
Karl Bacos
Assistant researcher

Current position
Assistant researcher
Research interests
I am investigating the role of epigenetics in regulation of β-cell function and development and how epigenetics thereby contribute to type 2 diabetes. The aim is to increase our understanding of β-cell biology and identify potential targets for novel diabetes therapies. In my research I mainly use human pancreatic islets and cultured rat and human β-cell lines.
Grants and awards
DPLU PhD student award
Wenner-Gren foundations post doc grant
Tegger foundation post doc grant
Gålö foundation post doc grant
Sigurd och Elsa Goljes minne
Fysiografen
Lars Hiertas Minne
The Crafoord Foundation
Previous positions
2004-2009
PhD student within the Molecular Metabolism unit, Lund University Sweden.
Thesis title: β-cell dysfunction in Huntington´s disease.
2010-2012
Post-doctoral fellow at the Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego.
Selected publications
Bacos K, Gillberg L, Volkov P, Olsson AH, Hansen T, Pedersen O, Gjesing L, Eiberg H, Tuomi T, Almgren P, Groop L, Eliasson L, Vaag A, Dayeh T, Ling C.
Blood-based biomarkers reflect age-associated epigenetic changes in human pancreatic islets and associate with insulin secretion and diabetes.
Nature Communications 2016;7:11089.
Hall E, Volkov P, Dayeh T, Salö S, Eliasson L, Rönn T, Bacos K, Ling C.
Sex differences in the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern and impact on gene expression, microRNA levels and insulin secretion in human pancreatic islets.
Genome Biology 2014;15:522.
Olsson A, Volkov P, Bacos K, Dayeh T, Hall E, Nilsson E, Sterner M, Ladenvall C, Rönn T, Ling C. Genome-Wide Associations between Genetic and Epigenetic Variation Influence mRNA Expression and Insulin Secretion in Human Pancreatic Islets.
PLoS Genetics 2014;10:e1004735.
McCabe K*, Bacos K*, Lu D, Delaney JR, Vamos M, Wong V, Axelrod J, Cosford NDP, Stupack DG. Triggering necroptosis in cisplatin and IAP antagonist-resistant ovarian carcinoma.
Cell Death and Disease 2014;5:e1496.
*Equal contribution
Dayeh T, Volkov P, Salö S, Hall E, Nilsson E, Olsson AH, Kirkpatrick CL, Wollheim CB, Eliasson L, Rönn T, Bacos K, Ling C.
Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of human pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetics and non-diabetic donors identifies candidate genes that influence insulin secretion.
PLoS Genetics 2014;10:e1004160.
Publications
Displaying of publications. Sorted by year, then title.
Epigenetics of type 2 diabetes mellitus and weight change — a tool for precision medicine?
Charlotte Ling, Karl Bacos, Tina Rönn
(2022) Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 18 p.433-448
Journal article reviewGlucocorticoids and glucolipotoxicity alter the DNA methylome and function of human EndoC-βH1 cells
Cristiane Dos Santos, Alexandros Karagiannopoulos, Alex Rafacho, Alexander Perfilyev, Lena Eliasson, et al.
(2022) Life Sciences, 307
Journal articleEpigenetic epidemiology and alterations in type 2 diabetes and obesity
Charlotte Ling, Sabrina Ruhrmann, Johanna Säll, Karl Bacos, Tina Rönn
(2022) Epigenetic epidemiology , p.445-474
Book chapterExcess of glucocorticoids during late gestation impairs the recovery of offspring’s β-cell function after a postnatal injury
Cristiane dos Santos, Alex Rafacho, Sandra Mara Ferreira, Jean Franciesco Vettorazzi, Thiago dos Reis Araújo, et al.
(2021) FASEB Journal, 35
Journal articleEpigenetic markers associated with metformin response and intolerance in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes
Sonia García-Calzón, Alexander Perfilyev, Mats Martinell, Monta Ustinova, Sebastian Kalamajski, et al.
