Dr. Sedona Murphy

Decoding the molecular logic of rapidly evolving ZAD zinc finger proteins in Drosophila Identification of ZAD-ZnF genes as key regulators of genome organization during Drosophila embryogenesis.

Diving into evolutionary biology! What is the origin of the most abundant class of insect transcription factors, ZAD-ZnFs? We suggest that they evolved from ancestral insulator-binding proteins that control 3D genome topology.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Post-replicative chromatin accessibility predicts cell fate change Knudsen and colleagues use repli-ATAC-seq to compare replicated and unreplicated chromatin in two models of cell identity change. They find that lineage-specific elements are accessible earlier in rep...

DNA replication globally disrupts the epigenome. But does this create a chromatin-access opportunity for TF binding to facilitate cell identity change? Now 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢-𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐂-𝐬𝐞𝐪 shows 𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘰 chromatin opening & TF binding occurs specifically post-replication, in cellular differentiation & reprogramming!

We wrote a perspective "How to build the regulatory genome: a constructionist guide to the cis-regulatory code", out in Development yesterday. Title says it all. Find it here:

journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

Our most recent work on the “function and evolution” of #nuclear-speckles is now online at Cell @cp-cell.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Read the thread👇 for the highlights of our findings.

Excited to share this work done during my PhD here in Vienna!

We show how chromatin compaction prevents the release of fragmented DNA in apoptosis, and use new tools to study the mechanism of compaction itself.

See our summary/"bluetorial" below & our preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

New paper alert from the group!! 🚨: DNA flexibility tips the balance between stability and plasticity in nucleosomes

One of the works from my PhD, co-led alongside @nachper.bsky.social, is finally out! Work from @rcollepardo.bsky.social & @janhuemar.bsky.social
⬇️
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
⬆️

Excited to share @suminkim.bsky.social and @mileshuseyin.bsky.social 's new Current Opinion review on how Polycomb complexes mediate 3D genome interactions including mechanistic models and potential roles in gene regulation:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

We are delighted to launch the (free!) registration for our 5th AICC symposium, hosted this year in @ucddublin.bsky.social on May 27th.

If you are interested in chromatin, gene regulation or the nucleus please join us!

allirelandchromatinconsortium.ie/annual-meeti...

Looking forward to it!

Know a promising undergrad who wants more time before applying to grad school? Pitt has a funded postbac program for students from underrepresented groups.

This year, my lab will consider applications for solo supervision or to be co-supervised by @mehrgol.bsky.social!

App deadline is March 15!

Interested in transcriptional regulation, enhancers and 3D genome folding?

In this new study we wondered about the role of cohesin loading at enhancers for long-range transcriptional control

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

detailed 🧵👇

Please join Andreas Ladurner and me for the GRC Chromatin Structure and Function conference to be held near Barcelona Spain from May 31-June 5! We accepting abstracts for posters and talks. The meeting is preceded by an awesome GRS. Learn more in our video below and apply www.grc.org/chromatin-st...

Want to interpret DNA sequence-to-function models to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms? Then this is a must read!

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

Terrific paper on a new chromosomal
compartment where extensive loop
extrusion isolates domains from
other such domains

Pervasive cis-regulatory co-option of a transposable element family reinforces cell identity across the mouse immune system Transposable elements (TEs) make up about half of the human and mouse genomes and play important regulatory roles in immune responses. However, the cis -regulatory contribution of TEs to immune cell d...

New Year, New Paper!🎊

Pervasive cis-regulatory co-option of a transposable element family reinforces cell identity across the mouse immune system
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Centerpiece of Jason Chobirko's PhD, talented PhD student co-mentored by Andrew Grimson & me. Really excited about it!🧵

Preprint alert: Jiangyuan Liu developed a new workflow for chromatin loop calling across Hi-C datasets, e.g., during differentiation. Most loops are shared between datasets/cell states. Important work for all interested in chromatin loops and how to identify them!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Now online in Cancer Discovery @aacrjournals.bsky.social: LINE-1 Locus Transcription Nucleates Oncogenic Chromatin Architecture - by Michael Lee, Yuannyu Zhang, Jian Xu, and colleagues doi.org/10.1158/2159... @stjuderesearch.bsky.social

Join our virtual seminar!

@sedonamurphy.bsky.social presents cutting-edge research on 3D genome organisation & epigenetic memory in development, moderated by @stefanschoenfelder.bsky.social

📅 Jan 8, 4pm UK
💻 Zoom

Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#3DGenome #Epigenetics #ChromatinBiology

Activator-promoter compatibility in mammals: a CpG-Island-specific co-activator directly bridges transcription factors to TFIID Transcription from CpG island (CGI) promoters controls the expression of two-thirds of mammalian genes, yet despite their prevalence, it remains unknown whether CGI-specific co-activators with intrins...

