About me

Experience:

2022 -

 

Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)

2021 -

2022

Interim Director of the MRC-LMS

2018 -

2021

Head of the MRC-LMS Epigenetics Section

2018 -

 

Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO)

2015 -

 

MRC Programme Leader (tenured)

2011 -

2015

MRC Programme Leader Track

2009 -

2011

MRC Career Development Award

Joined LMS:

2009

About me:

I joined the LMS to be in a scientific environment that enables and nurtures scientific creativity, focus and the audacity to challenge the existing models to push the boundaries of our knowledge. In the case of LMS, this all is uniquely located in the context of clinical environment of the Hammersmith Hospital campus, that allows us to merge our scientific curiosity with real clinical problems. I feel very fortunate to find many likeminded colleagues here.

My Research

Reprogramming and chromatin

Our main research focus is the molecular processes that underlie global erasure of epigenetic information, investigating the changes in nuclear architecture and epigenetic modifications that lead to a shift in gene expression profile and cell identity.

VIEW MY RESEARCH GROUP

Selected publications

Stewart-Morgan KR, Requena CE, Flury V, Du Q, Heckhausen Z, Hajkova P, Groth A et al., 2023, Quantifying propagation of DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation with iDEMSNature Cell Biology, ISSN: 1465-7392

Huang T-C, Wang Y-F, Vazquez-Ferrer E, Theofel I, Requena CE, Hanna CW, Kelsey G, Hajkova P et al., 2021, Sex-specific chromatin remodelling safeguards transcription in germ cellsNature, Vol: 600, Pages: 737-742, ISSN: 0028-0836

Luo C, Hajkova P, Ecker JR. (2018). Dynamic DNA methylation: In the right place at the right time. Science, 361, 1336-1340.

Leitch HG, Hajkova P. (2018). Eggs sense high-fat dietNature Genetics 50(3), 318-319.

Hill PWS, Leitch HG, Requena CE, Sun Z, Amouroux R, Roman-Trufero M, Borkowska M, Terragni J, Vaisvila R, Linnett S, Bagci H, Dharmalingham G, Haberle V, Lenhard B, Zheng Y, Pradhan S, Hajkova P. (2018). Epigenetic reprogramming enables the transition from primordial germ cell to gonocyteNature 555, 392.

Rosic S, Amouroux R, Requena CE, Gomes A, Emperle M, Beltran T, Rane JK, Linnett S, Selkirk ME, Schiffer PH, Bancroft AJ, Grencis RK, Jeltsch A, Hajkova P, Sarkies P. (2018). Evolutionary analysis indicates that DNA alkylation damage is a byproduct of cytosine DNA methyltransferase activity. Nature Genetics 50, 452–459.

Amouroux R, Nashun B, Shirane K, Nakagawa S, Hill PW, D’Souza Z, Nakayama M, Matsuda M, Turp A, Ndjetehe E, Encheva V, Kudo NR, Koseki H, Sasaki H, Hajkova P. (2016). De novo DNA methylation drives 5hmC accumulation in mouse zygotesNat Cell Biol 18, 225.

Nashun B, Hill PW, Smallwood SA, Dharmalingam G, Amouroux R, Clark SJ, Sharma V, Ndjetehe E, Pelczar P, Festenstein RJ, Kelsey G, Hajkova P. (2015). Continuous histone replacement by Hira is essential for normal transcriptional regulation and de novo DNA methylation during mouse oogenesisMolecular Cell 60(4), 611-25.

Nashun B, Hill PW, Hajkova P. (2015). Reprogramming of cell fate: epigenetic memory and the erasure of memories pastEMBO Journal 34(10), 1296-308. Pii: e201490649.

Leitch HG, McEwen KR, Turp A, Encheva V, Carroll T, Grabole N, Mansfield W, Nashun B, Knezovich JG, Smith A, Surani MA, Hajkova P. (2013). Naive pluripotency is associated with global DNA hypomethylationNature Structural & Molecular Biology 20(3), 311–316.

Hajkova P. (2011). Epigenetic reprogramming in the germline: towards the ground state of the epigenomePhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 366(1575), 2266–2273.

Hajkova P, Jeffries SJ, Lee C, Miller N, Jackson SP, Surani MA. (2010). Genome-wide reprogramming in the mouse germ line entails the base excision repair pathwayScience 329(5987), 78–82.

Hajkova P. (2010). Epigenetic reprogramming – taking a lesson from the embryoCurrent Opinion in Cell Biology 22(3), 342–350.

Hajkova P, Ancelin K, Waldmann T, Lacoste N, Lange UC, Cesari F, Lee C, Almouzni G, Schneider R, Surani MA. (2008). Chromatin dynamics during epigenetic reprogramming in the mouse germ lineNature 452(7189), 877–881.

Surani MA, Hayashi K, Hajkova P. (2007). Genetic and epigenetic regulators of pluripotencyCell 128(4), 747–762.

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