Heejong Shin

PhD Student

 

 

Education

  • Since 2026:
    PhD studies in the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Germany
  • 2022 - 2024:
    Master of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
  • 2015 - 2021:
    Bachelor of Science in Biological Science, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, Korea

Work Experience

  • 2024 - 2025:
    Project Assistant, Department of Organismal Biology, Guerrero-Bosagna Lab, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
  • 2021:
    Internship, Winter Internship Program, Lab of Plant Molecular Communication, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology, Daegu, Korea
  • 2020:
    Undergraduate Assistant, Lab of Biomedical Genomics, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, Korea

Supervisors

  • Prof. Dr. Joachim Kurtz, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Germany

Research interests

  • Evolution

  • Adaptation

  • Epigenetics

  • Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance

PhD project description

Evolution of Epigenetic Regulation in Beetles

1. Introduction and Research Background

Epigenetic mechanisms alter how genes are expressed without changing the underlying DNA sequence. These processes are essential for creating phenotypic diversity and helping organisms adapt to changing environments. Insects, particularly beetles (Coleoptera), serve as an excellent model for studying the evolution of these systems. While some beetle species possess a complete DNA methylation system, others have partially or completely lost key
As a PhD student joining this project, my research focuses on the experimental and laboratory-based investigation of how DNA methylation interacts with histone modifications. Specifically, I will study how these epigenetic systems maintain gene control across different tissues, how they adapt to the evolutionary loss of core components, and how they manage gene expression following duplication events.

2. Objectives and Work Programme

My primary responsibility within this project is to execute three laboratory-based Work Packages (WPs):
WP 2.1 (EM-seq combined with RNA-seq of different beetle tissues): I will investigate how DNA methylation patterns are maintained during development without the DNMT3 enzyme. I will perform tissue extractions to compare the gut (high cell turnover) and the brain (low cell turnover) of Leptinotarsa decemlineata (lacking DNMT3) and Nicrophorus vespilloides (possessing DNMT3). I will prepare these samples for Enzymatic Methyl-sequencing (EM-seq) and RNA-seq to analyze potential methylation loss during cell division.
WP 3.1 (RNAi-based Knockdowns of candidate genes): To study the functional links between DNA methylation and histone modifications, I will use RNA interference (RNAi) to knock down candidate genes like SETD2 and Tip60. Working with Tribolium castaneum and L. decemlineata, I will conduct microinjections, monitor developmental phenotypes, and generate CUT&Tag and RNA-seq libraries to observe how the chromatin landscape is orchestrated.
WP 4.2 (Obtaining CUT&Tag data for histone marks and RNA-seq data): Following gene duplication events, organisms must quickly regulate gene expression to avoid harmful mRNA dosage imbalances. In addition to existing data on histone modifications H3K27ac and H3K36me3, I will here also include modifications that are expected to repress gene expression and/or to be relevant for mRNA dosage management (such as H3K27me3 or H3K79me2). I will conduct the full experiment to generate these new CUT&Tag and RNA-seq samples across our study species.

3. Significance

This research will provide critical functional insights into the evolution of epigenetic systems. Through this work, I will master advanced molecular workflows, contributing directly to our understanding of how regulatory tools drive evolutionary innovations in insects.

Publications