Jamie M. Kramer

Education

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands
• PhD, Biology, Memorial University, Canada
• BSc, Microbiology, University of Guelph, Canada

Academic Positions

• Department member since 2019
• Canada Research Chain in Neuroepigenetics, University of Western Ontario, 2014-2019
• Graduate Coordinator, 2022 - present

Research Topics:

Epigenetics and chromatin in brain function

Research

Epigenetics and chromatin in brain function

Mutations in genes encoding proteins that regulate chromatin structure are one of the most frequent causes of neurodevelopmental disorders, like Autism and Intellectual Disability. We still have very limited knowledge about how chromatin can impact brain function. The main goals of the Kramer lab are: 1) To learn more about the role of epigenetics and chromatin in regulation of learning and memory. 2) To understand the disease mechanisms associated with neurodevelopmental disorders that are caused by disrupted chromatin regulation. We are especially focused on epigenetic regulatory complexes involved in histone modification (acetylation/methylation) and ATP-dependent chromatin remodelling (SWI/SNF superfamily). We take a multidisciplinary systems approach, combining Drosophila behaviour, neuron specific transcriptomics and epigenomics, bioinformatics, developmental biology. Check out our publications on Google Scholar.

Check out our publications and find out more about the lab at www.kramerlab.ca

Keywords:

Epigenetics, Chromatin, Learning and Memory, Mushroom Body, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Drosophila melanogaster

Current Lab Members

Selected Publications

2025

• Jones SG, Raun N, Bleeker SC, Henn AL, Kramer JM. The SWI/SNF complex sub-unit Bap60 is required for training-induced gene transcription during long-term memory formation. (2025), bioRxiv, 2025.08. 24.671976.  
• Jones SG*, Gil-Martí B*, Sacristán-Horcajada E, Edison A, Butler E, Miandashti N, Roselli C, Turiégano E, Boto T, Kramer JM* and Martin FA*. (2025) A memory transcriptome time course reveals essential long-term memory transcription factors. Nature Communications. 16 (1), 9320 *equal contribution.
• Raun N, Jones SG, Kerr O, Keung C, Ibrahim V, Williams M, Top D, Kramer JM (2024) Trithorax regulates long-term memory in Drosophila through epigenetic maintenance of mushroom body metabolic identity and translation capacity. PLoS Biology, 23(1): e3003004.​

2024

• Droppelmann CA, Campos-Melo D, Noches V, McLellan C, Szabla R, Lyons TA, Amzil H, Withers B, Kaplanis B, Sonkar KS, Simon A, Buratti E, Junop M, Kramer JM, Strong MJ (2025) Mitigation of TDP-43 toxic phenotype by an RGNEF fragment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis models, Brain, awae078.

2023

• Rots D*, Jakub TE*, Keung C, Jackson A, Banka S, Pfundt R, de Vries BBA, van Jaarsveld RH, Hopman SMJ, van Binsbergen E, Valenzuela I, Hempel M, Bierhals T, Kortüm F, Lecoquierre F, Goldenberg A, Hertz JM, Andersen CB, Kibæk M, Prijoles EJ, Stevenson RE, Everman DB, Patterson WG, Meng L, Gijavanekar C, De Dios K, Lakhani S, Levy T, Wagner M, Wieczorek D, Benke PJ, Lopez Garcia MS, Perrier R, Sousa SB, Almeida PM, Simões MJ, Isidor B, Deb W, Schmanski AA, Abdul-Rahman O, Philippe C, Bruel AL, Faivre L, Vitobello A, Thauvin C, Smits JJ, Garavelli L, Caraffi SG, Peluso F, Davis-Keppen L, Platt D, Royer E, Leeuwen L, Sinnema M, Stegmann APA, Stumpel CTRM, Tiller GE, Bosch DGM, Potgieter ST, Joss S, Splitt M, Holden S, Prapa M, Foulds N, Douzgou S, Puura K, Waltes R, Chiocchetti AG, Freitag CM, Satterstrom FK, De Rubeis S, Buxbaum J, Gelb BD, Branko A, Kushima I, Howe J, Scherer SW, Arado A, Baldo C, Patat O, Bénédicte D, Lopergolo D, Santorelli FM, Haack TB, Dufke A, Bertrand M, Falb RJ, Rieß A, Krieg P, Spranger S, Bedeschi MF, Iascone M, Josephi-Taylor S, Roscioli T, Buckley MF, Liebelt J, Dagli AI, Aten E, Hurst ACE, Hicks A, Suri M, Aliu E, Naik S, Sidlow R, Coursimault J, Nicolas G, Küpper H, Petit F, Ibrahim V, Top D, Di Cara F; Genomics England Research Consortium; Louie RJ, Stolerman E, Brunner HG, Vissers LELM, Kramer JM*, Kleefstra T.* (2023) The clinical and molecular spectrum of the KDM6B-related neurodevelopmental disorder. Am J Hum Genet. 110(6):963-978. *equal contributions.

