function leads to RTT currently unknown. Mice lacking Mecp2 initially show normal postnatal development but later acquire neurological phenotypes, including heightened anxiety, that resemble RTT. The MECP2 encodes methyl-CpG-binding protein can act as transcriptional repressor. Using cDNA microarrays, we found Mecp2-null animals differentially express...
Cellular differentiation entails reprogramming of the transcriptome from a pluripotent to unipotent fate. This process was suggested coincide with global increase repressive heterochromatin, which results in reduction transcriptional plasticity and potential. Here we report dynamics an abundant heterochromatic histone modification, dimethylation H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9me2), during neuronal embryonic stem cells. In contrast prevailing model, find H3K9me2 occupy over 50% chromosomal regions...
In mammals, totipotent embryos are formed by fusion of highly differentiated gametes. Acquisition totipotency concurs with chromatin remodeling parental genomes, changes in the maternal transcriptome and proteome, zygotic genome activation (ZGA). The inefficiency reprogramming somatic nuclei reproductive cloning suggests that intergenerational inheritance germline contributes to developmental proficiency after natural conception. Here we show Ring1 Rnf2 , components Polycomb-repressive...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in China as the cause of disease 2019 December and reached Europe by late January 2020, when community-acquired viruses (CARVs) are at their annual peak. We validated World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended SARS-CoV-2 assay analyzed epidemiology CARVs.Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs (NOPS) from 7663 patients were prospectively tested Basel S-gene WHO-based E-gene (Roche) assays parallel using N-gene for confirmation....
The new SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) has been recently declared a Variant of Concern due to series important mutations in the viral spike protein and especially receptor-binding domain. While investigations into spread this are ongoing, first cases have detected Switzerland. Important questions raised: (1) Will PCR assays commonly used detect still work for variant? (2) Can specific features, e.g. S-gene dropout, be identify potential samples? In minireview we provide current...
Methylation at CpG dinucleotides in genomic DNA is a fundamental epigenetic mechanism of gene expression control vertebrates. Proteins with methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) can bind to single methylated CpGs and most them are involved transcription control. So far, five vertebrate MBD proteins have been described as family members: MBD1, MBD2, MBD3, MBD4 MECP2. We performed database searches for new containing an identified six amino acid sequences which different from the previously ones....
Early pregnancy has a strong protective effect against breast cancer in humans and rodents, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Because cancers are thought to arise from specific cell subpopulations of mammary epithelia, we studied parity on transcriptome differentiation/proliferation potential luminal basal cells mice.Mammary epithelial (luminal Sca1-, Sca1+, stem/progenitor, myoepithelial cells) were isolated by flow cytometry parous age-matched virgin mice examined using combination...
We show that elevated levels of Ret receptor are found in different sub-types human breast cancers and high correlates with decreased metastasis-free survival. The role ER+ cancer models was explored combining vitro vivo approaches. Our analyses revealed ligand-induced activation: (i) stimulates migration cells; (ii) rescues cells from anti-proliferative effects endocrine treatment (iii) expression cytokines the presence agents. Indeed, we uncovered a positive feed-forward loop between...
In the current study, we investigated importance of histone deacetylase (HDAC)6 for glucocorticoid receptor-mediated effects on glucose metabolism and its potential as a therapeutic target prevention glucocorticoid-induced diabetes. Dexamethasone-induced hepatic output receptor translocation were analyzed in wild-type (wt) HDAC6-deficient (HDAC6KO) mice. The effect specific HDAC6 inhibitor tubacin was vitro. wt HDAC6KO mice subjected to 3 weeks' dexamethasone treatment before analysis...
Evidence suggests that epigenetic perturbations are involved in the adverse effects associated with some drugs and toxicants, including certain classes of non-genotoxic carcinogens. Such changes (altered DNA methylation covalent histone modifications) may take place at earliest stages carcinogenesis their identification holds great promise for biomedical research. Here, we evaluate sensitivity specificity genome-wide epigenomic transcriptomic profiling phenobarbital (PB)-treated B6C3F1 mice,...
The first case of SARS-CoV-2 in Basel, Switzerland was detected on February 26 th 2020. We present a phylogenetic study to explore viral introduction and evolution during the exponential early phase local COVID-19 outbreak from until March 23 rd . sequenced naso-oropharyngeal swabs 746 positive tests that were performed at University Hospital Basel period. successfully generated 468 high quality genomes unique patients called variants with our Pipeline (COVGAP), analysed genetic diversity...
In December 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) reported a SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern (VoC) which is now named B.1.1.7. Based on initial data from UK and later other countries, this variant was estimated to have transmission fitness advantage around 40-80 % (Volz et al., 2021; Leung Davies 2021).
Genome sequences from evolving infectious pathogens allow quantification of case introductions and local transmission dynamics. We sequenced 11,357 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomes Switzerland in 2020-the sixth largest effort globally. Using a representative subset these data, we estimated viral to their persistence over the course 2020. contrasted estimates with simple null models representing absence certain public health measures. show that...
The Swiss Pathogen Surveillance Platform (SPSP) is a shared secure surveillance platform between human and veterinary medicine, to also include environmental foodborne isolates. It enables rapid detailed transmission monitoring outbreak of pathogens using whole genome sequencing data associated metadata. features controlled access, complex dynamic queries, dedicated dashboards automated sharing with international repositories, providing actionable results for public health the vision improve...
Abstract Background The main cause of death breast cancer patients is not the primary tumor itself but metastatic disease. Identifying cancer-specific signatures for metastasis and learning more about nature genes involved in process would 1) improve our understanding mechanisms progression 2) reveal new therapeutic targets. Previous studies showed that transcriptional regulator megakaryoblastic leukemia-1 (Mkl1) induces tenascin-C expression normal transformed mammary epithelial cells....
The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 lineages B.1.1.7 (N501Y.V1) throughout UK, B.1.351 (N501Y.V2) in South Africa, and P.1 (B.1.1.28.1; N501Y.V3) Brazil has led to definition variants concern (VoCs) recommendations for lineage specific surveillance. In Switzerland, during last weeks December 2020, we established a nationwide screening protocol across multiple laboratories, focusing first on epidemiological microbiological definitions. January 2021, validated implemented an N501Y-specific PCR...
Graphical Abstract Using target enrichment, RNA baits designed around a panel of bacterial sexually transmitted infections were used to fish DNA from the clinical sample, leading complete genome sequences.