Chen Davidovich

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!

Simultaneous epigenomic profiling and regulatory activity measurement using e2MPRA Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) have a major effect on phenotypes including disease. They are identified in a genome-wide manner by analyzing the binding of transcription factors (TFs), various co-fact...

Lentivirus massively parallel reporter assays integrate & enrich for specific sequences in the genome. We utilize this to test their epigenetic modifications & open chromatin alongside their regulatory activity. Amazing work by Zicong Zhang, Fumitaka Inoue & others.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

New from our lab & @harrisonflylab.bsky.social: Drosophila models of H3 K27M & EZHIP reveal conserved chromatin regulators that buffer PRC2 inhibition. An in vivo screen highlights how developmental defects can be rescued despite global H3K27me3 loss.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

The human proteome with direct physical access to DNA Zero-distance photo-crosslinking reveals direct protein-DNA interactions in living cells, enabling quantitative analysis of the DNA-interacting proteome on a timescale of minutes with single-amino-aci...

Excited our paper is out in Cell @cp-cell.bsky.social!
🧬⚡ DNA photo-crosslinking proteomics in living cells
🎯 Pinpoints protein-DNA interactions to single amino acids
🌎 Globally quantifies DNA binding for >1800 proteins at a timescale of minutes
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
🧵

Now published! Big congrats to first author @gginell.bsky.social

We are actively working improving/updating various aspects of FINCHES; don't hesitate to reach out if you run into issues, have questions.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes Single-molecule experiments show that active conformation formation controls chromatin ubiquitylation kinetics by variant PRC1.

Our new study of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 on the single-molecule scale: We visualize directly how vPRC1 ubiquitylates neighboring nucleosomes during a single binding event, showing a potential mechanism how H2Aub domains are established.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes Single-molecule experiments show that active conformation formation controls chromatin ubiquitylation kinetics by variant PRC1.

Check out our new study of chromatin ubiquitylation. @alexateslenko.bsky.social visualized directly at single molecule scale how vPRC1 ubiquitylates neighboring nucleosomes. These results suggest potential mechanism on how H2Aub domains are established. 👇👇👇
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Check out this 🧵 from @eimearlagan.bsky.social on our new Molecular Cell @cp-molcell.bsky.social paper! We show how the H3K27M Oncohistone reprograms chromatin in DMG, creating a specific dependency on CBX4/PCGF4-containing forms of cPRC1 👇

Macromolecular interactions dictate Polycomb-mediated epigenetic repression The dynamic regulation of epigenetic states relies on complex macromolecular interactions. PRC2, the methyltransferase complex responsible for depositing H3K27me3, interacts with distinct accessory pr...

Excited to share a preprint from my lab on distinct specificity and functions of PRC2 subcomplexes: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...