2022

• Blok LS, Verseput J, Rots D, Venselaar H, Innes AM, Stumpel C, Õunap K, Reinson K, Seaby EG, McKee S, Burton B, Kim K, van Hagen JM, Waisfisz Q, Joset P, Steindl K, Rauch A, Li D, Zackai EH, Sheppard SE, Keena B, Hakonarson H, Roos A, Kohlschmidt N, Cereda A, Iascone M, Rebessi E, Kernohan K, Campeau PM, Millan F, Taylor JA, Lochmüller H, Higgs MR, Goula A, Bernhard B, Velasco DJ, Schmanski AA, Stark Z, Gallacher L, Pais L, Marcogliese PC, Yamamoto S, Raun N, Jakub TE, Kramer JM, den Hoed J, Fisher SE, Brunner HG, Kleefstra T. 2022. A clustering of heterozygous missense variants in the crucial chromatin modifier WDR5 defines a new neurodevelopmental disorder. Human Genetics and Genomics Advances. 4(1): 100157.

2021

• Riahi H, Fenckova M, Goruk K, *Schenck A, *Kramer JM. 2021 The epigenetic regulator G9a attenuates stress-induced resistance and metabolic transcriptional programs across different stressors and species. BMC Biology, 19: 112. *equal contribution.
• Raun N.*, Jones S.G.*, Kramer, J.M. (2021) Conditioned courtship suppression in Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Neurogenetics. 35 (3), 154-167 *equal contribution. Review. 
• Kummeling J.*, Stremmelaar D.E.*, Raun N.*, Reijnders M, Willemsen MH, Ruiterkamp-Versteeg M, Schepens M, Man CCO, Gilissen C, Cho MT, McWalter K, Sinnema M, Wheless JW, Simon MEH, Genetti CA, Casey AM, Terhal PA, van der Smagt JJ, van Gassen KL, Joset P, Bahr A, Steindl K, Rauch A, Keller A, Raas-Rothschild A, Koolen DA, Agrawal PB, Hoffman TL, Powell-Hamilton NN, Thiffault I, Engleman K, Zhou D, Bodamer O, Hoefele J, Riedhammer KM, Schwaibold EMC, Tasic V, Schubert D, Top D, Pfundt R, *Higgs MR, *Kramer JM, *Kleefstra T (2021). Characterization of SETD1A haploinsufficiency in humans and Drosophila defines a novel neurodevelopmental syndrome. Molecular Psychiatry. 26, 2013-2024. *equal contribution.

2019

• Nixon K.C.J.*, Rousseau, J.*, Stone M.H., Sarikahya M., Ehresmann S., Mizuno S., Matsumoto N., Miyake N., DDD study, Baralle D., McKee S., Izumi K., Ritter A., Heide S., Héron D., Depienne C., Titheradge,H., Kramer J.M.*, and Campeau P.M.* (2019) A Syndromic Neurodevelopmental Disorder Caused by Mutations in SMARCD1, a Core SWI/SNF Subunit Needed for Context-Dependent Neuronal Gene Regulation in Flies. American Journal of Human Genetics. 104(4): 596-610. *equal contribution
• Chubak M.C., Nixon K.C.J., Stone M.H., Raun N., Rice S.L., Sarikahya M., Jones S.G., Lyons T.A., Jakub T.E., Mainland R.L.M., Knip M.J., Edwards T.N., and Kramer J.M. (2019) Individual components of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex have distinct roles in memory neurons of the Drosophila mushroom body. Disease Models and Mechanisms. 12(2): dmm037325.
• Riahi H., Brekelmans C., Foriel S, Merkling S.H., Lyons T.A., Itskov P.M., Kleefstra T., Ribeiro C., van Rij R.P., Kramer J.M.*, Schenck A.* (2019) The histone methyltransferase G9a regulates tolerance to oxidative stress-induced energy consumption. PLoS Biology. 17(3): e2006146 *equal contribution.

2018

• Jones S.G., Nixon K.C.J., and Kramer J.M. (2018) Mushroom body specific transcriptome analysis reveals dynamic regulation of learning and memory genes after acquisition of long-term courtship memory. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 8(11) 3433-3446.