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Dong-Sung Lee

Seoul National University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

About the Lab

Professor Dong-Sung Lee's research lab specializes in single-cell multi-omics technologies and epigenomic dynamics, with a focus on understanding cellular heterogeneity, pluripotency regulation, and somatic genome evolution. The lab develops innovative single-nucleus sequencing methods—such as snmCAT-seq—to integrate methylome, chromatin accessibility, and transcriptome profiles at single-cell resolution, enabling high-resolution dissection of cell identity and state transitions. Key research directions include the functional characterization of non-canonical BAF chromatin remodeling complexes in embryonic stem cell pluripotency and the role of somatic retrotransposition in aging and disease. The lab also investigates the epigenetic reprogramming landscape during induced pluripotency, combining multi-omics approaches with computational integration to decode molecular mechanisms of cell fate regulation.

single-cell multi-omicsepigenomic dynamicspluripotencysomatic mosaicismchromatin remodeling

Research Overview

Papers
34
Total Citations
1,872
Papers (5y)
21
Primary Field
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
21total
2019
2021
2022
2023
2024
Citations per year (5y)
1,057total
20192021202220232024

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|359 citations·2019
Simultaneous profiling of 3D genome structure and DNA methylation in single human cells
Dong-Sung Lee, Chongyuan Luo, Jingtian Zhou, Sahaana Chandran, Angeline Rivkin, Anna Bartlett, Joseph R. Nery, Conor Fitzpatrick, Carolyn O’Connor, Jesse R. Dixon, Joseph R. Ecker
SJR Q1Nature Methods
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Article|221 citations·2018
A non-canonical BRD9-containing BAF chromatin remodeling complex regulates naive pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells
Jovylyn Gatchalian, Shivani Malik, Josephine Ho, Dong-Sung Lee, Timothy W. R. Kelso, Maxim N. Shokhirev, Jesse R. Dixon, Diana C. Hargreaves
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA

The role of individual subunits in the targeting and function of the mammalian BRG1-associated factors (BAF) complex in embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency maintenance has not yet been elucidated. Here we find that the Bromodomain containing protein 9 (BRD9) and Glioma tumor suppressor candidate region gene 1 (GLTSCR1) or its paralog GLTSCR1-like (GLTSCR1L) define a smaller, non-canonical BAF complex (GBAF complex) in mouse ESCs that is distinct from the canonical ESC BAF complex (esBAF). GBA

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3
Article|156 citations·2022
Single nucleus multi-omics identifies human cortical cell regulatory genome diversity
Chongyuan Luo, Hanqing Liu, Fangming Xie, Ethan J. Armand, Kimberly Siletti, Trygve E. Bakken, Rongxin Fang, Wayne I. Doyle, Tim Stuart, Rebecca D. Hodge, Lijuan Hu, Bang-An Wang
SJR Q1Cell GenomicsOA

Single-cell technologies measure unique cellular signatures but are typically limited to a single modality. Computational approaches allow the fusion of diverse single-cell data types, but their efficacy is difficult to validate in the absence of authentic multi-omic measurements. To comprehensively assess the molecular phenotypes of single cells, we devised single-nucleus methylcytosine, chromatin accessibility, and transcriptome sequencing (snmCAT-seq) and applied it to postmortem human fronta

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4
Article|147 citations·2024
Advances in single-cell omics and multiomics for high-resolution molecular profiling
Jongsu Lim, Chanho Park, Minjae Kim, Hyukhee Kim, Junil Kim, Dong-Sung Lee
SJR Q1Experimental & Molecular MedicineOA

Single-cell omics technologies have revolutionized molecular profiling by providing high-resolution insights into cellular heterogeneity and complexity. Traditional bulk omics approaches average signals from heterogeneous cell populations, thereby obscuring important cellular nuances. Single-cell omics studies enable the analysis of individual cells and reveal diverse cell types, dynamic cellular states, and rare cell populations. These techniques offer unprecedented resolution and sensitivity,

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
5
Article|142 citations·2014
Divergent reprogramming routes lead to alternative stem-cell states
Peter D. Tonge, Andrew J. Corso, Claudio Monetti, Samer M. I. Hussein, Mira C. Puri, Iacovos P. Michael, Mira Li, Dong-Sung Lee, Jessica C. Mar, Nicole Cloonan, David Wood, Marie Gauthier
SJR Q1Nature
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
6
Article|139 citations·2011
Extensive genomic and transcriptional diversity identified through massively parallel DNA and RNA sequencing of eighteen Korean individuals
Young Seok Ju, Jong‐Il Kim, Sheehyun Kim, Dongwan Hong, Hansoo Park, Jong-Yeon Shin, Seungbok Lee, Won‐Chul Lee, Su-Jung Kim, Saet-Byeol Yu, Sung Soo Park, Seung-Hyun Seo
SJR Q1Nature Genetics
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
7
Article|131 citations·2014
An epigenomic roadmap to induced pluripotency reveals DNA methylation as a reprogramming modulator
Dong-Sung Lee, Jong-Yeon Shin, Peter D. Tonge, Mira C. Puri, Seungbok Lee, Hansoo Park, Won‐Chul Lee, Samer M. I. Hussein, Thomas Bleazard, Ji-Young Yun, Jihye Kim, Mira Li
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA

Reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells involves a dynamic rearrangement of the epigenetic landscape. To characterize this epigenomic roadmap, we have performed MethylC-seq, ChIP-seq (H3K4/K27/K36me3) and RNA-Seq on samples taken at several time points during murine secondary reprogramming as part of Project Grandiose. We find that DNA methylation gain during reprogramming occurs gradually, while loss is achieved only at the ESC-like state. Binding sites of activated fac

