Nicholas McKenzie

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...

1/ 🧵 In our new paper, we show that JARID2 and PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonise PRC2. www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

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...

H3K79me2/3 is sufficient to antagonise PRC1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

None in family history, yet 'cancer still found us in the worst way' Abbey was "joy on two legs" and now she is gone, another lost to brain cancer. Somehow her family must carry on, as the fight continues for more funding to bring this horror disease to an end.

A great article from the ABC about the heavy toll of brain cancers in Australia, and the need for more federal funding. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

Australia’s medical and scientific research sectors save lives and are vital to our economy. The government has to step up and lean in to their potential.

It’s small-minded and short-sighted to force them to wither on the vine, when we have money put aside for this purpose in the Future Fund.

Save the CSIRO

Our national science & research agency is now facing more job cuts than under Tony Abbott

Call on the Albanese Govt to fund the scientists & research we need to tackle big issues we face from climate to food security and everything in between

www.davidpocock.com.au/save_our_csiro

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....

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....

Thank you @adrianbracken.bsky.social for the collaboration 🤝, and this written summary of my latest co-first author paper to result from my PhD work under @davidovichlab.bsky.social. My congratulations and sincere thanks to all co-authors as well. This was a tremendous collective effort.

Big thanks to @addgene.bsky.social for making our MoClo Baculo available as a kit! All the plasmids for Golden Gate assembly of baculovirus vectors, now bundled together:
www.addgene.org/kits/davidov...
🧪🧬 #MolecularCloning #baculovirus #ProteinExpression

1/ H3K27me3 mimicry has repeatedly emerged through evolution, but what's the physiological relevance?

We show that JARID2 and PALI1 mimic H3K27me3 to antagonise PRC2 in vivo and restrict the spread of Polycomb domains.
🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Dynamic PRC1–CBX8 stabilizes a porous structure of chromatin condensates - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology Here the authors show that a gene-inactivating protein complex packs inactive genes into a dynamic and accessible structure. The study challenges the traditional views that restricted accessibility an...

We used cryoET and biophysical approaches in vitro together with molecular biology in differentiated cells to show that chromatin compacted by PRC1-CBX8 is porous and accessible while PRC1 is dynamic in it. 🧪🧬 #cryoET #Epigenetics #Polycomb www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Alex loves doing her PhD, but says she's earning under the minimum wage Alexandra Paton, who researches how to manage feral cat populations, says her PhD is important for Australia's wildlife but her income is lower than what she earned as a teenager at Macca's.

A PhD in Australia was financially hard enough when I started mine back in 2018. It would be unthinkable for me if I were hoping to start one now. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...