Biology of Pregnancy – from fertilization to birth
Our research
We study early embryonic development and pregnancy disorders, many with an inflammatory component, such as pre-eclampsia.
We also have an interest in rare immune system-related diseases, and in brain development.
Our research group was established in 1994. We use modern genomics tools, including high-throughput DNA and RNA sequencing, and cell technologies, such as cellular reprogramming by CRISPRa technology. We work in tight collaboration with clinical specialists as well as leading experts on special methods, such as proteomics and single-cell transcriptomics, and are involved in a number of international consortia. We have tight collaboration on these topics with our sibling group at Karolinska Institutet.
Our previous major breakthrough provided a detailed transcriptome of early embryos. We succeeded in reprogramming human cells to the 8-cell-like early embryonic phenotype, allowing us now to focus on the regulatory network of early embryonic development. The early embryonic cell genomes become reprogammed also for their epigenetic profile, and the differentiated epigenetic profiles will then become fine-tuned again during organogenesis. These epigenetic changes are also subject to our current studies.
We have found that a central mechanism in pre-eclampsia involves an autoimmune-like process where the mother’s immune system can more strongly attack the placenta when the trophoblasts have low expression of the HLA-G gene. We aim at developing a clinically applicable, low-cost analytical method for the early detection of threatening pre-eclampsia based on measuring trophoblast damage and maternal immune activation.
Our studies on immune deficiency disorders are focused on identifying genes behind the new and rare types of diseases. We have already identified several new genes with work ongoing on yet new genes. We are also interested in the development of the brain. We identified a large number of gene enhancer elements involved in neuronal differentiation and associating with neuropsychiatric disorders. These studies aim at identifying possible new drug targets for complex neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Administrative Group Leader
Outi Elomaa
Senior Scientists
Sini Ezer
Shintaro Katayama
Satu Wedenoja, visiting scientist
Scientist
Jere Weltner
Doctoral Researchers
Katariina Kordemets
Tuuli Vallo
Gamze Yazgeldi Gunaydin
Undergraduate Students
Viljami Wuollet
Staff
Eira Leinonen
Auli Saarinen
Transcriptional enhancers in human neuronal differentiation provide clues to neuronal disorders.
Yoshihara M, Coschiera A, Bachmann JA, Pucci M, Li H, Bhagat S, Murakawa Y, Weltner J, Jouhilahti EM, Swoboda P, Sahlén P, Kere J. EMBO Reports. 2025
Interaction network of human early embryonic transcription factors.
Gawriyski L, Tan Z, Liu X, Chowdhury I, Malaymar Pinar D, Zhang Q, Weltner J, Jouhilahti EM, Wei GH, Kere J, Varjosalo M. EMBO Reports. 2024.
Transcriptomic differences between human 8-cell-like cells reprogrammed with different methods.
Yoshihara M, Kere J. Stem Cell Reports. 2023.
Transient DUX4 expression induces blastomere-like expression program that is marked by SLC34A2.
Yoshihara M, Kirjanov I, Sokka J, Weltner J, Lundin K, Gawriyski L, Jouhilahti E-M, Varjosalo M, Tervaniemi MH, Otonkoski T, Trokovic R, Katayama S, Vuoristo S*, Kere J*. Stem Cell Reports. 2022.
Fetal HLA-G mediated immune tolerance and interferon response in preeclampsia.
Wedenoja S*, Yoshihara M, Teder H, Sariola H, Gissler M, Katayama S, Wedenoja J, Häkkinen IM, Ezer S, Linder N, Lundin J, Skoog T, Sahlin E, Iwarsson E, Pettersson K, Kajantie E, Mokkonen M, Heinonen S, Laivuori H, Krjutškov K, Kere J*. EBiomedicine. 2020.
Single cell map of the human ovarian cortex.
Wagner M, Yoshihara M, Douagi I, Damdimopoulos A, Panula S, Petropoulos S, Lu H, Pettersson K, Palm K, Katayama S, Hovatta O, Kere J, Lanner F, Damdimopoulou P. Nature Communications. 2020.
NET-CAGE characterizes the dynamics and topology of human transcribed cis-regulatory elements.
Hirabayashi S, Bhagat S, Matsuki Y, Takegami Y, Uehata T, Kanemaru A, Itoh M, Shirakawa K, Takaori-Kondo A, Takeuchi O, Carninci P, Katayama S, Hayashizaki Y, Kere J, Kawaji H, Murakawa Y. Nature Genetics. 2019.
Phylogenetic and mutational analyses of human LEUTX, a homeobox gene implicated in embryogenesis.
Katayama S, Ranga V, Jouhilahti E-M, Airenne TT, Johnson MS, Mukherjee K, Bürglin TR*, Kere J*. Scientific Reports. 2018.
Human pluripotent reprogramming with CRISPR dCas9 activators.
Weltner J, Balboa D, Katayama S, Bespalov M, Krjutškov K, Jouhilahti E-M, Trokovic R, Kere J*, Otonkoski T*. Nature Communications. 2018.
Novel PRD-like homeodomain transcription factors and retrotransposon elements in early human development.
Töhönen V, Katayama S, Vesterlund L, Jouhilahti E-M, Sheikhi M, Madissoon E, Filippini-Cattaneo G, Jaconi M, Johnsson A, Bürglin TR, Linnarsson S, Hovatta O, Kere J. Nature Communications. 2015.
Folkhälsan Research Foundation
Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation
The Medical Society of Finland (Finska Läkaresällskapet)
Life and Health Medical Fund (Medicinska Understödsföreningen Liv och Hälsa)
Sigrid Jusélius Foundation
Kimmo Alho, PhD, Professor emer., University of Helsinki
Diego Balboa, PhD, University of Helsinki
Pauliina Damdimopoulou, PhD, Karolinska Institutet
Carsten Daub, PhD, Karolinska Institutet
The FANTOM Consortium, RIKEN Yokohama Institute
Juha Grönholm MD, PhD, University of Helsinki
Katariina Hannula-Jouppi, MD, PhD, University of Helsinki
Mark Johnson, PhD, Professor emer., Åbo Akademi University
Teija Kujala, PhD, Professor, University of Helsinki
Hannele Laivuori, MD, PhD, and the FINNPEC Consortium, University of Helsinki
Hannes Lohi, PhD, Professor, and the DoGA Consortium, University of Helsinki
Yasuhiro Murakawa, MD, Kyoto University
Timo Otonkoski, MD, PhD, Professor emer., University of Helsinki
Karin Pettersson, MD, PhD, Karolinska Institutet
Mikko Seppänen, MD, PhD, University of Helsinki
Peter Swoboda, PhD, Karolinska Institutet
Kristiina Tammimies, PhD, Karolinska Institutet
Juha Tapanainen, MD, PhD, Professor emer., University of Helsinki
Ras Trokovic, PhD, University of Helsinki
Timo Tuuri, PhD, University of Helsinki
Markku Varjosalo, PhD, University of Helsinki
Contact us
Juha Kere
Group Leader
+46 73 421 3550
Outi Elomaa
Compliance Expert, Research Integrity Adviser, Administrative Group Leader
+358 44 377 5424