Obituary: Susumu Tonegawa (1939-2026) Japan’s first Nobel prizewinner in physiology or medicine go.nature.com/4wty0Yy

Obituary: Susumu Tonegawa, Japan’s first Nobel prizewinner in physiology or medicine

Fearless molecular biologist who revealed the workings of antibodies and memories.

go.nature.com

How do 2 meters of DNA fit inside a nucleus you can barely see? 🧬 Our new study mapped individual nucleosomes inside human cells.

Delighted that our story on chromatin architecture inside human cells is now published — the last chapter of my PhD. It was a pleasure working with @sergiocruzleon.bsky.social, @johannesbetz.bsky.social, and everyone involved. #teamtomo www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Molecular architecture of heterochromatin at the nuclear periphery of primary human cells - Nature Communications

The 3D organisation of chromatin inside a human cell is still not fully resolved. Here the authors reveal that in situ cryo-ET resolves individual nucleosomes and predicts DNA linkers, thus showing th...

nature.com

Max Planck Institute of Biophysics@mpibp.bsky.social · 3w ago

How do 2 meters of DNA fit inside a nucleus you can barely see? 🧬 Our new study mapped individual nucleosomes inside human cells.

We are heartbroken to have lost our founder, who provided so much inspiration, but we are all honored to carry on the science he loved so much. picower.mit.edu/news/picower... #neuroscience #biology

Picower Professor Susumu Tonegawa, renowned molecular biologist and Nobel laureate, dies at 86

Tonegawa made landmark discoveries about how the immune system generates antibody diversity and how the brain forms memories.

picower.mit.edu

Out today - structure of the human HIRA histone chaperone complex bound to nucleosomes. Ever wondered how nucleosomes are assembled in the wake of transcription? It takes a 'hulk of a protein complex'. Work by the amazing Wei Tian weetian558.bsky.social. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵

Our new preprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social, led by @katsuminami.bsky.social‬ et al.! 🎉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Machine learning-assisted Repli-Histo labeling and single-nucleosome imaging reveal distinct transcription-dependent chromatin constraints across euchromatin and heterochromatin.

“I think it’s a real mistake to forget where the pipeline for all this begins.” John Diffley reflects on the importance of basic research, his mission to decode DNA replication and recreate it in the lab, and the scientific optimism of the 1960s that helped shape it. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-03...

My Fragile Nucleosome seminar is now on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksXp... I discuss our recent work showing that linker histone H1 behaves as a liquid-like glue for chromatin organization in living human cells 🧬 Paper: www.science.org/doi/full/10.... Huge thanks to @fnucleosome.bsky.social!

Kazuhiro Maeshima

YouTube video by Fragile Nucleosome

youtube.com

Out now in Science! Our study challenges long-standing assumptions about transcription factor specificity in eukaryotes. Novel single-molecule measurements of TF behavior in living cells reveal an independence of locus-specific binding from DNA sequence recognition.🧵 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Unstructured transcription factor interactions enable emergent specificity

How intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) shape chromatin binding and nuclear organization of transcription factors (TFs) remains unclear. We used proximity-assisted photoactivation (PAPA), a single...

science.org

Beautiful view of Earth from space taken from the International Space Station.

New preprint from our lab! We've been working out how the CMG replicative helicase gets built. 🧵 1/3

Announcing SMART Genome Symposium: From Structure to Function ! 📅 October 14–16, 2026 Focus: 3D genome organization | Chromatin dynamics | Computational modeling Register now symposia.smart.org.cn/sym/event/Fu... #SMARTSymposia #SMARTshenzhen #Genome #Genomes #Biophysics

👩‍🔬Calling all researchers! Are you interested in working on a project at Physics of Life? 🔬Our new Visitors Program will allow scientists to visit PoL for up to 6 months to pursue an interdisciplinary project, with their travel and accommodation covered. Learn more here and apply: tud.link/nasaw5

Our new preprint! 🧬✨ www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... @ynagata.bsky.social et al. combined single-nucleosome imaging with Fucci probes to follow local chromatin behavior during interphase. Local nucleosome motion stays nearly constant from G1 to G2, except in early G1. Thanks to all coauthors!

Exciting work! The authors conclude that condensin-mediated loop formation, Aurora B phosphorylation, and core histone deacetylation are not obligatory factors for mitotic chromosome compaction. Our Mg2+ model is discussed as the “last model standing.” www.cell.com/current-biol...

A Transient Rise in Free Mg2+ Ions Released from ATP-Mg Hydrolysis Contributes to Mitotic Chromosome Condensation

How the negatively charged long genomic DNA is organized into mitotic chromosome remains unclear. Using a newly developed Mg2+ indicator, Maeshima et al. demonstrate a transient rise in free Mg2+ rele...

cell.com

Molecular Cell @cp-molcell.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Online Now: A time-resolved atlas of histone modifications during mitotic entry Online now:

🕛🕔🕗 Heads up! Fragile Nucleosome Seminar is at a special time this week: 2pm US West / 5pm US East / 10pm UK / 6am Tokyo / 7am Melbourne We'll have outstanding talks on chromatin from Shabih Shakeel and @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social !!! register here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Check out our latest work in collaboration with @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social and @masaashimazoe.bsky.social We show that H1 is a dynamic, multivalent “liquid-like” glue of chromatin in cells: it bridges multiple nucleosomes & exchanges partners frequently to enable both compaction and flexibility

