Frances Yap

The specificity and structure of DNA cross-linking by the gut bacterial genotoxin colibactin Accumulating evidence has connected the chemically unstable, DNA-damaging gut bacterial natural product colibactin to colorectal cancer, including the identification of mutational signatures that are ...

Colibactin-DNA interstrand crosslinks structure reveals DNA-damaging acitivity of colibactin that is linked to colorectal cancer #MicroSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

love it! thank you for compiling the list.

🚨The Yap Lab at Northwestern Univ is looking to fill 2 postdoc positions in 2026 to study aspects of Staphylococcus aureus antibiotic resistance and RNA synthesis-degradation. Please contact Frances Yap at frances.yap@northwestern.edu for details. sites.northwestern.edu/yaplab/. Pls repost #Microsky

#Ribosome #hibernation 🧪

ANTONY LAB SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Edwin Antony Lab Website

POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
We need a structural biologist to work on several CryoEM datasets. For more information, please visit: www.antonylab.org

Expertise in structure refinement and model-building are required.

Please share.

Overcoming the eIF2α Brake in Human Cell-Derived Translation Systems Cell-free translation from human cells is a powerful platform for studying mammalian gene expression and building synthetic biology tools, but productivity is often curtailed by inhibitory phosphoryla...

Excited about Kolya Aleksashin's new work, enabling preparation of active in vitro translation systems from primary human cells and difficult-to-edit cells (fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes). This opens new opportunities to probe mechanisms of translation regulation.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Not all RelE toxins are created equally. RelE1, E2 cut 16S rRNA, RelE3 degrades mRNA in a ribosome-dependent manner. #MicroSky #Ribosome 🧪 #RNASky ⬇️

Fluorescein-based dyes are not valid reporters of oxidative stress in bacteria, and conclusions based on their use must be reconsidered | PNAS Dihydrodichlorofluorescein derivatives have been employed as reporters of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in innumerable studies. Their...

🩶 the carefully done experiments by Imlay's lab about commonly used dye to measure ROS. #MicroSky 🧪 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Proteolytic activation of diverse antiviral defense modules in prokaryotes Linked protease–effector modules are widespread in prokaryotic antiviral defense, yet the mechanisms of most remain poorly understood. Here we show that four of the most prevalent modules—metallo-β-la...

I am so excited to share our project with you! We find prokaryotic proteases activate toxic enzymes and pores as a modular strategy in phage defense. We studied four fascinating protease-toxin pairs that are abundant across bacterial genomes:

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

tRNA as an assembly chaperone for a macromolecular transcription-processing complex - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology Here, the authors solve a series of cryo-electron microscopy structures that show how transfer RNAs (tRNAs) can guide the assembly of the multisubunit poxvirus RNA polymerase, uncovering a role of tRN...

Structural insights into the chaperone role of uncharged tRNA(Arg/Gln) in viral RNAP assembly #RNASky 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Is NIH cutting corners as it rushes to fill leadership positions? Unlike in the past, agency searches appear to exclude help from outside academic researchers

Eric Green, who was director of the NHGRI until [he was forced out] this spring, has served on more than two dozen search committees for NIH leaders.

The process “has worked amazingly well for decades,” he says, and including non-NIH scientists “added broad and deep expertise”…

Hearing a rumor that NIH/HHS may now plan to retaliate against other Bethesda Declaration signers.

I am one, but it’s not about me: we have been speaking out because of the ongoing damage to US medical research, cancer and Alzheimer’s research.

As @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social put well: 1/

#MicroSky

#RNASky #Ribosome

Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection | Keystone Symposia Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection, May 2026, in Breckenridge, with field leaders!

We're just 6 months away from @keystoneSymposia.bsky.social Beyond #Antibiotics : Emerging Strategies Combating #BacterialInfection, May 2026 in Breckenridge! 👉Scholarship and short talk abstract deadlines are Jan 7! 🧐 keysym.us/KSBeyondAntibiotics26 #KSBeyondAntibiotics26

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How New Trump Multiyear Policy Makes NIH Grants Even Harder To Get The new Trump administration multiyear funding policy for NIH grants has dropped National Cancer Institute grant funding rates from one in 10 applicants to one in 25.

#TobRegSky #PedSky #MedSky #EpiSky #addictionsci #policysky #polisky #neuroskyence #neurosci 🧪🛟🫁

Excellent reporting by @bruceylee.bsky.social in @forbes.com about the new NIH multi year funding policy decimating US biomedical research.

www.forbes.com/sites/brucel...

Cryo-EM structure of the naked mole-rat ribosome reveals a stabilized split 28S rRNA The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a long-lived mammal with remarkable resistance to cancer and hypoxia, suggesting the evolution of robust proteostasis networks. The ribosome, the central ...

We have a new preprint for you. Naked mole rats are very long-lived rodents and have increased translational fidelity.

Interestingly, 28S ribosomal RNA is split. Here we investigated the structure of the ribosome by single particle cryo-EM. Take a look.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Careers Minimum qualifications:PhD, MD, or equivalent in a relevant field of study, plus applicable postdoctoral experience.

Come be my colleague! We have new faculty searches in Virology & Fungal Biology/Medical Mycology. UMN has great people & the Twin Cities are beautiful year-round!
Virology: hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/365...
Fungal Biology / Medical Mycology: hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/36547
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Academic freedom should not be for sale The Editorial Board argues the University should join the league of universities rejecting Trump’s compact in favor of in institutional independence.

From the Daily Texan, the UT student newspaper: Academic freedom should not be for sale.

thedailytexan.com/2025/10/16/a...

After 158 years of publication.

Any chance bacterial species will be added soon?

Glucose capping of 5'-mRNAs in E. coli 😱, presumably is installed during transcriptional initiation #MicroSky #RNASky www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

From one of these schools, we still get NoA but no $$

Something to celebrate for Northwestern Univ (Joel Mokyr) when the dark clouds of federal funding freeze are still over our heads "..Mokyr pioneered a theory of how technological change and improvement has helped to fuel two centuries of growth and higher living standards.." @thedailynu.bsky.social

#ribosome #RNASky 🧪 eukaryotic ribosome-specific inhibitor associated w ribosome dormancy

This 4-year-old's heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.

A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.

Thank you Sally Kornbluth for standing up to the dictatorship!!!!

Trump admin plans to RIF 1100-1200 HHS employees according to court filing

#MicoSky Micro assistant professor position at NYU 🧪 ⬇️