I always thought tTAF in the nucleolus in fly spermatocytes was odd. It turns out that, during spermatogenesis, the Pol I-enriched nucleolus becomes a Pol II- and TFIID-enriched nucleolus-like body. This structure seems important for transcription of huge, normally heterochromatic Y-linked genes.

bioRxiv Developmental Biology@biorxiv-devbio.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Developmental conversion of the nucleolus into an RNA Polymerase II transcriptional platform in Drosophila spermatocytes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.20.726666v1

Canonical PRC1 excludes SWI/SNF, and its subunit composition (e.g., which CBX) can change the competition outcome. Fig 1D (magenta: cPRC1, cyan: SWI/SNF)

Stefan Niekamp@niekamp.bsky.social · 4mo ago

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!

Great postbac opportunity - exciting biology and an excellent mentor!

Peiwei Chen@peiwei-chen.bsky.social · 4mo ago

plz repost 🙏 we are looking for a technician to start this summer/fall for 1-2 years to work with me at Cornell in the labs of @cedricfeschotte.bsky.social and Andy Clark, in collaboration with @corriemoreau.bsky.social on flies & termites 🪰🐜🧬🔬 Ithaca is gorges! jobs.hr.cornell.edu/us/en/job/WD...

Germline - unique chromatin environment, different versions of core components, and many discoveries ahead.

Peter Andersen@germline.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Germ cells have their own versions of core transcription factors and fertility depends on them. We're hiring a PhD student to figure out how! 📢 Fly genetics + proteomics + genomics. Fully funded. Aarhus University 🇩🇰 Deadline May 1 👇 Please share with anyone who might be interested!

- Independent localization of H2AK119Ub and H3K27me3 in worm embryos. - Removing Ub did not influence K27me3 levels, and vice versa. - It is interesting that different cells/organisms utilize conserved chromatin-modifying machineries differently. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Widespread association of Polycomb complex–deposited histone H2A monoubiquitylation with enhancers and neuronal gene regulation

Genome-wide profiling reveals histone H2A monoubiquitylation as a signature of both Polycomb-repressed and enhancer chromatin.

science.org

We did journal club today on this preprint - interesting parallels that CHD4 and its partners block aberrant TF binding in mESCs (this preprint), human cells (PMID:38281186), and fly testis (PMID:28522526). Fascinated by how CHD4 controls cryptic regulatory elements without a strong presence there.

Surfin' NuRD@surfinnurd.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Check it out, Chromatin Kids! Chromatin remodeller does stuff to Transcription Factors! Functions where it is seldom seen! Both decreases and increases chromatin accessibility! How cool is that?

Exciting work on orphan genes in fertilization and evolution!

Geoff Findlay@geofffindlay.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Excited to share that our new NSF RUI grant was funded! 🎉🪰 We'll be looking into Drosophila fertilization proteins and studying how orphan genes function in non-model fly species. We're hiring for a 3-year lab manager/staff scientist position: app.jobvite.com/j/?cj=oGzWxf... Shares/RTs appreciated!

Avidity. In plants, PRC2 accessory VEL proteins polymerize much like PRC1 subunits in animals, reinforcing silencing. Multimerization - overcoming weak affinity through 'avidity' - seems to be an important conserved principle in chromatin regulation. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40858112/

VEL-dependent polymerization maintains the chromatin association of Polycomb proteins for the switch to epigenetic silencing - PubMed

Multivalent protein-chromatin interactions facilitated by higher-order protein assemblies are emerging as a crucial theme in eukaryotic gene regulation. However, understanding the underlying mechanism...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Donated. FlyBase is a truly essential resource!

FlyBase@flybase.bsky.social · last yr.

FlyBase needs your help! We ask that European labs continue to contribute to Cambridge, UK FlyBase, whereas US and other non-European labs can contribute to US FlyBase. For more information and how to donate: wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...

A brief mountain break.

Reducing H1 levels (by CRAMP1 KD) derepresses PRC2 target genes without reducing H3K27me3. It was interesting: 1) once again, H3K27me3 mark alone seems not sufficient for gene repression, 2) how is H1 deposited at Polycomb target sites? Congrats, Iva!

EPIGENETIC HULK@epigenetichulk.bsky.social · last yr.

CRAMP! SO ANNOYING BUT NEEDS TO KEEP LINKER HISTONES! EPIGENETIC HULK DO WITHOUT! UNLESS IT THE BAND SO THEN COOL! www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

True: my ESI MIRA, submitted last February, was withdrawn three weeks before the study section because of a support letter. No sub-award, no expected co-authorship, just a letter. So be careful - their definition of 'collaboration' is very broad.

NIH Vigils@nihvigils.bsky.social · last yr.

NIH APPLICANTS: Your application will be WITHDRAWN BEFORE REVIEW if you have an international collaboration and do not include a Foreign Justification. Normally this could be provided after review as JIT but NOT ANYMORE. You have been warned.

I find unstructured regions in proteins enigmatic and very interesting.

@dairegannon.bsky.social · last yr.

Great to see @jongminkmg.bsky.social’s preview of our work in @cp-molcell.bsky.social today! www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

" The common genetic marker Stubble influences Fab2L transgene expression" - balancer and marker mutations are not always inert.

Fitz-James Lab@fitz-james-lab.bsky.social · last yr.

1/10 Excited to share our recent work with @psarkies.bsky.social out in Open Biology today. We follow up on a case of Drosophila epigenetic inheritance and find no evidence of sRNA involvement. Plus a surprising result of interest to Drosophilists! royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Today’s the day! I’m happy to announce that the Murphy Lab will be moving to Cornell this July! The lab will be in Biotech and I’ll be joining the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. There will be lots of recruiting soon, including students and postdocs. Please RT. 🙏 TY.

Great opportunity for postbacs to do exciting research and gain experience before graduate school!

Amanda Amodeo@aaamodeo.bsky.social · 2y ago

My lab is looking to hire a research technician! Techs in my group run their own projects and participate fully in the scientific discussions in the lab (this is not a wash glassware, make media position). Ideal for someone looking to get a bit more research experience before applying for a PhD.

The sun has been rather scarce in Ithaca lately. Nice to see some sunrise this morning.

Hello Bluesky friends! I am a #newPI starting at UC Irvine in April, interested in gene regulation and functional genomics in stem cell models of development (esp neural crest). We are hiring at all levels – please reach out/spread the word! sskimlab.org

Kim Lab at UC Irvine

Visit the post for more.

sskimlab.org