Chen Davidovich
@davidovichlab.bsky.social
Gene repression, RNA and all chromatin things.
@MonashUni, Melbourne, Australia.
https://www.davidovich-lab.com/
@MonashUni, Melbourne, Australia.
https://www.davidovich-lab.com/
Pinned
Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains
Some proteins mimic the repressive mark H3K27me3, but the physiological relevance
of this phenomenon was unclear. Agius et al. show that the PRC2 subunits JARID2 and
PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonize...
www.cell.com
1/ 🧵 In our new paper, we show that JARID2 and PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonise PRC2. www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
First preprint from the lab 🚨
We asked when and how global chromatin organization emerges during early development 🐟
We asked when and how global chromatin organization emerges during early development 🐟
August 17, 2026 at 3:58 PM
First preprint from the lab 🚨
We asked when and how global chromatin organization emerges during early development 🐟
We asked when and how global chromatin organization emerges during early development 🐟
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Preprint alert! 🚨
We are very excited to share our new manuscript on Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a devastating rare monogenic disorder driven by truncating variants in ASXL1.
This project was led by PhD student Emma Doyle, one of the OG Conway lab members 💪. 1/6
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
We are very excited to share our new manuscript on Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a devastating rare monogenic disorder driven by truncating variants in ASXL1.
This project was led by PhD student Emma Doyle, one of the OG Conway lab members 💪. 1/6
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Divergent Pathogenic PR-DUB Complex Variants Converge Functionally Via PRC2 Displacement From Chromatin
The PR-DUB complex is responsible for erasing the repressive histone modification, H2AK119ub1. ASXL1-3 proteins are mutually exclusive catalytic partners of BAP1 in the PR-DUB complex. Somatic heteroz...
www.biorxiv.org
July 27, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Preprint alert! 🚨
We are very excited to share our new manuscript on Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a devastating rare monogenic disorder driven by truncating variants in ASXL1.
This project was led by PhD student Emma Doyle, one of the OG Conway lab members 💪. 1/6
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
We are very excited to share our new manuscript on Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a devastating rare monogenic disorder driven by truncating variants in ASXL1.
This project was led by PhD student Emma Doyle, one of the OG Conway lab members 💪. 1/6
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
AEpiA 2026 early bird registration and abstract submission have been extended!
Please don’t miss your chance to join us in Adelaide with some amazing speakers lots of fantastic science!
#AEpiA2026 #Epigenetics #Chromatin #GenomeRegulation #FunctionalGenomics #Adelaide
Please don’t miss your chance to join us in Adelaide with some amazing speakers lots of fantastic science!
#AEpiA2026 #Epigenetics #Chromatin #GenomeRegulation #FunctionalGenomics #Adelaide
June 30, 2026 at 9:34 PM
AEpiA 2026 early bird registration and abstract submission have been extended!
Please don’t miss your chance to join us in Adelaide with some amazing speakers lots of fantastic science!
#AEpiA2026 #Epigenetics #Chromatin #GenomeRegulation #FunctionalGenomics #Adelaide
Please don’t miss your chance to join us in Adelaide with some amazing speakers lots of fantastic science!
#AEpiA2026 #Epigenetics #Chromatin #GenomeRegulation #FunctionalGenomics #Adelaide
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
How do cells tune PRC2 allostery? We find EZH2 Ser21-phos restrains PRC2 adoption of the compact active state. Loss of this restraint promotes H3K27me3, redistributes cPRC1, and impairs differentiation. New bioRxiv with @kasinath-lab.bsky.social & @garcialabms.bsky.social! tinyurl.com/4369kmh2
June 5, 2026 at 12:30 AM
How do cells tune PRC2 allostery? We find EZH2 Ser21-phos restrains PRC2 adoption of the compact active state. Loss of this restraint promotes H3K27me3, redistributes cPRC1, and impairs differentiation. New bioRxiv with @kasinath-lab.bsky.social & @garcialabms.bsky.social! tinyurl.com/4369kmh2
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
We’ve recently been awarded a MIRA R35 and an R01 to study non-canonical roles and missense mutations of the Polycomb system in health, cancer, and neurodevelopmental disorders. We are seeking an animal tech with lab manager duties. Please share!
