Tobias Williams @tobiaswilliams

Remodeling Activity of ChAHP Restricts Transcription Factor Access to Chromatin Transcription in eukaryotes is regulated by chromatin-based mechanisms that control nucleosome occupancy, chromatin modifications, and transcription factor binding. We have previously shown that the transcription factor ADNP forms the ChAHP complex with the chromatin remodeler CHD4 and HP1 proteins, acting as a site-specific regulator of transcription and antagonist of CTCF binding. However, the molecular basis of these functions remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the CHD4 subunit is essential to antagonize CTCF and silence transcription of transposons, while HP1 proteins are dispensable. Although the remodeling activity of CHD4 is not required for ChAHP chromatin association, it is critical for both transposon repression and CTCF antagonism. Our findings support a model wherein ADNP recruits chromatin remodeling activity in a sequence-specific manner, enabling transcriptional control and local modulation of chromatin architecture. ### Competing Interest Statement The Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) receives significant financial contributions from the Novartis Research Foundation. Published research reagents from the FMI are shared with the academic community under a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) having terms and conditions corresponding to those of the UBMTA (Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement). Novartis Research Foundation, n.a. Swiss National Science Foundation, grant 310030_188835

🧵 New preprint!
How does a chromatin remodeler know where to act?
In our latest study, we show how the transcription factor ADNP targets CHD4 remodeling activity to silence transposons and block CTCF.
👇 A thread on the ChAHP complex and how it weaves chromatin
🧬🔬🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

06.07.2025 16:25 — 👍 12 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0

ChAHP Silences SINE Retrotransposons by Inhibiting TFIIIB Recruitment Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are abundant non-autonomous transposable elements derived from RNA polymerase III (POL III)-transcribed short non-coding RNAs. SINEs retain sequence feature...

📖 Happy to share our recent preprint! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... We discovered how SINEs are kept silent: the ChAHP protein complex acts as a molecular brake on POL III transcription retrotransposons. A 🧵:

03.07.2025 06:18 — 👍 66 🔁 24 💬 1 📌 4

Post-Doctoral Researcher - Parkville, Melbourne (AU) job with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre – Parkville | 12837536 Exciting opportunity to join a research program led by Sarah-Jane Dawson at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (www.thedawsonlab.com).

Are you a bioinformatician looking for an exciting opportunity in Melbourne? Is cancer genomics your passion? Apply now!

www.nature.com/naturecareer...

18.03.2025 09:09 — 👍 3 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 0

One week left to send your application for the image analyst position. If you are interested, apply!

11.03.2025 15:10 — 👍 6 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0

I am very excited to share our most recent work on how ‘Cell heterogeneity and fate bistability drive tissue patterning during intestinal regeneration’ ☺️ Thanks a lot to @silviabarbiero.bsky.social @davidbrueckner.bsky.social @priscaliberali.bsky.social
@ehannezo.bsky.social and all the co-authors!

15.01.2025 18:26 — 👍 60 🔁 9 💬 4 📌 1

Thanks Jacki! Congrats on your paper too, nice way to end the year 😀

06.01.2025 10:57 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Proud to share our paper on the impact of transcription inhibition on mRNA export in cancer.
A big thanks to collaborators, especially to Ewa Michalak, Vi Wickramasinghe, Jeff Chao and Mark Dawson @mafdawson.bsky.social. @fmiscience.bsky.social

02.01.2025 22:54 — 👍 26 🔁 11 💬 1 📌 0

Thanks for the support over the years and for this paper Mark. It’s been a pleasure

02.01.2025 22:29 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Tobias Williams

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