Kazuhiro Maeshima@kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Our H1 paper is out #ScienceAdvances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @masaashimazoe.bsky.social et al. reveal that linker histone H1 acts as a liquid-like glue to organize chromatin in live cells. 🎉 Fantastic collab with @rcollepardo.bsky.social @janhuemar.bsky.social and others—huge thanks! 🙌 1/

Our work on the linker histone is now out in Science Advances! We show that H1 behaves as a liquid-like glue that helps organize chromatin in living cells. Very happy to have worked together with @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social and @masaashimazoe.bsky.social

Kazuhiro Maeshima@kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Our H1 paper is out #ScienceAdvances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @masaashimazoe.bsky.social et al. reveal that linker histone H1 acts as a liquid-like glue to organize chromatin in live cells. 🎉 Fantastic collab with @rcollepardo.bsky.social @janhuemar.bsky.social and others—huge thanks! 🙌 1/

I am not afraid to say it: this is the most fundamental advance in our understanding of chromatin structure since the zig-zag fiber model. Congratulations!

Kazuhiro Maeshima@kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Our linker histone H1 paper is featured on the cover of the April 10 issue of #ScienceAdvances. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... A molecular dynamics simulation of nucleosomes and linker histone H1, with single-H1 trajectories (background). 🎉 Full cover caption: www.science.org/toc/sciadv/1...

My first, first author paper is now on #ScienceAdvances ! Linker histone H1 is a liquid-like "glue" condensing chromatin, which revises textbooks! 📖✨ science.org/doi/10.1126/sc… Huge thanks to @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social , for supervision. Amazing collab with @rcollepardo.bsky.social ’s group! 1/

Our linker histone H1 paper is featured on the cover of the April 10 issue of #ScienceAdvances. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... A molecular dynamics simulation of nucleosomes and linker histone H1, with single-H1 trajectories (background). 🎉 Full cover caption: www.science.org/toc/sciadv/1...

Kazuhiro Maeshima@kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Our H1 paper is out #ScienceAdvances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @masaashimazoe.bsky.social et al. reveal that linker histone H1 acts as a liquid-like glue to organize chromatin in live cells. 🎉 Fantastic collab with @rcollepardo.bsky.social @janhuemar.bsky.social and others—huge thanks! 🙌 1/

Our H1 paper is out #ScienceAdvances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @masaashimazoe.bsky.social et al. reveal that linker histone H1 acts as a liquid-like glue to organize chromatin in live cells. 🎉 Fantastic collab with @rcollepardo.bsky.social @janhuemar.bsky.social and others—huge thanks! 🙌 1/

Unquestionably the result of combined effort from all current and former lab members, support from colleagues @CSU and @CU, and support from @hhmi-science.bsky.social and NIH over decades. A heartfelt 🙏 to my nominators and of course @vilcekfoundation.bsky.social. vilcek.org/prizes/prize...

Karolin Luger - Vilcek Foundation

Karolin Luger's research led to the capture of a high resolution image of chromatin, resulting in the development of innovative drug treatments for diseases like cancer.

vilcek.org

Older people with exceptional memory have a surprisingly high number of young neurons go.nature.com/4cm8VYB

Brains of ‘super agers’ are still strong producers of new neurons

Nature - Older people with exceptional memory have a surprisingly high number of young neurons, study finds.

go.nature.com

Honored to deliver the 2025/2026 Paul Doty Lecture @harvardmcb.bsky.social Excited to share our single-nucleosome view of chromatin behavior. #chromatin

Harvard_MCB@harvardmcb.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Doty Lecture to Feature Chromosome Pioneer Kazuhiro Maeshima #STEM 🧪 🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd #Chromatin www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @harvard.edu @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social

Fascinating cryo-ET study! 🔬🧬 We can now trace strings of nucleosomes directly in cells. Congratulations to the @eltsovmikhail.bsky.social‬ team! 🎉

@eltsovmikhail.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We are in EMBO J. See DNA and non-octameric nucleosome-like particles in situ link.springer.com/article/10.1...

My student Aoi Otsuka ’s PhD work is now officially published @csf-jscb.bsky.social! 🔬 Single-nucleosome imaging uncovers biphasic local chromatin dynamics in an oncogene-inducible human carcinogenesis model (1–3 d: same, 5–7 d: ↑, back by week 4). Congrats! www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/csf/...

Happy New Year! 🎍 Today’s view of Mt. Fuji over Mishima City — @nigidenken.bsky.social is on the right. Wishing you all a wonderful year!

We’re recruiting PhD students. If you’re interested in chromosome biology or imaging, please apply to the MCB or Plant Biology graduate programs at UMass (deadline is soon, 12/1). DM me for projects or questions. www.umass.edu/molecular-ce... www.umass.edu/plant-biolog...

So proud of my former PhD student ‪@tadasu443.bsky.social‬ for starting his own lab at @umassamherst.bsky.social ! Wishing him all the best in this exciting new chapter. Looking forward to his future discoveries! 🎉🧬

Tadasu Nozaki@tadasu443.bsky.social · 9mo ago

I launched my lab at UMass Amherst this fall. We study the mechanisms of meiotic homolog pairing using advanced live‑cell and super‑resolution imaging. Currently in budding yeast, with plans to expand to other eukaryotes. #Chromosome #Meiosis #Mitosis www.umass.edu/biology/abou...