Mes intérêts de recherche sont centrés sur le processus de reprogrammation épigénétique dans les cellules germinales et de l’embryon précoce des mammifères. En particulier, je m’intéresse sur l’effet de différentes interventions ou mutations sur l’établissement de l’epigenome maternel, ainsi qu’à leurs effets secondaires sur la progéniture.

My research interests focus on the process of epigenetic remodeling during germline and early embryonic development. In particular, I am interested in the effects of various interventions or mutations on the establishment of the maternal epigenome, as well as its impact on the progeny.

B. Sc.               Microbiologie                                     Université Laval (2003)

M.Sc.               Biologie moléculaire et cellulaire       Université Laval (2005)

                        Role of PARP-1 during early events following UVB irradiation

Ph.D.               Medical Genetics                                University of British Columbia (2011)

                        Chromosome-specific telomere homeostasis

Postdoc          Medical Genetics                                University of British Columbia (2012-2019)

                        Development of a method for ChIP-sequencing with limiting amounts of cells

                        Role of SETDB1 during epigenetic remodeling in mammalian germ cells

                        Contribution of retrotransposon transcription during oogenesis

                        Inter-species differences in the establishment of DNA methylation in oocytes

                        Parental and genetic effects on transcriptional control in the early embryo

Positions: Candidats à la Maitrise ou au Ph.D. – Épigénétique de l’oocyte et du développement

Postes pour étudiant(e)s à la maitrise ou au doctorat dans le domaine de l’épigénétique du développement chez le mammifère, au sein du Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fertilité (CRRF). Plusieurs projets avec l’opportunité de préparer et/ou d'analyser des données de séquençage de pointe (ChIP-seq, RNA-seq et bilsulfite sequencing) dans des tissus primaires germinaux et embryonnaires.

Projets potentiels centrés autour de la transmission et la maintenance de l’hétérochromatine maternelle chez l’embryon murin ou de l’impact épigénétique de la production in vitro d’embryons bovins.

Les projets seront effectués à la faculté de médecine vétérinaire, située sur le campus de Saint-Hyacinthe de l’université de Montréal. Date de début : entre janvier et septembre 2024, à déterminer avec le/la candidat(e).

Les candidat(e)s intéressé(e)s peuvent soumettre leur CV et une courte lettre d’introduction à l’attention du Dr. Julie Brind’Amour (julie.brindamour@umontreal.ca).

Positions: Masters or Ph.D. candidates – Oocyte and developmental epigenetics

M.Sc. or Ph.D. positions in the field of epigenetics of mammalian develpment. Several projects with the opportunity to prepare and / or analyze cutting-edge sequencing data (ChIP-seq, RNA-seq and bilsulfite sequencing) in primary germinal and embryonic tissues. The projects will be carried out at the Center Research Center in Reproduction and Fertility (CRRF).

Potential projects center around the transmission and maintenance of maternal heterochromatin in the murine embryo or around the epigenetic impact of in vitro production of bovine embryos.

The laboratory is located at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, located on the Saint-Hyacinthe campus of the University of Montreal. Start date: between January and September 2022, to be determined with the candidate.

Interested candidates can submit their CV and a short letter of introduction to the attention of Dr. Julie Brind’Amour (julie.brindamour@umontreal.ca).

Publications connexes:

*Bogutz AB, *Brind’Amour J, *Kobayashi H, Jensen KN, Nakabayashi K, Imai H, Lorincz MC^#, and Lefebvre L^#. Endogenous retroviruses direct the evolution of lineage-specific imprinting. Nature Commun. 2019. Dec 12;10(1):5674 *equal contribution

Brind’Amour J, Kobayashi H, Richard Albert J, Shirane K, Sakashita A, Kamio A, Bogutz A, Koike T, Karimi M.M, Lefebvre L.L, Kono T and Lorincz M.C. LTR retrotransposons transcribed in oocytes drive species-specific and heritable changes in DNA methylation. Nature Commun. 2018. Aug 20;9(1):3331

Brind'Amour J, Liu S, Hudson M, Chen C, Karimi MM, Lorincz MC. An ultra-low-input native ChIP-seq protocol for genome-wide profiling of rare cell populations. Nat Commun. 2015. Jan 21;6:6033.