June 5, 2026 at 11:29 AM
We’ve recently been awarded a MIRA R35 and an R01 to study non-canonical roles and missense mutations of the Polycomb system in health, cancer, and neurodevelopmental disorders. We are seeking an animal tech with lab manager duties. Please share!
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
🚨 We discovered a new mode of Hox gene regulation in annelids! 🪱 A distal enhancer acts as a "global control region", lifting Hox genes from Polycomb repression. This is reminiscent of Hox gene control in vertebrates, but the two modes likely evolved convergently.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
May 19, 2026 at 8:09 PM
🚨 We discovered a new mode of Hox gene regulation in annelids! 🪱 A distal enhancer acts as a "global control region", lifting Hox genes from Polycomb repression. This is reminiscent of Hox gene control in vertebrates, but the two modes likely evolved convergently.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Now out @natbiotech.nature.com ! Do lncRNAs commonly bind 1000s of genomic sites? Maybe they do, but the dozens of studies that report genomic binding maps of lncRNAs are deeply flawed, with probes binding suprious DNA sites rather than RNA-bound ones.
A preprint‼️that's bound to ruffle some 🪶 "Widespread DNA off-targeting confounds studies of RNA chromatin occupancy" led by our Micah Goldrich and Louis Delhaye from
Pieter Mestdagh in Ghent. TL;DR we show that many of lncRNA chromatin occupancy obtained are flawed www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Pieter Mestdagh in Ghent. TL;DR we show that many of lncRNA chromatin occupancy obtained are flawed www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
May 15, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Now out @natbiotech.nature.com ! Do lncRNAs commonly bind 1000s of genomic sites? Maybe they do, but the dozens of studies that report genomic binding maps of lncRNAs are deeply flawed, with probes binding suprious DNA sites rather than RNA-bound ones.
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Excited to share our new preprint on EZH1-mediated H3K27me3 in the adult brain!
We show that postmitotic neurons accumulate high levels of H3K27me3 broadly across the genome. This is dependent on EZH1, but surprisingly not required for gene expression regulation:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
We show that postmitotic neurons accumulate high levels of H3K27me3 broadly across the genome. This is dependent on EZH1, but surprisingly not required for gene expression regulation:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
May 12, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Excited to share our new preprint on EZH1-mediated H3K27me3 in the adult brain!
We show that postmitotic neurons accumulate high levels of H3K27me3 broadly across the genome. This is dependent on EZH1, but surprisingly not required for gene expression regulation:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
We show that postmitotic neurons accumulate high levels of H3K27me3 broadly across the genome. This is dependent on EZH1, but surprisingly not required for gene expression regulation:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
So happy and proud to share our lab’s first #plantscience research article, revealing that angiosperms have the capacity to encode memory of flooding stress.
A heroic effort by @aidamaric.bsky.social in collaboration with @djgibbs.bsky.social and others. A brief 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
A heroic effort by @aidamaric.bsky.social in collaboration with @djgibbs.bsky.social and others. A brief 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
May 5, 2026 at 9:35 AM
So happy and proud to share our lab’s first #plantscience research article, revealing that angiosperms have the capacity to encode memory of flooding stress.
A heroic effort by @aidamaric.bsky.social in collaboration with @djgibbs.bsky.social and others. A brief 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
A heroic effort by @aidamaric.bsky.social in collaboration with @djgibbs.bsky.social and others. A brief 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Excited to share our latest work in Molecular Cell: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
We show that PRC1 condensates exclude SWI/SNF from chromatin, revealing a physical mechanism for how opposing regulators compete to control gene expression.
Huge thanks to all collaborators and mentors!
We show that PRC1 condensates exclude SWI/SNF from chromatin, revealing a physical mechanism for how opposing regulators compete to control gene expression.
Huge thanks to all collaborators and mentors!
