Recent Work from Yu lab:
Embedded Files
Hsu CI, Dave A, Park S, Yu B, Jee YH, Yu JR. Identification of modified histones as binding substrates of human Spindlin Family Member 4 (SPIN4). JoVE. 2026. (Unde review, invited submission the Methods Collection of Histone Research)
Tu CH, Hsu CI, Yu JR. Chromatin meets condensates: emerging interplays linking nuclear paraspeckles to gene activation. Epigenetics Reports. 2026 Jan 18;4(1). (invited review article)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/28361512.2026.2617266?src=#abstract
Nuclear paraspeckles are known to regulate RNA retention. However, in this review paper, we discussed previous work from Kingston and Workman labs as well as our recent work illuminating how nuclear paraspeckles may have a novel function in activating gene expression by interacting with chromatin.
Hsu CI, Yeh E, Chen CC, Yu JR. Protocol for Reconstituting Enzymatic Activities for Ultra Large Histone Methyltransferases NSD1 and SETD2 Using a Baculovirus Expression System. STAR Protocols. 2025 Jul 18;6(3):103963.
https://star-protocols.cell.com/protocols/4336
Large enzymes are often difficult to manipulate experimentally. In this technical paper, we report a protocol that for the very first time demonstrates a full biochemical reconstitution of NSD1 and SET2, two enzymes larger than 300kDa, for their in vitro catalytic activities.
Hsu CI, Mei S, Demmerle J, Ruttenberg SM, Sahn M, Yu JR. Paraspeckle Protein NONO Regulates Active Chromatin by Allosterically Stimulating NSD1. Cell Reports. 2025 Sep 4;44(9):116247.
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)01018-6
While enzymes regulating repressive chromatin formation inherently operate in a "write-and-read" mechanism through allosteric regulation, active chromatin has been thought to passively form after repressive chromatin. In this paper, we identify a novel allosteric control of active chromatin formation by paraspeckle protein NONO.
Dr. Yu's postdoc work:
Escobar TM, Yu JR, Liu S, Lucero K, Vasilyev N, Nudler E, Reinberg D. Inheritance of Repressed Chromatin Domains during S-phase Requires the Histone Chaperone NPM1. Science Advances. 2022 Apr 29;8(17):eabm3945
Yu JR, LeRoy G, Bready D, Frenster DF, Saldaña-Meyer R, Jin Y, Descostes N, Stafford JM, Plakantonakis DG, Reinberg D. The H3K36me2 writer-reader dependency in H3K27M-DIPG. Science Advances. 2021 Jul 14;7(29):eabg7444.
LeRoy G, Oksuz O, Descostes N, Aoi Y, Ganai RA, Kara HO, Yu JR, Lee CH, Stafford JM, Shilatifard A, Reinberg D. LEDGF and HDGF2 relieve the nucleosome-induced barrier to transcription in differentiated cells. Science Advances. 2019 Oct 2;5(10):eaay3068.
Lee CH*, Yu JR*, Granat J*, Saldaña-Meyer R, Andrade J, LeRoy G, Jin Y, Lund P, Stafford JM, Garcia BA, Ueberheide B, Reinberg D. Automethylation of PRC2 promotes H3K27 methylation and is impaired in H3K27M pediatric glioma. Genes & Development. 2019 Oct 1;33(19-20):1428-1440. *Equal contribution.
Yu JR*, Lee CH*, Oksuz O*, Stafford JM, Reinberg D. PRC2 is high maintenance. Genes & Development. 2019 Aug 1;33(15-16):903-935. *Equal contribution.
Stafford JM, Lee CH, Voigt P, Descostes N, Saldana-Meyer R, Yu JR, LeRoy G, Oksuz O, Chapman JR, Suarez F, Modrek AS, Bayin S, Plakantonakis DG, Karajannis MA, Snuderl M, Ueberheide B, Reinberg D. Multiple modes of PRC2 inhibition elicit global chromatin alterations in H3K27M pediatric glioma. Science Advances. 2018 Oct 31;4(10):eaau5935.
Lee CH, Holder M, Grau D, Saldaña-Meyer R, Yu JR, Ganai RA, Zhang J, Wang M, LeRoy G, Dobenecker MW, Reinberg D, Armache KJ. Distinct stimulatory mechanisms regulate the catalytic activity of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2. Molecular Cell. 2018 Apr 13. pii: S1097-2765(18)30222-3.
Lee CH*, Yu JR*, Kumar S, Jin Y, Hamilton A, Reinberg D. Allosteric activation dictates PRC2 activity independent of its recruitment to chromatin. Molecular Cell. 2018 Apr 13. pii: S1097-2765(18)30223-5. *Equal contribution.
Dr. Yu's graduate work:
Tai Y, Gallo NB, Wang M, Yu JR, Van Aelst L. Axo-axonic innervation of neocortical pyramidal neurons by GABAergic chandelier cells require AnkryrinG-associated L1CAM. Neuron. 2019 Apr 17;102(2):358-372.e9.
Nakamuta S, Yang YT, Wang CL, Gallo NB, Yu JR, Tai Y, Van Aelst L. Dual role for DOCK7 in tangenital migration of interneuron precursors in the postnatal forebrain. The Journal of Cell Biology. 2017 Dec 4;216(12):4313-4330.
Yu JR, Tai Y, Jin Y, Hammell MC, Wilkinson JE, Roe JS, Vakoc CR, Van Aelst L. TGF-β/Smad signaling through DOCK4 facilitates lung adenocarcinoma metastasis. Genes & Development. 2015 Feb 1;29(3):250-261.
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