Dr. Nady El Hajj graduated in biology from the American University of Beirut in 2007 and received his PhD from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Würzburg in 2011. His dissertation work investigated the epigenetic risks of assisted reproductive technologies and infertility on germ cells and embryos. During his postdoctoral training at the lab of Thomas Haaf, he focused on identifying whether maternal gestational diabetes during pregnancy causes epigenetic alterations in the developing fetus. In addition, he was involved in studying paternal age effects on germ cells and the offspring of older fathers from an epigenetic perspective. In 2017, he joined Baylor College of Medicine on a fellowship supported by the German research foundation where he performed bioinformatics analysis on whole genome bisulfite sequencing data to understand interindividual DNA methylation variation in humans. His research is published in > 40 peer-reviewed articles and has been cited more than 1100 times.
Epigenetic information in form of histone modifications and DNA methylation has an important role in regulating gene expression. Such epigenetic changes are maintained in daughter cells after mitotic cell division. It is well known that the epigenome is highly plastic, particularly during early development and susceptible to internal genetic signals and to external environmental cues. Studies in monozygotic twins have revealed increase in DNA methylation variation during aging, which may contribute to their phenotypic discordance. A subset of sites in the genome is susceptible to age-related DNA methylation changes in somatic tissues and, to some extent, even in germ cells. The accumulation of stochastic and environmentally induced epigenetic changes over time may contribute significantly to the age-related manifestation of complex disease.
Department of Pediatrics; Baylor College of Medicine, United States
2017 - 2018Institute of Human Genetics; University of Würzburg, Germany
2011 - 2017University of Würzburg; Würzburg/Germany
2011American University of Beirut; Beirut/Lebanon
2007Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology; 2017 Sep; 69:172-182
El Hajj N, Dittrich M, Haaf T
2017Human Reproduction; 2017 Aug 1;32(8):1761-1769
El Hajj N, Haertle L, Dittrich M, Denk S, Lehnen H, Hahn T, Schorsch M, Haaf T
2017Human Molecular Genetics; 2016 Nov 15;25(22):4996-5005
Atsem S, Reichenbach J, Potabattula R, Dittrich M, Nava C, Depienne C, Böhm L, Rost S, Hahn T, Schorsch M, Haaf T, El Hajj N.
2016Epigenetics; 2016 Aug 2;11(8):563-78
El Hajj N, Dittrich M, Böck J, Kraus TF, Nanda I, Müller T, Seidmann L, Tralau T, Galetzka D, Schneider E, Haaf T
2016Reproduction; 2014 Dec;148(6):R111-20
El Hajj N, Schneider E, Lehnen H, Haaf T.
2014Nature Genetics; 2014 Jun;46(6):640-5
Nava C, Dalle C, Rastetter A, Striano P, de Kovel CG, Nabbout R, Cancès C, Ville D, Brilstra EH, Gobbi G, Raffo E, Bouteiller D, Marie Y, Trouillard O, Robbiano A, Keren B, Agher D, Roze E, Lesage S, Nicolas A, Brice A, Baulac M, Vogt C, El Hajj N, Schneider E, Suls A, Weckhuysen S, Gormley P, Lehesjoki AE, De Jonghe P, Helbig I, Baulac S, Zara F, Koeleman BP; EuroEPINOMICS RES Consortium, Haaf T, LeGuern E, Depienne C
2014Diabetes; 2013 Apr;62(4):1320-8
El Hajj N, Pliushch G, Schneider E, Dittrich M, Müller T, Korenkov M, Aretz M, Zechner U, Lehnen H, Haaf T
2013Epigenetics; 2011 Oct 1;6(10):1176-88
El Hajj N, Trapphoff T, Linke M, May A, Hansmann T, Kuhtz J, Reifenberg K, Heinzmann J, Niemann H, Daser A, Eichenlaub-Ritter U, Zechner U, Haaf T
2011Nucleic Acids Res; 2010 Jul;38(12):3880-90
Schneider E, Pliushch G, El Hajj N, Galetzka D, Puhl A, Schorsch M, Frauenknecht K, Riepert T, Tresch A, Müller AM, Coerdt W, Zechner U, Haaf T
2010