(2020) Science Translational Medicine, 12
Journal articleNo symphony without bassoon and piccolo : Changes in synaptic active zone proteins in Huntington's disease
Ting Ting Huang, Ruben Smith, Karl Bacos, Dong Yan Song, Richard M. Faull, et al.
(2020) Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 8
Journal articleGlucolipotoxicity alters insulin secretion via epigenetic changes in human islets
Elin Hall, Josefine Jönsson, Jones K. Ofori, Petr Volkov, Alexander Perfilyev, et al.
(2019) Diabetes, 68 p.1965-1974
Journal articleATAC-seq reveals alterations in open chromatin in pancreatic islets from subjects with type 2 diabetes.
Madhusudhan Bysani, Rasmus Agren, Cajsa Davegårdh, Petr Volkov, Tina Rönn, et al.
(2019) Scientific Reports, 9
Journal articleThe Lysine Demethylase KDM5B Regulates Islet Function and Glucose Homeostasis
Marie Balslev Backe, Chunyu Jin, Luz Andreone, Aditya Sankar, Karl Agger, et al.
(2019) Journal of Diabetes Research, 2019
Journal articleMC1568 improves insulin secretion in islets from type 2 diabetes patients and rescues β-cell dysfunction caused by Hdac7 upregulation
Mahboubeh Daneshpajooh, Lena Eliasson, Karl Bacos, Charlotte Ling
(2018) Acta Diabetologica, 55 p.1231-1235
Journal articleDNA methylation in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes in humans
Cajsa Davegårdh, Sonia García-Calzón, Karl Bacos, Charlotte Ling
(2018) Molecular Metabolism, 14 p.12-25
Journal articleThe effects of high glucose exposure on global gene expression and DNA methylation in human pancreatic islets
Elin Hall, Marloes Dekker Nitert, Petr Volkov, Siri Malmgren, Hindrik Mulder, et al.
(2018) Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 472 p.57-67
Journal articleLysine demethylase inhibition protects pancreatic β cells from apoptosis and improves β-cell function
Marie Balslev Backe, Jan Legaard Andersson, Karl Bacos, Dan Ploug Christensen, Jakob Bondo Hansen, et al.
(2018) Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 460 p.47-56
Journal articleWhole-genome Bisulfite Sequencing of Human Pancreatic Islets Reveals Novel Differentially Methylated Regions in Type 2 Diabetes Pathogenesis
Petr Volkov, Karl Bacos, Jones K Ofori, Jonathan Lou S Esguerra, Lena Eliasson, et al.
(2017) Diabetes, 66 p.1074-1085
Journal articleGenome-wide DNA promoter methylation and transcriptome analysis in human adipose tissue unravels novel candidate genes for obesity
Maria Keller, Lydia Hopp, Xuanshi Liu, Tobias Wohland, Kerstin Rohde, et al.
(2017) Molecular Metabolism, 6 p.86-100
Journal articleHDAC7 is overexpressed in human diabetic islets and impairs insulin secretion in rat islets and clonal beta cells
Mahboubeh Daneshpajooh, Karl Bacos, Madhusudhan Bysani, Annika Bagge, Emilia Ottosson Laakso, et al.
(2017) Diabetologia, 60 p.116-125
Journal articleBlood-based biomarkers of age-associated epigenetic changes in human islets associate with insulin secretion and diabetes
Karl Bacos, Linn Gillberg, Petr Volkov, Anders H Olsson, Torben Hansen, et al.
(2016) Nature Communications, 7
Journal articleRisk för typ 2-diabetes kunde förutspås med epigenetik
Karl Bacos, Charlotte Ling
(2016) Läkartidningen, 113
Journal article (comment)Triggering necroptosis in cisplatin and IAP antagonist-resistant ovarian carcinoma
K E McCabe, Karl Bacos, DH Lu, J R Delaney, J Axelrod, et al.
(2014) Cell Death and Disease, 5
Journal articleEffects of palmitate on genome-wide mRNA expression and DNA methylation patterns in human pancreatic islets.
