Happy to share part of my postdoctoral work at the @lucas.farnunglab.com lab. Great collaboration with @voslab.org and @andersshansen.bsky.social. “Structural basis for CTCF-mediated chromatin organization” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

🧪🧬New preprint We present cryo-EM structures of reconstituted CTCF–nucleosome complexes, showing CTCF dimerization drives nucleosome oligomerization into defined higher-order assemblies. Disrupting CTCF–CTCF interfaces in mESCs reduces looping and impairs differentiation. tinyurl.com/CTCF-nucleos...

🧬📄 Preprint update (v2): We added new biochemical experiments that clarify how IWS1 associates with the transcription elongation complex and further define competition between IWS1 and RECQL5. 🧪⚙️
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Structural model is already available in the PDB (9MLC).

The two that first showed us how FACT engages nucleosomes now have their own lab and show us how the remodeler ATRX engages nucleosomes! Incredible resolution with a lot of biochemistry, congrats @codyz.bsky.social @yangliu9.bsky.social and team!

My first research paper as an independent PI is now online. Thank you to the authors for contributions and to the reviewers for thoughtful and constructive comments. Grateful to the editor for the opportunity. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

What an exciting meeting at this month’s Gene Expression and RNA Series (GEARS) in Boston! Thank you to everyone who joined us for an introduction to the HCR™ platform.

Special shoutout to @xiaoliwu.bsky.social, jonmarkert.bsky.social, and @ara-latifkar.bsky.social for helping coordinate the event!

Please join us on November 20th! We are very grateful for our first sponsorship - Molecular Instrument!

Congrats CJ and team!!

Requirements for establishment and epigenetic stability of mammalian heterochromatin Tatarakis et al. study how H3K9me3 heterochromatin is formed and inherited in mammalian cells. Using a synthetic heterochromatin assembly system and genetic screens, they uncover requirements for init...

New work from the Moazed lab reveals the requirements for establishment & epigenetic stability of mammalian heterochromatin! www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

🧬 Transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II relies on a web of elongation factors. Our new work shows how IWS1 acts as a modular scaffold to stabilize & stimulate elongation. Fantastic work by Della Syau! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Jon Markert YouTube video by Fragile Nucleosome

Check out @jonmarkert.bsky.social's recent talk for the @fnucleosome.bsky.social series, covering his recent breakthrough paper (www.science.org/stoken/autho...) on co-transcriptional histone mark deposition of H3K36me3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByJr...


🧬🎉Thrilled to share our new chromatin remodeling study! We reveal three states of human CHD1 and identify a novel "anchor element" that interacts with the acidic patch—conserved among remodelers. Our structures clarify mechanisms of remodeler recruitment! Link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1l2ik3vVUP...

Excited to see everyone tonight at Whitehead Institute for the 2nd GEARS seminar, featuring three talks from Harleen Saini, Vikram Agarwal, and Ava Carter!

I’m excited to share my first paper in the Farnung lab, in which we report four cryo-EM structures of the human DNA replication machinery engaging with and progressing into a nucleosome.

Our work on DNA replication is out! Led by @felixsteinruecke.bsky.social, we monitor the replisome progressing into nucleosomes!

Take a look at our new collaboration project with the Phil Cole lab, we demonstrate how SIRT6 can recognize and remove a variety of different Histone acylations!

Are you interested in hearing this SETD2 story in more detail? I’ll be presenting it at @fnucleosome.bsky.social this week! Please see the poster for more details

🥁We are just 3 days away from our next #FragileNucleosome seminar! We are delighted to host, 2 amazing ECR researchers @rachelhoffman.bsky.social & @jonmarkert.bsky.social this Wed!
PS1: Don't forget that US has switched to PDT
PS2: The recurring registration link:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

DIC and cryo-ET images of G1 and G0 fission yeast cells.

Zhi Yang Tan & @shujuncai.bsky.social's comparative study of G0 (quiescent) and interphase fission yeast cells is out in @jcellsci.bsky.social doi.org/10.1242/jcs.263654. This study combines multiple cell-biological analyses with in situ cryo-ET. Raw data: www.ebi.ac.uk/empiar/EMPIAR-10339

TFIIH kinase CDK7 drives cell proliferation through a common core transcription factor network CDK7 kinase activity is found to control RNAPII transcription through a cohort of TFs that drive cell cycle and proliferation.

For our latest paper, we worked with SYROS Pharmaceuticals, the groups of Dylan Taatjes and Robin Dowell at CU Boulder, and @abhaykot.bsky.social. Junjie Feng in my lab determined the #cryoEM structure of the CDK7 inhibitor SY5609 bound to its target...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Very excited to bring GEARs back with @jonmarkert.bsky.social and @ara-latifkar.bsky.social. We look forward to seeing you in Goldenson 122, Harvard Medical School for our first seminar on 02/27, 6PM.

Farnung Lab

Excited about mechanistic biology and processes in the cell's nucleus? Join our lab as a post-doctoral researcher! We have a state-of-the-art cryo-EM facility (new microscopes coming!), a brand-new lab space, and a vibrant community at HMS!
DM/email me or check farnunglab.com for more info.

Structural basis of H3K36 trimethylation by SETD2 during chromatin transcription During transcription, RNA polymerase II traverses through chromatin, and posttranslational modifications including histone methylations mark regions of active transcription. Histone protein H3 lysine ...

Our story on the mechanism of co-transcriptional histone mark deposition is now officially out: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The structural basis for RNA slicing by human Argonaute2 Mohamed et al. report the cryoelectron microscopy structure of human AGO2 with fully paired guide RNA. Their analysis reveals the structural basis for the slicing activity that drives RNAi, showing that the slicing-competent conformation is achieved by domain movements and RNA-protein contacts distinct from those of conformational intermediates and prokaryotic homologs.

Our collaborative AGO2 work with @bartellab.bsky.social is published! Abdallah and Peter used cryo-EM and biochemistry to determine the structure of AGO2 in a slicing competent conformation with a fully paired RNA. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/AGO2-slicing

Another highlight from our story: @jonmarkert.bsky.social uncovered how SPT6 binds the exposed H2A–H2B dimer during nucleosomal traversal by Pol II. AlphaFold helped tremendously in validating this interaction. tinyurl.com/setd2 Also check out our H2A–H2B screen: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Pol2 stimulates
SETD2 methylation
Of histone H3

#ChromatinHaiku #H3K36
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Pam taught me so much (how to make nucleosomes, how to use AKTAs…), I’m so incredibly grateful to have worked with her! The entire chromatin field is impacted by her, a very bittersweet day for the Luger lab! I wish her the best!!

Online today @science.org Structural basis of H3K36 trimethylation by SETD2 during chromatin transcription
by @jonmarkert.bsky.social @lucas.farnunglab.com et al. at @harvardcellbio.bsky.social #cryoEM
#chromatin #transcription #cryoEM #Pol_II🧪🧬❄️🔬
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thanks Emma! Wishing you the best in your work at Scripps!

Thank you CJ! Hope all is well in Madison!