Chen Davidovich

Loss of SUMOylation drives aberrant PRC1 clustering and 3D genome rewiring independent of H3K27me3 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.05.704038v1

Epigenetics Update - DOT1L provides transcriptional memory through PRC1.1 antagonism go.nature.com/4qh5aXB

Chen Davidovich and Omer Gilan (Monash University) reporting in Nat Cell Biol

#Epigenetics #DOT1L #PolyComb
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Gain deeper insights into gene regulation; epigenometech.com

Unbalanced chromatin binding of Polycomb complexes drives neurodevelopmental disorders Borges, González-Blanco, Arigela, et al. report new missense mutations in the PRC1 genes RNF2 and RING1 in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Functional dissection of a deleterious variant...

Very excited to share our new Molecular Cell paper on missense mutations in Polycomb genes and how they can disrupt chromatin regulation to drive neurodevelopmental disorders. A huge thank you to everyone involved, and to our amazing collaborators!
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

DOT1L provides transcriptional memory through PRC1.1 antagonism - Nature Cell Biology Neville, Ferguson et al. show that non-canonical Polycomb repressive complex 1.1-mediated gene silencing is antagonized by DOT1L and is required for the therapeutic efficacy of Menin and DOT1L inhibit...

H3K79me2/3 is sufficient to antagonise PRC1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

DOT1L provides transcriptional memory through PRC1.1 antagonism - Nature Cell Biology Neville, Ferguson et al. show that non-canonical Polycomb repressive complex 1.1-mediated gene silencing is antagonized by DOT1L and is required for the therapeutic efficacy of Menin and DOT1L inhibit...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

happy i could be a part of this paper from the Gilan lab out now. Along with many other things, it provides strong evidence of chromatin memory for gene activation, and suggests that DOT1L is the missing link balancing the fast and slow arms of the MLL/Polycomb axis

Science update from my postdoc Peiyuan Chai - his work “glycoRNA complexed with heparan sulfate regulates VEGF-A signaling” is now published @nature.com uncovering a new layer or glycoRNA-regulation of growth factor mediated control physiological processes rdcu.be/e1bBX

Tom Cech to Davos: RNA research is 'still a big deal' The Nobel laureate and CU Boulder professor, recently ranked #1 globally for RNA research, will speak at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos,

www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...

Dynamic evolution of EZHIP, an inhibitor of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 in mammals The Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) is an ancient, conserved chromatin-interacting complex that controls gene expression, facilitating differentiation and cellular identity during development. It...

@pravrutharaman.bsky.social got super intrigued about EZHIP/CATACOMB, previously identified as a histone H3K27M mimic of PRC2. You can read about her efforts here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... We hope these analyses will help spur more analyses in this very cool gene! 1/

Two alternative isoforms of PRC2 accessory subunit AEBP2 modulate developmental Polycomb functions in opposite ways - with broadly-expressed AEBP2L acting as an intrinsic inhibitor in somatic cells
@adrianbracken.bsky.social @davidovichlab.bsky.social and colleagues
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

YouTube video by KeystoneSymposia KSQA: Dr Karim-Jean Armache / Dr. Cigall Kadoch (Epigenetics and Gene Regulation)

@ckadoch.bsky.social and I are excited to welcome you to Geneva for the 2026 Keystone Symposium on Epigenetics and Gene Regulation in Health and Disease — short talk and poster slots are still open. Don’t miss the deadlines.
Video: youtu.be/sLfyuQuH8F0

2/ Done in collaboration with the lab of @adrianbracken.bsky.social, who wrote a great 🧵 explaining the work. bsky.app/profile/adri...

Auto-inhibition of PRC2 by the broadly expressed long isoform of AEBP2 | The EMBO Journal imageimageAEBP2 is an accessory subunit of the PRC2 complex previously implicated both in promoting and antagonizing Polycomb repressive activity. This study reveals that its alternative isoforms, AEB...

1/ It's long been assumed that AEBP2 recruit PRC2 to chromatin. Now, we show that AEBP2 usually does the exact opposite:
The only isoform of AEBP2 that is expressed in most cell types and tissues inhibits the chromatin-binding activity of PRC2. www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

1/ 🚀 AEBP2 isn’t what we thought.

You were told that AEBP2 promotes PRC2 activity on chromatin.

We found the opposite: the most prevalent AEBP2 isoform inhibits PRC2 activity.

👉 surl.li/cgwqcq

A thread 🧵

Abstract extension flyer. Deadline extended to Friday 31st October

📣 Abstract Deadline Extended!
Due to popular demand, we’ve extended the submission deadline — giving you a few extra days to finalise your abstract.
Don’t miss out on being part of Lorne’s legacy!
👉 Submit today: www.lorneproteins.org
#LorneProteins #DeadlineExtended #ProteinScience

Screenshot of tweet from the ARC saying they will announce DP26 outcomes on Tuesday 28th Oct, and LP25r1 outcomes on Wednesday 29th.

ARC says Discovery Projects outcomes will be tomorrow (Tuesday). Linkage Projects (2025, round 1) on Wed. Over past ~year, it's often been at about 11am (Canberra).

My bot will pick up the change to RMS & post immediately.

ARC should email outcomes to lead CIs, but might take an 1hr or so for DPs

AEBP2-Directed H3K27me2 Defines a Specific Vulnerability in EZH2-mutant Lymphoma The catalytic subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), EZH2, is recurrently mutated in 25% of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL), causing increased H3K27me3 and decreased H3K27me2 levels. ...