Mutual antagonism between PRC1 condensates and SWI/SNF in chromatin regulation
Niekamp et al. show that biomolecular condensates formed by Polycomb repressive complexes
can physically restrict access of the activating remodeler SWI/SNF to chromatin. Establishing
this barrier dep...
www.cell.com
April 25, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Excited to share our latest work in Molecular Cell: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
We show that PRC1 condensates exclude SWI/SNF from chromatin, revealing a physical mechanism for how opposing regulators compete to control gene expression.
Huge thanks to all collaborators and mentors!
We show that PRC1 condensates exclude SWI/SNF from chromatin, revealing a physical mechanism for how opposing regulators compete to control gene expression.
Huge thanks to all collaborators and mentors!
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Our work on chromatin evolution in brown algae is now published in @natecoevo.nature.com! We show that developmentally complex brown algae evolved without epigenetic silencing pathways long thought universal, underscoring why non-model lineages are important to study. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
April 2, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Our work on chromatin evolution in brown algae is now published in @natecoevo.nature.com! We show that developmentally complex brown algae evolved without epigenetic silencing pathways long thought universal, underscoring why non-model lineages are important to study. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Delighted to share the lab's latest led by superstar Janith and funded by @snowmedical.bsky.social.
What happens when embryonic factors are reawakened in cancers? We uncovered how DPPA2/4 amplify chromatin states in non-small cell lung cancer 🧬🔬🧪
genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...
Tutorial 👇 (1/8)
What happens when embryonic factors are reawakened in cancers? We uncovered how DPPA2/4 amplify chromatin states in non-small cell lung cancer 🧬🔬🧪
genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...
Tutorial 👇 (1/8)
Embryonic stem cell factors DPPA2/4 amplify active H3K4me3–H2AK119ub chromatin domains in non-small cell lung cancer
A biweekly scientific journal publishing high-quality research in molecular biology and genetics, cancer biology, biochemistry, and related fields
genesdev.cshlp.org
March 22, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Delighted to share the lab's latest led by superstar Janith and funded by @snowmedical.bsky.social.
What happens when embryonic factors are reawakened in cancers? We uncovered how DPPA2/4 amplify chromatin states in non-small cell lung cancer 🧬🔬🧪
genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...
Tutorial 👇 (1/8)
What happens when embryonic factors are reawakened in cancers? We uncovered how DPPA2/4 amplify chromatin states in non-small cell lung cancer 🧬🔬🧪
genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...
Tutorial 👇 (1/8)
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains
Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains
Some proteins mimic the repressive mark H3K27me3, but the physiological relevance of this phenomenon was unclear. Agius et al. show that the PRC2 subunits JARID2 and PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonize PRC2-mediated H3K27me3 deposition, limit Polycomb domain spreading, and enable timely activation of developmental genes in vivo.
dlvr.it
March 21, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Epigenetics Update - Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains bit.ly/3NmLO5Q
Edwina McGlinn and Chen Davidovich (Monash University) reporting in Mol Cell
#Epigenetics #PRC2 #H3K27me3
---
Perfect for cancer, immunology, and aging; epigenometech.com
Edwina McGlinn and Chen Davidovich (Monash University) reporting in Mol Cell
#Epigenetics #PRC2 #H3K27me3
---
Perfect for cancer, immunology, and aging; epigenometech.com
March 10, 2026 at 12:24 PM
Epigenetics Update - Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains bit.ly/3NmLO5Q
Edwina McGlinn and Chen Davidovich (Monash University) reporting in Mol Cell
#Epigenetics #PRC2 #H3K27me3
---
Perfect for cancer, immunology, and aging; epigenometech.com
Edwina McGlinn and Chen Davidovich (Monash University) reporting in Mol Cell
#Epigenetics #PRC2 #H3K27me3
---
Perfect for cancer, immunology, and aging; epigenometech.com
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Nucleosome aficionados! Our new review "Nucleosome spacing across cell types, diseases, and ages" is out in NAR: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
A huge effort to pull together what we’ve learned about nucleosome spacing in many systems. Enjoy!