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
8
Article|101 citations·2022
Structural variants drive context-dependent oncogene activation in cancer
Zhichao Xu, Dong-Sung Lee, Sahaana Chandran, Victoria T. Le, Rosalind Bump, Jean Yasis, Sofia Dallarda, Samantha Marcotte, Benjamin Clock, Nicholas K. Haghani, Chae Yun Cho, Kadir C. Akdemir
SJR Q1NatureOA
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
9
Article|63 citations·2023
Widespread somatic L1 retrotransposition in normal colorectal epithelium
Chang Hyun Nam, Jeonghwan Youk, Jeong Yeon Kim, Joonoh Lim, Jung Woo Park, Soo A Oh, Hyun Jung Lee, Ji Won Park, Hyein Won, Yunah Lee, Seung‐Yong Jeong, Dong-Sung Lee
SJR Q1NatureOA

Abstract Throughout an individual’s lifetime, genomic alterations accumulate in somatic cells 1–11 . However, the mutational landscape induced by retrotransposition of long interspersed nuclear element-1 (L1), a widespread mobile element in the human genome 12–14 , is poorly understood in normal cells. Here we explored the whole-genome sequences of 899 single-cell clones established from three different cell types collected from 28 individuals. We identified 1,708 somatic L1 retrotransposition e

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
10
Article|59 citations·2012
Comprehensive genomic analyses associate UGT8 variants with musical ability in a Mongolian population
Hansoo Park, Seungbok Lee, Hyunjin Kim, Young Seok Ju, Jong-Yeon Shin, Dongwan Hong, Marcin von Grotthuss, Dong-Sung Lee, Chang‐Ho Park, Jennifer Hayeon Kim, Jennifer Hayeon Kim, Boram Kim
SJR Q1Journal of Medical GeneticsOA

BACKGROUND: Musical abilities such as recognising music and singing performance serve as means for communication and are instruments in sexual selection. Specific regions of the brain have been found to be activated by musical stimuli, but these have rarely been extended to the discovery of genes and molecules associated with musical ability. METHODS: A total of 1008 individuals from 73 families were enrolled and a pitch-production accuracy test was applied to determine musical ability. To ident

Cognitive NeuroscienceNeuroscience
11
Article|59 citations·2014
Small RNA changes en route to distinct cellular states of induced pluripotency
Jennifer L. Clancy, Hardip R. Patel, Samer M. I. Hussein, Peter D. Tonge, Nicole Cloonan, Andrew J. Corso, Mira Li, Dong-Sung Lee, Jong-Yeon Shin, Justin Wong, Charles G. Bailey, Marco Benevento
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
12
Article|57 citations·2024
Temporally distinct 3D multi-omic dynamics in the developing human brain
Matthew G. Heffel, Jingtian Zhou, Yi Zhang, Dong-Sung Lee, Kangcheng Hou, Oier Pastor-Alonso, Kevin D. Abuhanna, Joseph Galasso, Colin Kern, Chu‐Yi Tai, Carlos García‐Padilla, Mahsa Nafisi
SJR Q1NatureOA

Abstract The human hippocampus and prefrontal cortex play critical roles in learning and cognition 1,2 , yet the dynamic molecular characteristics of their development remain enigmatic. Here we investigated the epigenomic and three-dimensional chromatin conformational reorganization during the development of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, using more than 53,000 joint single-nucleus profiles of chromatin conformation and DNA methylation generated by single-nucleus methyl-3C sequencing (sn

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
13
Preprint|32 citations·2019
Single nucleus multi-omics links human cortical cell regulatory genome diversity to disease risk variants
Chongyuan Luo, Hanqing Liu, Fangming Xie, Ethan J. Armand, Kimberly Siletti, Trygve E. Bakken, Rongxin Fang, Wayne I. Doyle, Rebecca D. Hodge, Lijuan Hu, Bang-An Wang, Zhuzhu Zhang
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)OA

ABSTRACT Single-cell technologies enable measure of unique cellular signatures, but are typically limited to a single modality. Computational approaches allow integration of diverse single-cell datasets, but their efficacy is difficult to validate in the absence of authentic multi-omic measurements. To comprehensively assess the molecular phenotypes of single cells in tissues, we devised single-nucleus methylCytosine, Chromatin accessibility and Transcriptome sequencing (snmC2T-seq) and applied

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
14
Article|30 citations·2023
Foxp3 orchestrates reorganization of chromatin architecture to establish regulatory T cell identity
Zhi Liu, Dong-Sung Lee, Yuqiong Liang, Ye Zheng, Jesse R. Dixon
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA

Chromatin conformation reorganization is emerging as an important layer of regulation for gene expression and lineage specification. Yet, how lineage-specific transcription factors contribute to the establishment of cell type-specific 3D chromatin architecture in the immune cells remains unclear, especially for the late stages of T cell subset differentiation and maturation. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are mainly generated in the thymus as a subpopulation of T cells specializing in suppressing exc

ImmunologyImmunology and Microbiology
15
Article|27 citations·2023
Genetically Stable and Scalable Nanoengineering of Human Primary T Cells via Cell Mechanoporation
Jeongsoo Hur, Hyelee Kim, Uijin Kim, Gi-Beom Kim, Jin-Ho Kim, Byeongju Joo, Duck Cho, Dong-Sung Lee, Aram J. Chung
SJR Q1Nano Letters

Effective tumor regression has been observed with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells; however, the development of an affordable, safe, and effective CAR-T cell treatment remains a challenge. One of the major obstacles is that the suboptimal genetic modification of T cells reduces their yield and antitumor activity, necessitating the development of a next-generation T cell engineering approach. In this study, we developed a nonviral T cell nanoengineering system that allows highly efficient

OncologyMedicine

Research Areas

Molecular BiologyImmunologyPlant ScienceCognitive NeuroscienceOncologyImmunology and Allergy

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