Elin Hall, Petr Volkov, Tasnim Dayeh, Karl Bacos, Tina Rönn, et al.
(2014) BMC Medicine, 12
Journal articleSex differences in the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern and impact on gene expression, microRNA levels and insulin secretion in human pancreatic islets
Elin Hall, Petr Volkov, Tasnim Dayeh, Jonathan Esguerra, Sofia Salo, et al.
(2014) GenomeBiology, 15
Journal articleGenome-wide DNA methylation analysis of human pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic donors identifies candidate genes that influence insulin secretion.
Tasnim Dayeh, Petr Volkov, Sofia Salö, Elin Hall, Emma A Nilsson, et al.
(2014) PLoS Genetics, 10
Journal articleGenome-Wide Associations between Genetic and Epigenetic Variation Influence mRNA Expression and Insulin Secretion in Human Pancreatic Islets.
Anders H Olsson, Petr Volkov, Karl Bacos, Tasnim Dayeh, Elin Hall, et al.
(2014) PLoS Genetics, 10
Journal articleMetabolomic analysis of a human oral glucose tolerance test reveals fatty acids as reliable indicators of regulated metabolism
Peter Spégel, Anders Danielsson, Karl Bacos, Cecilia Nagorny, Thomas Moritz, et al.
(2010) Metabolomics, 6 p.56-66
Journal articleβ-cell dysfunction in Huntington's disease
Karl Bacos
(2009) Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series, 2009:49
DissertationMutant huntingtin interacts with {beta}-tubulin and disrupts vesicular transport and insulin secretion.
Ruben Smith, Karl Bacos, Valentina Fedele, Denis Soulet, Helena Jones, et al.
(2009) Human Molecular Genetics, 18 p.3942-3954
Journal articleTight coupling between glucose and mitochondrial metabolism in clonal beta-cells is required for robust insulin secretion.
Siri Malmgren, David Nicholls, Jalal Taneera, Karl Bacos, Thomas Koeck, et al.
(2009) Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284 p.32395-32404
Journal articleA metabolic comparison of glucose-responsive INS-1 832/13 and glucose-nonresponsive INS-1 832/2 cells
Vladimir Sharoyko, Karl Bacos, Avinash Abhyankar, Cecilia Nagorny, Hindrik Mulder, et al.
(2008) Diabetologia, 51 p.203-204
Conference paper: abstractIslet beta-cell area and hormone expression are unaltered in Huntington's disease.
Karl Bacos, Maria Björkqvist, Åsa Petersén, Lena Luts, Marion Maat-Schieman, et al.
(2008) Histochemistry and Cell Biology, 129 p.623-629
Journal articleIncreased metabolism in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease.
Jorien m van der Burg, Karl Bacos, Nigel I Wood, Andreas Lindqvist, Nils Wierup, et al.
(2008) Neurobiology of Disease, 29 p.41-51
Journal articleEctopic expression of PAX5 promotes self renewal of bi-phenotypic myeloid progenitors co-expressing myeloid and B-cell lineage associated genes.
Kristina Anderson, Corinne Rusterholz, Robert Månsson, Christina Jensen, Karl Bacos, et al.
(2007) Blood, 109 p.3697-3705
Journal articleProgressive alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease
Maria Björkqvist, Åsa Petersén, Karl Bacos, J Isaacs, Per Norlén, et al.
(2006) Human Molecular Genetics, 15 p.1713-1721
Journal articleThe R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease develops diabetes due to deficient {beta}-cell mass and exocytosis.
Maria Björkqvist, Malin Fex, Erik Renström, Nils Wierup, Åsa Petersén, et al.
(2005) Human Molecular Genetics, 14 p.565-574
Journal articleHormone-sensitive Lipase deficiency in mouse islets abolishes neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase activity but leaves lipolysis, acylglycerides, fat oxidation, and insulin secretion intact.
Malin Fex, Charlotta S. Olofsson, Ulrika Krus, Karl Bacos, Håkan Lindvall, et al.
(2004) Endocrinology, 145 p.3746-3753
Journal article