Satpal (Sati) Jhujh

Cohesin drives chromatin scanning during the RAD51-mediated homology search Cohesin folds genomes into chromatin loops, the roles of which are under debate. We found that double-strand breaks (DSBs) induce de novo formation of chromatin loops in human cells, with the loop bas...

Thrilled to share that my postdoc research is published today in @science.org! We found that DNA repair uses cohesin complexes to build new chromatin loops that guide the homology search and boost accurate repair! 1/n
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Our new review, looking into the roles of SWI/SNF in the chromatin environment around centromeres, is just out in Open Biology! @kezlane.bsky.social @thedownslab.bsky.social

Schematic illustrating the structural changes undergone by MukBEF SMC complex during DNA capture and ingestion.

How do SMC complexes capture DNA? 🧪

Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.

Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk

#LMBResearch

Excited to share our discovery of the RAD51 filament cap, built by a newly identified RAD51 paralog complex 🔬🧬

A nuclease-driven mechanism of post-replicative ssDNA gap suppression. The persistence of post-replicative ssDNA gaps following PRIMPOL-mediated replication repriming is linked to chemosensitivity, and in all models reported to date the nuclease MRE11 has been implicated...

New preprint from the lab for any DNA repair or replication stress geeks out there!

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

Structural basis of T-loop–independent recognition and activation of CDKs by the CDK-activating kinase Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are prototypical regulators of the cell cycle. The CDK-activating kinase (CAK) acts as a master regulator of CDK activity by catalyzing the activating phosphorylation o...

Now out in Science! Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are key regulators of the cell cycle. In @vcushing.bsky.social's magnum opus, we use #cryoEM to figure out how the CDK-activating kinase recognises CDKs to fully activate them - a key step in cell cycle control.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Distinct ATRX functions cooperate with 9-1-1 and CST complexes to safeguard replication and telomere integrity Mutations in the ATRX chromatin remodeller predispose to a developmental genetic disorder and cancer, but how it safeguards genome and telomere stability remains unresolved. Here, we uncover critical ...

🧬 Preprint alert!

"Distinct ATRX functions cooperate with 9-1-1 and CST complexes to safeguard replication and telomere integrity."

Read the manuscript here 👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A conceptual illustration of two people talking against background of leafless trees with green vines growing inside them. Text reads: How I confronted my growing cynicism about academia—and rekindled my sense of purpose.

"… as I helped this bright young scholar rediscover hope in her journey, I rediscovered my own." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/473CI43

1) often people now are unwilling to listen to a view or point that runs counter to what they already believe.

2) probably all bots 😂

I'm not 100% sure where I land on that tbh. While normally I think it would be good to challenge the misinformation and perhaps try to provide an opposing view there are 2 things in the way of that imo:

Science research gets more engagement on Bluesky than X, study finds Bluesky posts referencing scholarly articles ‘find substantially higher levels of interaction’ than on Elon Musk’s platform

It would seem for science and scientific discussion Bluesky is the place to be. I deleted my X accounts last summer as it was genuinely terrifying to me the level of hatred and misinformation on there.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Strand- and replication timing-dependent functions of DNA polymerase η in human DNA replication and mutagenesis. Efficient eukaryotic DNA replication relies on the coordinated actions of replicative and error-prone polymerases, with the latter providing flexibility at the cost of mutagenesis. DNA polymerase η (P...

Our preprint on Pol-η usage during genome replication has been uploaded. It addresses the biased use of Pol-η in the lagging strand and late-replicating regions, which may be correlated with cancer mutagenesis.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

DDIAS is a single-stranded DNA-binding effector of the TOPBP1-CIP2A complex in mitosis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.09.675193v1

NIPBL dosage shapes genome folding by tuning the rate of cohesin loop extrusion Cohesin loop extrusion is a major driver of chromosome folding, but how its dynamics are controlled to shape the genome remains elusive. Here we disentangle the contributions of the cohesin cofactors ...

New preprint with @gfudenberg.bsky.social

We find the rate of cohesin loop extrusion in cells is set by NIPBL dosage and tunes many aspects of chromosome folding.

This provides a molecular basis for NIPBL haploinsufficiency in humans. 🧵👇

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

DNA2 enables growth by restricting recombination-restarted replication - Nature DNA2 suppresses recombination-restarted replication and checkpoint activation at stalled forks, and its loss triggers recombination-dependent synthesis, checkpoint signalling and cell-cycle exit, high...

My first post on bsky to share our latest research in @nature.com: “DNA2 enables growth by restricting recombination-restarted replication” - defines DNA2’s essential function & elucidates links with primordial dwarfism and cancer. Thanks to the lab, collaborators & @ukri.org @acmedsci.bsky.social

Some seriously nice biochemistry and cryo-EM of FAN1-PCNA-flapDNA complexes! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Slow RNAPII elongation enhances naive-pluripotency rewiring while preserving replication fork speed https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.12.653265v1

3rd edition of the fantastic UK DNA replication meeting is happening next September in Edinburgh. Don't miss out 🧬🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

www.biochemistry.org/events-and-t...

🎉 Congratulations! Great to see this out in print! 👏

Done!

Pls repost. Postdoc role on post-replicative ssDNA gap processing. Interesting models that should float replication aficionados boats. DM or c.staples@bangor.ac.uk for info. Until Dec26 but will strive for funding to provide continuity.
Fantastic place to live+work
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMG682/r...

Nuclear and genome dynamics underlying DNA double-strand break repair Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology - Changes in nuclear and genome organization promote the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and genome stability. Processes that are involved include the...

How are chromosome breaks repaired and how is their repair influenced and facilitated by nuclear and genome dynamics? Fantastic initiative and collaboration with @karimmekhail.bsky.social, @chiololab.bsky.social, and @lablegube.bsky.social. @natrevmcb.bsky.social Link to article: rdcu.be/edViW

Resolution of collapsed forks is separate from completion of DNA synthesis Replication fork collapse at single-strand DNA breaks (SSBs) poses a serious threat to genome stability. Using Xenopus egg extracts, we show that a replication fork encountering an SSB on either the l...

🧬⛓️‍ Our latest preprint examines the fate of collapsed forks in vertebrates 🐸 and our colleagues in @heathmurraylab.bsky.social asked similar questions in bacteria 🦠 to reveal how evolution shapes the response to fork collapse (see🧵)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

✅ Done!

TRIP13 protects pancreatic cancer cells against intrinsic and therapy-induced DNA replication stress https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.26.634889v1

Telomeric SUMO level influences the choices of APB formation pathways and ALT efficiency https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.16.633463v1

Okay, the list is far from complete, but it is a first attempt.☺️Here you can find our starter pack on #research organizations and #academies, in #Germany and worldwide. Who else do you think should be included? go.bsky.app/DGGtVu6

New discovery from our #CDlab reported in Cell @cp-cell.bsky.social today:
SMC motor proteins have a left-right ‘gearbox’ and can switch direction in DNA loop extrusion!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

1/

The PST repeat region of MDC1 is a tunable multivalent chromatin tethering domain https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.10.632395v1

Identification of critical factors of the replication stress response in human cells https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.12.632149v1