Active Motif's Podcast

In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we talked with Dr. Stephan Hamperl from the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich about his work on how conflicts between transcription, replication, and R-loop formation influence genome stability in human cells. During the early stages of his career Stephan studied conflicts between transcription and replication in human cells, particularly focusing on R-loop structures. In our discussion, he explains the formation of R-loops and their impact on genome stability, emphasizing the importance of the orientation of replication forks approaching R-loops in determining DNA damage outcomes. Stephan then delves into his work on the MATAC-Seq method, which analyzes chromatin domains at DNA replication origins to understand replication timing variability. The method involves methylating DNA linkers between nucleosomes and using nanopore sequencing for single-molecule readouts, revealing heterogeneity in chromatin structure at replication origins. Finally, Stephan discusses his automated