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Home
Research
Researchers

IRCM Researchers
Creating new

knowledgeExploring new avenues to develop tomorrow’s medical knowledge through an approach that integrates basic and clinical research
Our research units are led by principal investigators who collaborate in a spirit of collegiality and with the vision of bridging the gap between research and patients. They train the next generation of scientists and are independent and creative minds who work tirelessly to improve health.
 
Nicole

FrancisDirector, Biochemistry of Epigenetic Inheritance Research Unit
Current research
Biochemistry of Epigenetic InheritanceThe ability of cells to acquire and maintain stable differentiated states is central to development. Nicole J. Francis’s lab is interested in how the gene expression patterns that define cellular states can be inherited across cell generations and how this might involve heritable changes to chromatin. The idea that chromatin structure carries heritable (epigenetic) information is attractive because of its conceptual simplicity—epigenetic and genetic information are inherited together. However, this idea raises questions about how chromatin features can be inherited through cell cycles since both DNA replication and mitosis disrupt chromatin structure. 
The goal of the team’s work is to discover the biochemical mechanisms that enable chromatin states to be propagated through DNA replication and mitosis. They address these questions using the Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins of Drosophila melanogaster.
Discover the Lab's website : www.francis-lab-epigenetics.ca
Available positions  Clinical studies 


	
			Team
		

			Ashish Bihani Stagiaire postdoctoral Postdoctoral Fellow Ashish.Bihani@ircm.qc.ca 
Melanie Candido Adjointe administrative Administrative Assistant Melanie.Candido@ircm.qc.ca 
Melissa Villarreal Morales Stagiaire avec crédits Intern With Credits Melissa.Villarreal.Morales@ircm.qc.ca 
Nanu Pal Étudiant au doctorat PhD Student Nanu.Pal@ircm.qc.ca 
Pandimadevi Djamouna Sihou Étudiante au doctorat PhD Student PandimadeviDjamouna.Sihou@ircm.qc.ca 
Tim Gemeinhardt Étudiant maîtrise Master's Student Tim.Gemeinhardt@ircm.qc.ca 

		




	
			Affiliations
		

			Director, Systems Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Research Division
Director, Biochemistry of Epigenetic Inheritance Research Unit
Full IRCM Research Professor
Associate Research Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal
Research Scholar from the John-R.-Evans Leaders Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation


		




	
			Degrees and experience
		

			B.Sc. in Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC (1989-1993)
PhD in Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (1993-2000)
Postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Robert Kingston, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital (2000-2004), Boston, MA
Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (2004-2008)
Associate Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (2008-2012)


		




	
			Publications
		

			Protocols:

Alecki, C. & Francis, N. J. (2021). Identification of R-loop-forming Sequences in Drosophila melanogaster Embryos and Tissue Culture Cells Using DRIP-seq. BIO-PROTOCOL 11(9): e4011. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.4011


Research papers:

