
1241 E. Catherine St. Med. Sci. II 5815
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
Available to mentor

EDUCATION
04/2006-08/2012 Postdoctoral Fellow
Chromatin Biology
Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
Mentor: Yang Shi, Ph.D
04/2001-03/2006 Ph.D.
School of Life and Environmental Science
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Thesis: Functional analysis of a transcriptional corepressor BHC80 Mentor: Tadashi Baba, Ph.D.
04/1997-03/2001 B.S.
School of Life and Environmental Science
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
09/2012-08/2019 Assistant Professor in Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
09/2019-present Associate Professor in Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
09/2020-present Associate Professor in Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
01/2022-present Affiliate, Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Lab website Lab Twitter
-
Center MemberCenter for Cell Plasticity and Organ Design
-
Center MemberBiosciences Initiative
The goal of research group is to elucidate chromatin regulatory mechanisms engaged in development and function of the brain. Chromatin deregulation has emerged as a major cause of neurodevelopmental disorders such as intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and schizophrenia. Post-translational modifications of histones have been recognized as a "language" describing a variety of nuclear events. Numerous mutations associated with neurodevelopmental fall into such histone modification regulators. Accurate interpretation of the histone modification network, therefore, appears to be essential for proper brain development and function. However, little is known about what chromatin regulators do in the brain and how these mutations lead to neurodevelopmental disorders. Our group aims to reveal molecular underpinnings of histone regulation in the brain, thereby understanding of the roles of chromatin in normal and pathological brains.
-
Gavilan CM, Murata-Nakamura Y, Porter R, Cutler B, Rai S, Kim H-G, Iwase S. Cell Mol Neurobiol, 2025 Jul 7; 45 (1): 62Journal ArticleMolecular Consequences of a Missense PHF21A Variant, c.1285G > A, Associated With Syndromic Neurodevelopmental Disorder.
DOI:10.1007/s10571-025-01584-8 PMID: PMC12234916 -
Porter RS, An S, Gavilan MC, Nagai M, Murata-Nakamura Y, Zhou B, Bonefas KM, Dionne O, Manuel JM, St-Germain J, Gascon S, Kim J, Browning L, Laurent B, Cho US, Iwase S. Cell Reports, 2025 Jan 28; 44 (1):Journal ArticleCoordinated neuron-specific splicing events restrict nucleosome engagement of the LSD1 histone demethylase complex
DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115213 PMID: 39817906 -
Xie H, Linning-Duffy K, Demireva EY, Toh H, Abolibdeh B, Shi J, Zhou B, Iwase S, Yan L. BMC Biology, 2024 Dec 1; 22 (1):Journal ArticleCRISPR-based genome editing of a diurnal rodent, Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus)
DOI:10.1186/s12915-024-01943-9 PMID: 38956550 -
Khoa LTP, Yang W, Shan M, Zhang L, Mao F, Zhou B, Li Q, Malcore R, Harris C, Zhao L, Rao R, Iwase S, Kalantry S, Bielas SL, Lyssiotis CA, Dou Y. Nature Communications, 2024 Dec 1; 15 (1):Journal ArticleQuiescence enables unrestricted cell fate in naive embryonic stem cells
DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-46121-1 PMID: 38409226 -
Choi EK, Rajendiran TM, Soni T, Park JH, Aring L, Muraleedharan CK, Garcia-Hernandez V, Kamada N, Samuelson LC, Nusrat A, Iwase S, Seo YA. Nature Communications, 2024 Dec 1; 15 (1):Journal ArticleThe manganese transporter SLC39A8 links alkaline ceramidase 1 to inflammatory bowel disease
DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-49049-8 PMID: 38839750 -
Bonefas KM, Venkatachalam I, Iwase S. 2024 Nov 8;PreprintKDM5C is a sex-biased brake against germline gene expression programs in somatic lineages.
DOI:10.1101/2024.11.08.622665 PMID: 39574581 -
Nagai M, Porter RS, Miyasato M, Wang A, Gavilan CM, Hughes ED, Wu MC, Saunders TL, Iwase S. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2024 Nov 1; 300 (11):Journal ArticleNeuronal splicing of the unmethylated histone H3K4 reader, PHF21A, prevents excessive synaptogenesis
DOI:10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107881 PMID: 39395799 -
Malcore RM, Samanta MK, Kalantry S, Iwase S. 2024 Oct 27;PreprintRegulation of Sex-biased Gene Expression by the Ancestral X-Y Chromosomal Gene Pair Kdm5c-Kdm5d.
DOI:10.1101/2024.10.24.620066 PMID: 39484414