*Liu S, *Brind'Amour J, Karimi MM, Shirane K, Bogutz A, Lefebvre L, Sasaki H, Shinkai Y, Lorincz MC. Setdb1 is required for germline development and silencing of H3K9me3-marked endogenous retroviruses in primordial germ cells. Genes Dev. 2014. Sep 15;28(18):2041-55. *equal contribution.

Commentaires:

Brind’Amour J and Lorincz MC. Setting the chromatin stage in oocytes. Nature Cell Biology. 2020. March 30. News and Views.

Brind'Amour J, Mager DL. Reality check for transposon enhancers. Elife. 2019. May 31. Highlight.

Contributions & collaborations:

Lismer A, Lafleur C, Siklenka K, Lambrot R, Brind’Amour J, Lorincz MC, Dumeaux V, Kimmins S. Paternal folate deficiency induces aberrant sperm histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation which is transmitted to the embryo. Dev Cell. 2021 Mar 8;56(5):671-686.

Richard Albert J, Au Yeung WK, Toriyama K, Kobayashi H, Hirasawa R, Brind'Amour J, Bogutz AB, Sasaki H & Lorincz MC. Maternal DNMT3A-dependent de novo methylation of the zygotic paternal genome inhibits gene expression in the early embryo. Nature Commun. 2020. Oct 27; 11(5417)

Hu CK, *Wang W, *Brind’Amour J, Singh PP, Reeves GA, Lorincz MC, Sánchez Alvarado A, and Brunet A. Vertebrate diapause preserves organisms long-term via Polycomb complex members. Science. 2020. Feb 21;367(6480):870-874. *equal contribution

Qianhua Xu*, Yunlong Xiang*, Qiujun Wang*, Leyun Wang*, Julie Brind’Amour, Aaron Blair Bogutz, Yu Zhang, Bingjie Zhang, Guang Yu, Weikun Xia, Zhenhai Du, Chunyi Huang, Jing Ma, Hui Zheng, Yuanyuan Li, Chao Liu, Cheryl Lyn Walker, Eric Jonasch, Louis Lefebvre, Min Wu, Matthew Lorincz, Wei Li#, Li Li#, Wei Xie#. SETD2 regulates maternal epigenomic reprogramming and fertility. Nature Genetics. 2019. April 29. *equal contribution

Au Yeung WK, Brind’Amour J, Hatano Y, Yamagata K, Feil R, Lorincz MC, Tachibana M, Shinkai Y, and Sasaki H. Histone H3K9 methyltransferase G9a in oocyte is essential for preimplantation development but dispensable for CG demethylation protection. Cell Rep. 2019. Apr 2;27(1):282-293.e4

Présentations invitées:

2021 Fragile Nucleosome Seminar Series. Online seminar (international audience).  “Maternally-inherited H3K27me3 inhibits enhancer commissioning and transcription in the early embryo.”

2019 CEEHRC/IHEC meeting (emergent researcher award). Banff, Canada. “Interplay between histone modifications and DNA methylation during oocyte development.”

2019 Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Calgary, Canada. “Interplay between transcription, histone modifications and DNA methylation during oogenesis and development.”

2019 Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fertilité (CRRF). Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada. “Impact of transcription on the establishment of the maternal epigenome.”

2019 Life Sciences Institute (LSI), University of British Columbia. Vancouver, Canada. “Interplay between histone modifications and DNA methylation during development.”

2018 Centre for Research in Reproduction and Development (CRRD), McGill University, Montreal, Canada. “Species-specific endogenous retroviruses drive widespread and heritable DNA methylation changes in oocytes.”

2016 39^th Annual Meeting. Molecular Biology Society of Japan, Yokohama, Japan. “Impact of maternally inherited histone modifications on DNA methylation maintenance and enhancer activation in the early embryo.”

2016 Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS) Workshop, Vancouver, Canada. “Maternal epigenetic contribution to the early embryo.”

2015 Stem Cell Network (SCN) OMICS Workshop, Toronto, Canada. “Ultra-low-input ChIP-seq for rare cell populations: expectations and realities.”