Spilianakis

Biography

1998-2003: PhD in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine, Department of Biology - University of Crete, Greece. Laboratory of Prof. Joseph Papamatheakis. 1996-1998: MSc in Molecular Biology, Department of Biology - University of Crete, Greece. Laboratory of Prof. Joseph Papamatheakis. 1992-1996: Bachelor in Biology, Department of Biology - University of Crete, Greece. Career Current Positions 11/2016-present: Associate Professor of Molecular Biology & Epigenetics 09/2009-10/2016: Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Department of Biology - University of Crete, Greece (Tenured 03/2013) 09/2009-present: Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH), Greece Previous Positions 2008-2009: Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH), Greece 2003-2007: Postdoctoral Fellow, Section of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, USA. Laboratory of Prof. Richard A. Flavell. Scientific interests Regulation of gene expression can be accomplished “in cis ” by several regulatory elements exerting their action on physically linked genes on the same chromosome. A “ trans” regulation aspect of gene expression has also recently been brought to light by studies of the interactions and function of regulatory elements located on a chromosome different from the one that carries the regulated gene. Such regulatory elements include enhancers or locus control regions that are shown to be able to regulate the expression not only of cis linked genes but also of genes located on different chromosomes, in trans. The main objective of our laboratory is to apply a combination of biocomputing, molecular, biochemical, imaging and genetic approaches in order to identify and characterize protein complexes that generate and/or maintain long range chromosomal interactions in cell populations of the innate and adaptive immune system. We aim to provide substantial information on how the genome is shaped as a whole and how the nuclear structure patterns in the context of distinct subnuclear microenvironments regulate global gene expression (3D epigenetics). Recent publications Doxaki C, Kampranis SC, Eliopoulos AG, Spilianakis C, Tsatsanis C. Coordinated Regulation of miR-155 and miR-146a Genes during Induction of Endotoxin Tolerance in Macrophages. J Immunol. 2015, 195: 5750-5761 Stratigi K., Kapsetaki M., Aivaliotis M., Town T., Flavell RA., Spilianakis CG. Spatial proximity of homologous alleles and long noncoding RNAs regulate a switch in allelic gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 2015, 112:E1577-1586 Zorca CE, Kim LK, Kim YJ, Krause MR, Zenklusen D, Spilianakis CG, Flavell RA. Myosin VI regulates gene pairing and transcriptional pause release in T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 2015, 112:E1587-1593 Williams A., Lee G.R., Spilianakis C.G., Hwang S.S., Eisenbarth S.C., Flavell R.A. Hypersensitive site 6 of the Th2 locus control region is essential for Th2 cytokine expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 2013, 110: 6955-6960 Deligianni C, Spilianakis C. Long-range genomic interactions epigenetically regulate the expression of a cytokine receptor. EMBO Reports, 2012, 13:819-826

Research Interest

Scientific interest: Biochemistry, Molecular Immunology, Molecular Biology, Epigenetics, Chromatin structure and function, cell nuclear organization