News & Articles

At the occasion of the Fourth Annual assembly in Toulouse, Euro-Thymaide has organised a Winterschool symposium and Training Day for early stage researchers on 10 and 11 January 2008.

Co-organized by Prof Joost VAN MEERWIJK of INSERM Toulouse, partner in Eurothymaide, the event took place in the prestigious Hotel Dieu Saint-Jacques.

115 scientists attended this meeting. The objectives were to gather the young researchers collaborating in Euro-Thymaide and present their work in oral presentations of 15 min and in posters as an exercise in the presence of all consortium members.

Tönis Org who is working under the lead of Prof Pärt Peterson at the Molecular Pathology department of the University of Tartu, Estonia was awarded the prize for the best research presentation.

The work presented by Tönis concerns a specific gene regulation induced through the Autoimmune Regulator PHD finger which binds non-methylated Histone H3K4 to activate gene expression.

Mutations in Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) gene cause Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy Candidiasis Ectodermal Dystrophy (APECED). AIRE is expressed in thymic medullary epithelial cells where it promotes the expression of tissue-restricted antigens.

By the combined use of biochemical and biophysical methods Tönis Org showed that AIRE selectively interacts with histone H3 through its first PHD finger (AIRE-PHD1) and preferentially binds to non-methylated H3K4 (H3K4me0). Accordingly, in vivo AIRE binds and activates promoters containing low levels of H3K4me3 in HEK293 cells.

Tönis Org concluded that AIRE-PHD1 is an important member of a newly identified class of PHD fingers that specifically recognize H3K4me0, thus providing a new link between the status of histone modifications and the regulation of tissue-restricted antigen expression in thymus. The Euro-Thymaide Assembly warmly congratulated Mr Tönis Org for his work. The Euro-Thymaide Network will organise its next training session in Tallinn (Estonia) on 19 -20 September 2008.

Further info please contact tonis.org@ut.ee.