Vanzan, L., Soldati, H., Ythier, Anand, S., Braunm, S., Francis, N. J. & Murr, R. (2021) High throughput screening identifies SOX2 as a super pioneer factor that inhibits DNA methylation maintenance at its binding sites. Nat Commun 12, 3337. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23630-x
Francis, N. J. & Sihou, D. (2021) Inheritance of Histone (H3/H4): A Binary Choice? Trends in Biochemical Sciences vol. 46 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibs.2020.08.009
Seif, E. Kang, J.J., Sasseville, C., Senkovich, O., Kaltashov, A., Boulier, E.L., Kapur, I., Kim, C.A., & Francis, N.J. (2020) Phase separation by the Sterile Alpha Motif of Polyhomeotic compartmentalizes Polycomb Group proteins and enhances their activity. Nat Commun 11, 5609. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19435-z 
​Kang, J.J., Faubert, D., Boulais, J., & Francis, N.J. (2020) DNA binding reorganizes the C-terminal region of PSC in Drosophila PRC1.  J. Mol. Biol. 432(17), 4856-4871.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2020.07.002
Alecki, C., Chiwara, V., Sanz, L. A., Grau, D., Pérez, O. A., Boulier, E. L., Armache, K.-J., Chédin, F., & Francis, N. J. (2020). RNA-DNA strand exchange by the Drosophila Polycomb complex PRC2. Nat. Commun. , 11(1), 1–14. https://rdcu.be/b3y5P​​​​
Madamba, E.V., Berthet, E.B., and Francis, N.J. (2017) Inheritance of histones H3 and H4 during DNA replication in vitro. Cell Reports 5: 1361-1374 PMID 29091772.
Wani, A.H.*, Boettiger, A.N.*, Schorderet, P., Ergun, A., Munger, C., Sadreyev, R.I., Zhuang, X., Kingston, R.E., and Francis, N.J. (2016) Chromatin topology is coupled to Polycomb group protein subnuclear organization. Nat. Commun. 13:10291 PMID 26759081. 
Follmer, N.E., Wani, A.H. and Francis, N.J. (2012) Polycomb Group proteins are retained at specific sites on chromatin in mitosis. PLoS Genet 8(12): e1003135. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1003135. 
Lo, S.M., McElroy, K.A. and Francis, N.J. (2012) Chromatin modification by PSC occurs at one PSC per nucleosome and does not require the acidic patch of histone H2A. PLoS ONE 7(10): e47162. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047162. PMID: 23071745
Lengsfeld, B.M., Berry, K.N., Ghosh, S., Takahashi, M., and Francis, N.J. (2012) A Polycomb complex remains bound through DNA replication in the absence of other eukaryotic proteins. Sci. Rep. 2: 661. PMID:22993687.
Lo, S.M.*, Follmer, N.E.*, Lengsfeld, B.M., Madamba, E.V., Seong, S., Grau, D.J., and Francis, N.J. (2012) A Bridging model for persistence of a Polycomb Group protein complex through DNA replication. Mol. Cell 46: 784-796. PMID: 22749399.
Beh, L.Y., Colwell, L.J., and Francis, N.J. (2012) A core subunit of Polycomb repressive complex 1 is broadly conserved in function but not primary sequence. PNAS, 109(18):E1063-71. PMID:22517748
Lo, S.M. and Francis, N.J. (2010) Inhibition of Chromatin Remodeling by Polycomb Group Protein Posterior Sex Combs Is Mechanistically Distinct from Nucleosome Binding.  Biochemistry 49:9438-9448.  PMID:  20873869.
Grau, D.J., Chapman, B.A., Garlick, J.D., Borowsky, M., Francis, N.J., Kingston, R.E. (2011) Compaction of chromatin by diverse Polycomb group proteins requires localized regions of high charge. Genes Dev., 25:2210-21. PMID: 22012622
Francis, N.J., Follmer, N.E., Simon, M.D., Aghia, G., and Butler, J.D. (2009) Polycomb proteins remain bound to chromatin and DNA during replication in vitro. Cell, 137: 110-122.  PMID: 19303136.
Lo, S.M., Ahuja, N.K., Francis, N.J. (2009) Polycomb group protein Suppressor 2 of zeste is a functional homolog of Posterior Sex Combs. Mol. Cell. Biol. 29: 515-525. PMID: 18981224.
King, I.F.G.*, Emmons, R.B.*, Francis, N.J.*, Wild, B., Mueller, J., Kingston, R.E., Wu, C.-t. (2005)  Analysis of a Polycomb Group protein defines regions that link repressive activity on nucleosomal templates to in vivo function. Mol. Cell. Biol. 25: 6578-6591.
Francis, N.J., Kingston, R.E., and Woodcock, C.L. (2004) Chromatin compaction by a Polycomb group protein complex. Science 306:1574-1577.
Lavigne, M., Francis, N.J., King, I.F., and Kingston, R.E. (2004) Propagation of silencing; recruitment and repression of naïve chromatin in trans by polycomb repressed chromatin. Mol. Cell 13: 415-425.
Muller, J.*, Hart, C.M.*, Francis, N.J.*, Vargas, M.L., Sengupta, A., Wild,B., Miller, E.L., O'Connor, M.B., Kingston, R.E., and Simon, J.A. (2002) Histone methyltransferase activity of a Drosophila Polycomb Group repressor complex. Cell, 111:197-208.
Francis. N.J., Saurin, A.J., Shao, Z. and Kingston, R.E. (2001) Reconstitution of a functional core Polycomb repressive complex. Mol. Cell, 8: 545-556.


		


Ongoing Projects
How are chromatin states propagated though DNA replication

Current projects involve analyzing the behaviour of both PcG proteins and histones during DNA replication, and how chromatin structure is restored after DNA replication.
How are chromatin states propagated though mitosis

Current work aims to determine how and why PcG proteins are lost from some sites in mitosis but not others. Specifically the lab is interested in the chromatin structure of both types of sites in interphase and mitosis, and how PcG proteins are recruited to them. 
Important Discoveries
Tools
 


	
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			Grants
		

			
		




	
			Recognitions and honors
		

			Searle Scholar Award, Kinship Foundation
Basil O’Connor Scholar Award, March of Dimes
New Scholar Award, The Ellison Medical Foundation


		



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IRCM Researchers

Creating new knowledge

Nicole Francis

Current research

Biochemistry of Epigenetic Inheritance

Protocols:

Research papers:

Ongoing Projects

Important Discoveries

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Available positions

Ongoing clinical studies

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Creating new
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