Dr. W.M. (Willy) Baarends

Willy Baarends received her PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam in 1995, where she cloned the anti-müllerian hormone type II receptor, and studied the gonadal expression of this receptor. Subsequently, she worked as a post-doc, in the Erasmus MC Department of Reproduction and Development. At present, she holds a tenured position as a staff member at this department.

Her current work involves research on the regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression during gametogenesis. This includes studies on the function of the postreplication DNA repair enzymes HR6A and HR6B in these processes. In addition, she aims to elucidate the role of several double strand break DNA repair proteins in meiosis. [Read more about her research]

Live cell analyses of synaptonemal complex dynamics and chromosome movements in cultured mouse testis tubules and embryonic ovaries. 
Enguita-Marruedo A, Van Cappellen WA, Hoogerbrugge JW, Carofiglio F, Wassenaar E, Slotman JA, Houtsmuller A, Baarends WM. (2018). Chromosoma. 2018 Mar 26. doi: 10.1007/s00412-018-0668-7

Repair of exogenous DNA double-strand breaks promotes chromosome synapsis in SPO11-mutant mouse meiocytes, and is altered in the absence of HORMAD1.
Carofiglio F, Sleddens-Linkels E, Wassenaar E, Inagaki A, van Cappellen WA, Grootegoed JA, Toth A, Baarends WM. (2018). DNA Repair (Amst). 2018 Mar;63:25-38.

Round Spermatid Injection Rescues Female Lethality of a Paternally Inherited Xist Deletion in Mouse.
Federici F, Magaraki A, Wassenaar E, van Veen-Buurman CJ, van de Werken C, Baart EB, Laven JS, Grootegoed JA, Gribnau J, Baarends WM. (2016). PLoS Genet. 2016 Oct 7;12(10):e1006358.

Genomes of Ellobius species provide insight into the evolutionary dynamics of mammalian sex chromosomes.
Mulugeta E, Wassenaar E, Sleddens-Linkels E, van IJcken WF, Heard E, Grootegoed JA, Just W, Gribnau J, Baarends WM. (2016). Genome Res. 2016 Sep;26(9):1202-10.

SPO11-independent DNA repair foci and their role in meiotic silencing.
Carofiglio F, Inagaki A, de Vries S, Wassenaar E, Schoenmakers S, Vermeulen C, van Cappellen WA, Sleddens-Linkels E, Grootegoed JA, Te Riele HP, de Massy B, Baarends WM. (2013). PLoS Genet. 2013 Jun;9(6):e1003538.

Female Meiotic Sex Chromosome Inactivation in Chicken.
Schoenmaker S, Wassenaar E, Hoogerbrugge JW, Laven JS, Grootegoed JA, and Baarends WM. (2009) Female meiotic sex chromosome inactivation in chicken. (2009). Plos Genetics, 5(5):e1000466

Dynamic localization of human RAD18 during the cell cycle and a functional connection with DNA double-strand break repair. Inagaki A, van Cappellen WA, van der Laan R, Houtsmuller AB, Hoeijmakers JH, Grootegoed JA, and Baarends WM. (2009). DNA Repair (Amst) 8(2): 190-201.

Increased frequency of asynapsis and associated meiotic silencing of heterologous chromatin in the presence of irradiation-induced extra DNA double strand breaks.
Sam Schoenmakers, Evelyne Wassenaar, Wiggert A van Cappellen, Alwin A Derijck, Peter de Boer, Joop S E Laven, J Anton Grootegoed, Willy M Baarends. (2008). Dev Biol. 2008 May 1;317(1):270-81.

Increased phosphorylation and dimethylation of XY body histones in the Hr6b-knockout mouse is associated with derepression of the X chromosome.
Willy M Baarends, Evelyne Wassenaar, Jos W Hoogerbrugge, Sam Schoenmakers, Zu-Wen Sun, J Anton Grootegoed. (2007). J Cell Sci. 2007 Jun 1;120(Pt 11):1841-51.

Silencing of unpaired chromatin and histone H2A ubiquitination in mammalian meiosis.
Willy M Baarends, Evelyne Wassenaar, Roald van der Laan, Jos Hoogerbrugge, Esther Sleddens-Linkels, Jan H J Hoeijmakers, Peter de Boer, J Anton Grootegoed. (2005). Mol Cell Biol. 2005 Feb;25(3):1041 53.

Ubiquitin ligase Rad18Sc localizes to the XY body and to other chromosomal regions that are unpaired and transcriptionally silenced during male meiotic prophase.
Roald van der Laan, Evert-Jan Uringa, Evelyne Wassenaar, Jos W Hoogerbrugge, Esther Sleddens, Hanny Odijk, Henk P Roest, Peter de Boer, Jan H J Hoeijmakers, J Anton Grootegoed, Willy M Baarends. (2004). J Cell Sci. 2004 Oct 1;117(Pt 21):5023-33.

Loss of HR6B ubiquitin-conjugating activity results in damaged synaptonemal complex structure and increased crossing-over frequency during the male meiotic prophase.
Willy M Baarends, Evelyne Wassenaar, Jos W Hoogerbrugge, Gert van Cappellen, Henk P Roest, Jan Vreeburg, Marja Ooms, Jan H J Hoeijmakers, J Anton Grootegoed. (2003). Mol Cell Biol. 2003 Feb;23(4):1151-62.