🧵1/Exciting news in cancer epigenetics! Our latest research, "AEBP2-Directed H3K27me2 Defines a Specific Vulnerability in EZH2-mutant Lymphoma", is now available on www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... Here's a thread summarizing our findings!👇
#CancerResearch #Epigenetics #Chromatin #Lymphoma

EEE meeting is BACK! Early Embryogenesis & Epigenetics conference in Berlin 02/2026.
Checkout great program and over 12 slots for (not so) short talks for submitted abstracts!. Early registration now open -
w.molgen.mpg.de/embryo2026

Rewiring of chromatin regulation underlies the evolution of brown algal multicellularity Chromatin structure plays a central role in regulating transcription, genome stability, and epigenetic inheritance in eukaryotes. Much of our understanding of chromatin architecture and histone post-t...

Super glad to contribute to this study on chromatin evolution in brown algae! Special thanks to Jeromine Vigneau, @borglab.bsky.social and Susana Coelho for making this happen.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Genes and Gin: A Synthetic Biology Social 🎉

Join us for a fun night of Genes and Gin - learn to play the synthetic card game "Remediate!", created by a group of researchers within our Centre.

Make sure you register for catering:
www.eventbrite.com.au/e/genes-and-...

See you on the rooftop!

Many of the most complex and useful functions in biology emerge at the scale of whole genomes.

Today, we share our preprint “Generative design of novel bacteriophages with genome language models”, where we validate the first, functional AI-generated genomes 🧵

Epigenetic relay: Polycomb-directed DNA methylation in mammalian development In mammals, repression of germline-specific gene expression is essential for preserving somatic cell identity and preventing disease. Germline gene silencing is often dependent on the presence of prom...

Very excited to share an excellent review from @teresa-urli.bsky.social, published one week before her PhD defense! We did a deep dive into the fascinating biology of the variant Polycomb complex, PRC1.6 (1/5) journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

VEL-dependent polymerization maintains the chromatin association of Polycomb proteins for the switch to epigenetic silencing Schulten et al. show that VEL polymerization domains produce higher-order protein assemblies to maintain chromatin association of Polycomb proteins, enabling a stable epigenetic switch at the floral r...

Excited to share the paper from my work in the Dean lab @johninnescentre.bsky.social out now in @cp-molcell.bsky.social. Huge thanks to all the co-authors - it was a great collaborative effort! Watch out for the associated cover artwork coming out next week 🎉 www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

The PRC2-associated factor EPOP is required for Hox gene regulation during axial development in mice The Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is an essential modulator of gene repression. We previously reported that, in mouse embryonic stem cells, PRC…

Finally out on @devbiol.bsky.social‬: we find that Epop mutant mice have near-perfect Polycomb phenotype (orderly posterior shift of vertebral identity🩻) linked to accelerated HOX clock⏰.

Bonus: Epop has maternal effect!

Study co-led by the the labs of Bernie Payer and @lucianodicroce.bsky.social

Mechanistic and Epigenetic Partitioning of Lamina-Associated Chromatin Revealed by a Genome-Wide Imaging Screen The nuclear periphery is a key site for heterochromatin organization in eukaryotic cells, where lamina-associated domains (LADs) promote transcriptional repression and genome stability. Despite their ...

🚨New preprint from the lab🚨
🧬 What keeps certain chromatin domains anchored at the nuclear periphery? Our new genome-wide HiDRO screen uncovers a key role for RNA-binding protein hnRNPK.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Distinct specificity and functions of PRC2 subcomplexes in human stem cells and cardiac differentiation Much et al. reveal that the PRC2 subcomplexes PRC2.1 and PRC2.2 play distinct roles in the epigenetic repression of developmental genes in human stem cells. Interactions between the PRC2 core and its ...

Excited to share our work on the specificity of PRC2 subcomplexes in stem cell and differentiation. We show that PRC2.1 and PRC2.2 exhibit distinct H3K27 methylation specificity in human pluripotent stem cells and opposing role in differentiation. Now online at Mol Cell: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

We are excited to share our new preprint demonstrating that nucleic acid interactions with SUZ12 constrain PRC2 activity, establishing a kinetic buffer essential for targeted gene silencing and revealing vulnerabilities in diffuse midline gliomas.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

How do chromatin remodelers use #IDRs to find TF binding partners? In our new Molecular Cell paper, we show that β-catenin is an adaptor that links SWI/SNF (cBAF) subunit ARID1A with binding partners via IDR-domain interactions.
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

Australian Cell Cycle, DNA repair and Telomere Meeting October 20-22, 2025

Register for the Australian Cell Cycle, DNA Repair & Telomere Meeting in beautiful Melbourne October 19-22, 2025. Plenty of slots for selected abstracts and posters. High praise last time from Piotr Sicinski: "en par with a Gordon conference for science and interaction"
www.australiancellcycle.org

Happy to announce a new preprint from my lab looking in to the establishment of polycomb domains in early fly development and contributions from pioneer factors Zelda and GAGA-factor.

✨Excited to share my first postdoc paper on chromatin remodeler, MORC2 ✨

Using #cryoEM & #singlemolecule imaging, we reveal how MORC2 compacts DNA 🔬🧬

Thanks to all collaborators from @wehi-research.bsky.social @ccemmp-outreach.bsky.social Uni Melb, Monash Uni, Seoul National Uni and Texas Uni!