Steven E. Jacobsen

Jacobsen studies DNA methylation and epigenetics. He was among the first to describe purely epigenetic mutants that show heritable changes in DNA methylation and gene expression without changes in the DNA sequence. He harnessed these epigenetic mutants as tools to uncover mechanisms by which DNA methylation can be stably inherited. He showed that histone methylation and small interfering RNAs play critical roles in shaping DNA methylation. Finally, Jacobsen developed methods for genome wide analysis of DNA methylation that have helped in understanding of methylation patterning in a variety of organisms.