Activator-promoter compatibility in mammals - Hcfc1 is a key and intrinsically CGI-promoter-specific co-activator that cannot activate non-CGI promoters. Lead by @nemcko.bsky.social & Kevin Sabath in collab. with @plaschkalab.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (1/2)

As usual this time of year, started drafting the list of gene regulation conferences for 2026, enjoy! generegulation.org/conferences-...
Know of a relevant event that’s missing? Please reply below

H4K16 acylations destabilize chromatin architecture and facilitate transcriptional response during metabolic perturbations Histone modifications play crucial roles in genome function. However, how chromatin integrates physiological and metabolic responses at the molecular …

Excited to share new manuscript on histone acylations, exploring how H4K16 acylations regulate inter and intranucleosomal interactions and how they confer resilience to metabolic challenges in vivo. Thanks to all authors +1 author @sandrani.bsky.social Enjoy 👇👇
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Predictive design of tissue-specific mammalian enhancers that function in vivo in the mouse embryo Enhancers control tissue-specific gene expression across metazoans. Although deep learning has enabled enhancer prediction and design in mammalian cell lines and invertebrate systems, it remains uncle...

Our preprint "Predictive design of tissue-specific mammalian enhancers that function in vivo in the mouse embryo" is on bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... . Amazing collaboration by @shenzhichen1999.bsky.social, Vincent Loubiere (@impvienna.bsky.social,@viennabiocenter.bsky.social),... (1/2)

Very happy to share the published version of our study on the benefits of sodium sulfite + trolox (SST) as oxygen scavenger for #DNA-PAINT - now out in Small!

Thanks to the reviewers for helpful comments and again congrats, Becky, on your PhD's first paper!!

tinyurl.com/54m2pt9c

SpaceBar enables single-cell-resolution clone tracing with imaging-based spatial transcriptomics Nature Methods - SpaceBar is a cellular barcoding strategy for simultaneous analysis of cell clonal and spatial identities.

Excited that SpaceBar is now out in Nature Methods!🥳

We combined clone tracing with spatial transcriptomics to untangle what drives gene expression in tumors: a cell's identity or its neighborhood?

Most genes were driven by location, but some showed strong clonal patterns.

rdcu.be/eVhpc

Programmatic design and editing of cis-regulatory elements The development of modern genome editing and DNA synthesis has enabled researchers to edit DNA sequences with high precision but has left unsolved the problem of designing these edits. We introduce Le...

After a huge amount of work w/ @alex-stark.bsky.social's group, a new version of our Ledidi preprint is now out!

In an era of AI-designed proteins, the next leap will be controlling when, where, and how much of these proteins are expressed in living cells.

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

Modelling co-development between the somites and neural tube in human trunk-like structures - Nature Cell Biology Makwana, Tilley et al. generate human stem cell-based trunk-like structures approximating Carnegie stage 13–14 of development. They use them to model and study the development of the thoracic and lumbar trunk.

Lovely little pre-Christmas present to see this out @natcellbio.nature.com! Some 🔥 new results in here since the biorvix incl (1) a new RARE-GFP reporter ✳️🙌, (2) additional NMP quantification 🔢, (3) no neural tube patterning on RA inhibition 🙅 etc. Enjoy! 😍 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Can one map the genome-wide binding (1) and its protein partners (2) simultaneously from the same sample?

Yes, one can. with CUT&ID ✂️🪪

Spearheaded — singlehandedly — by @annanordin.bsky.social

No need of transgenesis, cloning and overexpression.

Check it out, it's fast and its works.

🧬 Are you interested in synthetic biology, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and cutting-edge genomics? Apply by 07.01.2026 to join Stefan Mundlos’ lab @stemundi.bsky.social at the MPIMG. #IMPRS-BAC #gradschool! @nataliabenetti.bsky.social
👉 www.molgen.mpg.de/5124667/Mund...

Cohesin drives chromatin scanning during the RAD51-mediated homology search Cohesin folds genomes into chromatin loops, the roles of which are under debate. We found that double-strand breaks (DSBs) induce de novo formation of chromatin loops in human cells, with the loop bas...

Thrilled to share that my postdoc research is published today in @science.org! We found that DNA repair uses cohesin complexes to build new chromatin loops that guide the homology search and boost accurate repair! 1/n
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...