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Kazuhiro Maeshima

@kazu-maeshima.bsky.social
833 followers 287 following 84 posts

#Chromatin biologist/biophysicist @nigidenken.bsky.social & SOKENDAI in Japan. Chromatin is very dynamic and flexible, but NOT regular!!! 🧪🧬🔬 My career and work: bit.ly/2CuF4L5  Lab HP: bit.ly/3F1a8nk YouTube Seminar: bit.ly/4eOSip7

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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Local nucleosome motion is increased by transcription inhibition, replication stress, or DNA damage, suggesting that chromatin motion is near-constant but tunable during interphase. 🧬🔬✨ See also our previous #ScienceAdvances paper by @shiori-iida.bsky.social: www.science.org/doi/full/10....
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Our new paper is out @jcellsci.bsky.social 🧬✨ doi.org/10.1242/jcs.... @ynagata.bsky.social et al combined single-nucleosome imaging + Fucci probes. H2B-Halo motion stays nearly constant from G1 to G2. H3.3-Halo euchromatin nucleosomes are more mobile, but their motion also stays nearly constant.
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Epigenetics Podcast @epigeneticspod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In the most recent episode we speak with @robklose.bsky.social, Professor of Genetics at the University of Oxford, about how CpG islands help control gene expression and chromatin regulation during development. #podcast #epigenetics Listen here: activemotif.com/podcasts-rob...
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Haha, sorry for the extra slide next year, Mark! 😄
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Thank you, Lennart! That is a striking parallel to the short active regions protruding from condensed domains in Bin’s model.
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Thank you, Joy! Exactly! “Active” doesn’t necessarily mean “open.”
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
🧬 Highly related @natgenet.nature.com paper from @binzmit.bsky.social group, using nucleosome-resolution chromatin modeling: Euchromatin forms condensed domains with short active regions on the surface www.nature.com/articles/s41... Congratulations! 🎉
nature.com
Euchromatin forms condensed domains with short active regions on the surface - Nature Genetics
Simulations integrating micro-C and imaging data provide a coherent view of chromatin organization from nucleosomes to clutches to domains, revealing that most regions form compact domains but short r...
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Oh my god, why is there SO MUCH interesting stuff in gene regulation right now? This is marvellously interesting.
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Thank you so much, Philip! We think the simple “open = active, closed = inactive” picture may be misleading. Active chromatin can be compact and dynamic, while cohesin helps keep neighboring domains from mixing for proper gene regulation. If you have any questions, I’d be very happy to discuss.
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🧬 Our “Behind the Paper” is now online at Nature Communities: “Active chromatin is not simply open—it forms compact domains that cohesin keeps from mixing.” 📖 A short story behind our recent @natgenet.nature.com paper. communities.springernature.com/posts/active... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Lopes_Lab @lopeslab.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Thrilled to share a new important study from the lab, published today in @nature.com, showing how cohesin mediates efficient replication fork plasticity and stress response, using its loop extrusion activity to promote 3D contacts on replicating DNA: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Cohesin reshapes replication fork contacts to aid fork slowing and reversal - Nature
Cohesin-mediated loop extrusion limits sister-fork coupling and tethers nearby replication forks under replication stress, promoting fork reversal and slowing fork progression to safeguard genome...
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Trends in Genetics @cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"Mitotic chromosomes: from the chromosome scaffold model to condensins and physical forces" by Kazuhiro Maeshima ( @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social ) & colleagues FREE till Nov 3rd at authors.elsevier.com/a/1nmwrcQbJI...
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Alex Ludwig @alexludwig.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Check out our new preprint in which we used cryoCLEM to study the native architecture of the human inactive X chromosome in RPE1 cells. Neil Brockdorff’s group from Oxford posted a similar story, performed in female stem cells. We see individual nucleosomes and other exciting things!
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Nature Genetics @natgenet.nature.com · 14/09/2026
📢PUBLISHED @natgenet.nature.com 📰Cohesin prevents local mixing of condensed euchromatic domains in living human cells. By Masa A. Shimazoe, Kazuhiro Maeshima and colleagues. ⬇️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Cohesin prevents local mixing of condensed euchromatic domains in living human cells - Nature Genetics
Single-nucleosome imaging/tracking and super-resolution three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy within euchromatic regions show that cohesin-mediated loops constrain condensed euchromatic...
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🙏 Thanks to all contributors to our chromosome studies, especially those behind these works: 🧬 www.cell.com/current-biol... 🧬 www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧬 www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... 🧬 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
cell.com
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
How are mitotic chromosomes built? Our Review @cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social revisits the classical chromosome scaffold model and connects it to condensins, topoIIα, and physical forces. We propose interphase chromatin domains as “building blocks”🧩of chromosomes: authors.elsevier.com/a/1nmwrcQbJI...
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Joy Jeongyoon Choi @joyjoychoi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Excited to share our new preprint on in situ chromatin structure of the inactive X chromosome in differentiated female mouse embryonic stem cells. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵1/8
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
On the other hand, short distances within nanodomains may remain largely unchanged. Thanks for raising the point. 2/2
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Thank you, @elphegenoralab.bsky.social. I agree that the scale is important. Our H3.3-Halo labeling includes TADs and nanodomains (not all) in the A compartment. TADs may deform after cohesin depletion, and long-range distances within and between TADs can change. 1/2
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Job Dekker @jobdekker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Amazing work on how chromatin domains form and remain insulated. Must-read!
