Main research areas:

Intragenic CpG islands and imprinted retrogenes as models to study gene expression

Epigenetic factors in heart valve development

Epigenetic mechansisms in cancer including pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas

DNA carries heritable information and genes guide development to adulthood. Epigenetic factors influence gene expression through modifications to DNA. We are interested in studying epigenetic factors genomewide in order to understand mechanisms of gene regulation. A class of genes known as imprinted genes provide an excellent model system for studying epigenetic mechanisms. These genes are expressed in a parent of origin specific way, in other words one parental allele is active and one is silenced in the same cell. The group has used bioinformatics tools for the analysis of genomic sequence and epigenetic features genomewide to identify a group of genes known as imprinted retrogenes. We have shown using these model loci that intragenic promoters and epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation can direct alternative mRNA processing including alternative polyadenylation. This has implications for transcriptome diversity and tissue specific gene regulation.

We are delineating epigenetic regulators in the developing heart, particulalry in endocardial cell specification that distinguish this cell population from other somatic endothelial cells genomewide. Identifying factors that specifiy heart valves will inform on developmental defects as well as regenerative strategies.

We also work on cancer epigenetics and tumour metabolism in neuroendocrine cancers. We are investigating pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas using genomic and epigenomic methodologies to study the epigenome. We are also developing computational methods to predict metastasis in these rare inherited tumours.

For details of post-doctoral and PhD student lab members working on these projects please click on our personal web page link:

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/epigenetics-group

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/rebecca-oakey

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/epigenetics-group

Epigenetics; polyadenylation; imprinting; bioinformatics;transcriptomics, epigenomics; human imprinted diseases; endocardial cells and valve development; epigenomics of cancer, host epigenetics in infection

Dean for Doctoral Studies, King's College London, Jan 2018-Dec 2022

GSTT Boimedical Research Centre Training Lead 2018-2022