@milena-bikova.bsky.social @chrsclrksn.bsky.social
A huge effort to pull together what we’ve learned about nucleosome spacing in many systems. Enjoy!
@milena-bikova.bsky.social @chrsclrksn.bsky.social
![Figure 6. Examples of NRL changes in biological systems. (A) Cell differentiation leads to NRL changes between different cell types, e.g. mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons (NRL ∼165 bp) versus cortical astrocytes (NRL ∼183 bp) [175]. Schematic cell shapes are adapted from an image created in BioRender (https://BioRender.com/89trj2t). (B) Paired normal versus tumour breast tissues show NRL shortening in cancer (figure adapted from [36] under the CC BY 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)). (C) Nucleosome positioning derived from cfDNA of human volunteers shows NRL increase with age (figure reprinted from [79] under the CC BY 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7rjg5hcnnloxgwuvwi23aixu/bafkreihl7mkdtxojw23qoqxm7yt57frzc24mjjllszhbohbvb67ffguccy)
March 5, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Nucleosome aficionados! Our new review "Nucleosome spacing across cell types, diseases, and ages" is out in NAR: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
A huge effort to pull together what we’ve learned about nucleosome spacing in many systems. Enjoy!
@milena-bikova.bsky.social @chrsclrksn.bsky.social
A huge effort to pull together what we’ve learned about nucleosome spacing in many systems. Enjoy!
@milena-bikova.bsky.social @chrsclrksn.bsky.social
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
Online Now: Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains Online now:
Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains
Some proteins mimic the repressive mark H3K27me3, but the physiological relevance of this phenomenon was unclear. Agius et al. show that the PRC2 subunits JARID2 and PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonize PRC2-mediated H3K27me3 deposition, limit Polycomb domain spreading, and enable timely activation of developmental genes in vivo.
dlvr.it
March 4, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Online Now: Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains Online now:
1/ 🧵 In our new paper, we show that JARID2 and PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonise PRC2. www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Accessory subunits of PRC2 mimic H3K27me3 to restrict the spread of Polycomb domains
Some proteins mimic the repressive mark H3K27me3, but the physiological relevance
of this phenomenon was unclear. Agius et al. show that the PRC2 subunits JARID2 and
PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonize...
www.cell.com
March 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM
1/ 🧵 In our new paper, we show that JARID2 and PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonise PRC2. www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
☕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 inhibitors in mixed-lineage leukaemia.
bit.ly/46MZ3Di
bit.ly/46MZ3Di
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...
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 6:15 PM
☕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 inhibitors in mixed-lineage leukaemia.
bit.ly/46MZ3Di
bit.ly/46MZ3Di
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
1/3 New bioRxiv preprint from the lab: “Minute-scale coupling of chromatin marks and transcriptional bursts”. Led by Xiohui Gao & Chaebeen Ko. bioRxiv : www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
February 11, 2026 at 4:06 AM
1/3 New bioRxiv preprint from the lab: “Minute-scale coupling of chromatin marks and transcriptional bursts”. Led by Xiohui Gao & Chaebeen Ko. bioRxiv : www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Reposted by 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
February 7, 2026 at 6:33 AM
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
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
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
---
Gain deeper insights into gene regulation; epigenometech.com
Chen Davidovich and Omer Gilan (Monash University) reporting in Nat Cell Biol
#Epigenetics #DOT1L #PolyComb
---
Gain deeper insights into gene regulation; epigenometech.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:50 PM
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
---
Gain deeper insights into gene regulation; epigenometech.com
Chen Davidovich and Omer Gilan (Monash University) reporting in Nat Cell Biol
#Epigenetics #DOT1L #PolyComb
---
Gain deeper insights into gene regulation; epigenometech.com
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
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...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
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...
www.cell.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:09 PM
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...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
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
February 3, 2026 at 10:30 PM
H3K79me2/3 is sufficient to antagonise PRC1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
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
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
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
February 3, 2026 at 9:29 PM
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
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
Reposted by Chen Davidovich
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
January 28, 2026 at 5:45 PM
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