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This fits well with your data: the increased inter-probe distances could reflect deformation/elongation of a TAD rather than uniform decompaction. Hi-C data (Fig. 8a) show that short-distance contacts decrease and long-distance contacts increase after cohesin loss. Thanks for pointing this out! 2/2
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Thank you, Wendy! Very interesting. Our results (Fig. 7) demonstrate that global compaction of euchromatic domains did not change after cohesin loss, but they became more liquid-like, and a lot of deformation of the domains can occur (more elongated, etc.). 1/2
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Fena Ochs @fenaochs.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
My lab at the Center for Gene Expression (CGEN), University of Copenhagen is looking for a motivated Postdoc interested in cohesin biology, 3D chromatin, and super-resolution microscopy. 📩 Please email your CV and letter of intent to fena.ochs(at)sund.ku.dk.
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Masa A. Shimazoe @masaashimazoe.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Our paper on euchromatin and cohesin is now published!!🙌 Euchromatin forms condensed domains, and cohesin constrains their local mixing. This organization maintains transcriptional insulation. This work was truly a team effort, and I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to it.
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Shiori Iida @shiori-iida.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Happy to share that this paper is now published in Nature Genetics! Grateful to everyone who supported this work throughout this long journey. I’m proud to see it out! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Cohesin prevents local mixing of condensed euchromatic domains in living human cells - Nature Genetics
Single-nucleosome imaging/tracking and super-resolution three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy within euchromatic regions show that cohesin-mediated loops constrain condensed euchromatic...
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thank you so much, Marc!
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thank you so much, Claudio!
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thank you so much, Christian!
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thank you so much, Job! Really appreciate it.
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thank you! There are two versions of the preprint (2025 Aug and 2026 March). From v1 to v2, genomics of H3.3-Halo domains, STORM, and transcriptional analysis. From v2 to this one, statistical analysis and biological replicates, making the dataset more robust and reproducible.
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thank you! Yes, exactly. ATAC-seq signal may not simply mean “open chromatin.” I think ATAC-seq mainly reflects nucleosome-depleted regions.
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Congratulations 🎉 We thank all the coauthors including 4 co-first authors: @masaashimazoe.bsky.social @shiori-iida.bsky.social @katsuminami.bsky.social Higashi-san 🔬👏 Special thanks to @healthcare.nikon.com for 3D-SIM support. Modeling movie by Fujishiro-san. (2/2)
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Is euchromatin really “open”? 🧬 Using super-resolution imaging🔬 our new study @natgenet.nature.com reveals: Euchromatin forms condensed domains in live cells. Cohesin constrains them and prevents domain mixing for proper transcriptional insulation🚧 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... (1/2)
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Nature @nature.com · 29/07/2026
Obituary: Susumu Tonegawa (1939-2026) Japan’s first Nobel prizewinner in physiology or medicine go.nature.com/4wty0Yy
go.nature.com
Obituary: Susumu Tonegawa, Japan’s first Nobel prizewinner in physiology or medicine
Fearless molecular biologist who revealed the workings of antibodies and memories.
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Max Planck Institute of Biophysics @mpibp.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
How do 2 meters of DNA fit inside a nucleus you can barely see? 🧬 Our new study mapped individual nucleosomes inside human cells.
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Jan Philipp Kreysing @jpkreysing.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
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...
nature.com
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...
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Thanks so much, @eltsovmikhail.bsky.social !
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The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT @picowerinstitute.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
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.mit.edu
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.
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Karolin Luger @nucleosomepolice.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
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... 🧵
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I look forward to meeting you soon!
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Thank you!
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Our original Repli-Histo study in @ScienceAdvances defined four chromatin classes with distinct physical properties: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... The new study adds ML-based classification and reveals how transcription constrains their motion. 🧬🔬 Big thanks to all contributors! 🎉
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
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.
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The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk · 23/03/2026
“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...
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Kazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
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!
youtube.com
Kazuhiro Maeshima
YouTube video by Fragile Nucleosome
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Tjian + Darzacq Lab, UC Berkeley @tjiandarzacq.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
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/...
science.org
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...
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Wonder of Science @wonderofscience.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Beautiful view of Earth from space taken from the International Space Station.
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Alessandro Costa @costalaboratory.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
New preprint from our lab! We've been working out how the CMG replicative helicase gets built. 🧵 1/3
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SMART Symposia @smartsymposium.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
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
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Physics of Life Dresden @poldresden.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
👩‍🔬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
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