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Research Associate

Education and Training

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, Université de Paris, France, 2014-2019

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institut Curie, France, 2009-2013

PhD in Genetics and Cell Biology, Clinical Sciences Center, Medical Research Council, Imperial College of London, United Kingdom, 2009

Diploma in Biology, Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisbon, Portugal, 2001

Research activities

My long-standing research interests are centered around the field of epigenetics and chromatin, with a focus on pluripotency and lineage identity. I am particularly interested on the role that noncoding RNAs and transposable elements play in these contexts. My current research projects at the SCERG are (i) the creation of genetically engineered human embryonic stem cell lines to use as toolboxes for disease modelling and (ii) the study of the role of transposable elements during neurodevelopmental progression and in neurodevelopmental disorders, like Angelman and Rett Syndromes.

Selected publications

Casanova, M., Moscatelli, M., Chauvière, L.É., Huret, C., Samson, J., Liyakat Ali, T.M., Rosspopoff, O., Rougeulle, C. A primate-specific retroviral enhancer wires the XACT lncRNA into the core pluripotency network in humans. Nat Commun 10:1-14 (2019).

Kilens, S., Meistermann, D., Moreno, D., Chariau, C., Gaignerie, A., Reignier, A., Lelièvre, Y., Casanova, M., Vallot, C., Nedellec, S., Flippe, L., Firmin, J., Song, J., Charpentier, E., Lammers, J., Donnart, A., Marec, N., Deb, W., Bihouée, A., Le Caignec, C., Pecqueur, C., Redon, R., Barrière, P., Bourdon, J., Pasque, V., Soumillon, M., Mikkelsen, T.S., Rougeulle, C., Fréour, T., David, L., The Milieu Intérieur Consortium. Parallel derivation of isogenic human primed and naive induced pluripotent stem cells. Nat Commun 9:360 (2018).

Vallot, C., Patrat, C., Collier, A.J., Huret, C., Casanova, M., Liyakat Ali, T.M., Tosolini, M., Frydman, N., Heard, E., Rugg-Gunn, P.J., Rougeulle, C. XACT Noncoding RNA Competes with XIST in the Control of X Chromosome Activity during Human Early Development. Cell Stem Cell 20:102-111 (2017).

Casanova, M., Liyakat Ali, T.M., Rougeulle, C. Enlightening the contribution of the dark matter to the X chromosome inactivation process in mammals. Semin Cell Dev Biol 56:48-57 (2016).

Casanova, M., Pasternak, M., El Marjou, F., Le Baccon, P., Probst, A.V., Almouzni, G. Heterochromatin reorganization during early mouse development requires a single-stranded noncoding transcript. Cell Rep 4:1156-1167 (2013).

Probst, A.V., Okamoto, I., Casanova, M., El Marjou, F., Le Baccon, P., and Almouzni, G. A strand-specific burst in transcription of pericentric satellites is required for chromocenter formation and early mouse development. Dev Cell 19:625-638 (2010).

CCasanova, M., Preissner, T., Cerase, A., Poot, R., Yamada, D., Li, X., Appanah, R., Bezstarosti, K., Demmers, J., Koseki, H., Brockdorrff, N. Polycomblike 2 facilitates the recruitment of PRC2 Polycomb group complexes to the inactive X chromosome and to target loci in embryonic stem cells. Development 138:1471-1482 (2011).

Stock, J.K., Giadrossi, S., Casanova, M., Brookes, E., Vidal, M., Koseki, H., Brockdorff, N., Fisher, A.G., Pombo, A. Ring1-mediated ubiquitination of H2A restrains poised RNA polymerase II at bivalent genes in mouse ES cells. Nat Cell Biol 9:1428-1435 (2007).

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. Chromatin signatures of pluripotent cell lines. Nat Cell Biol 8:532-538 (2006).