Address
Ruder Boskovic Institute, Bijenicka 54, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaCroatiaKeywords
Repetitive DNA, heterochromatin, gene regulation, histone and DNA methylation, environmental epigenetics
Models
insect cell lines, insect models, human cell lines
Techniques
- analysis of histone marks by ChiP and confocal microscopy;
- real-time qPCR; high-throughput analysis of small RNAs
- Bisulfite sequencing
- Hybridization (Northern, Southern, in situ), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
- In vitro system for genetic alterations: siRNA
Collaborations outside COST
The group is involved in Epigenesys - EC-funded research initiative on epigenetics advancing towards systems biology
Short description of ongoing research projects
We aim at understanding the molecular mechanisms by which environment influences heterochromatin structure and dynamics, with special focus on the role of dispersed non-coding repetitive elements (satellite DNA-related ones) in the regulation of protein-coding genes under specific stress conditions (e.g. heat and cold stress, bacterial infection).
Publications
- Feliciello I., Akrap I., Ugarković, Đ. (2015) Satellite DNA Modulates Gene Expression in the Beetle Tribolium castaneum after Heat Stress. PLoS Genet. 11(8): e1005466.
- Feliciello I., Akrap I., Brajković J., Zlatar I., Ugarković, Đ. (2015) Satellite DNA as a driver of population divergence in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Genome Biol. Evol. 7: 228-239.
- Feliciello I., Parazajder J., Akrap I., Ugarković Đ. (2013) First evidence of DNA methylation in insect Tribolium castaneum - environmental regulation of DNA methylation within heterochromatin. Epigenetics 8: 534-541.
- Pezer, Ž., Ugarković, Đ. (2012) Satellite DNA-associated siRNAs as mediators of heat shock response in insects. RNA Biol 9: 587-595.
- Brajković, J., Feliciello I., Bruvo-Mađarić B., Ugarković Đ. (2012) Satellite DNA-like elements associated with genes within euchromatin of the beetle Tribolium castaneum. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 2: 931-941.
Other activities of potential interest to others
Co-editor of the book series "Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology", Springer Verlag.
