Jay Brito Querido

A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.

Today in @nature.com , we highlight how a cousin of CRISPR-Cas10, mCpol, establishes an evolutionary trap in anti-phage immune systems.

Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Excited to share our latest work with @simonbullock11.bsky.social! We looked at how diverse mRNAs get selected for subcellular localization and it turns out that a single protein can recognize different RNA elements using shared features that weren’t apparent before.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Thank you Max

Thanks @jomaalab.bsky.social

Thanks for sharing @matthewkraushar.bsky.social

SPIDR enables multiplexed mapping of RNA-protein interactions and uncovers a mechanism for selective translational suppression upon cell stress SPIDR, a massively multiplexed method that simultaneously maps dozens of RNA-binding proteins to their RNA targets at single-nucleotide resolution, uncovers new RNA-protein interactions and provides c...

This work is the result of a fantastic collaboration between my lab at the University of Michigan, Mitchell Guttman lab at Caltech, and Marko Jovanovic lab at Columbia University.
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
#Ribosomes #Science #CryoEM #RNA

Finally out!
I’m thrilled to share our new paper (Wolin et al., Cell 2025).

This paper describes SPIDR, a high-throughput method for mapping RBP binding sites.

By combining #SPIDR with #cryoEM, we identified the exact binding site of LARP1 within the #mRNA channel of the 40S ribosomal subunit.

A new protein-dependent riboswitch activates ribosomal frameshifting Programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) is a ubiquitous translational control mechanism in RNA viruses, allowing them to change the relative abundance of proteins encoded in different reading fram...

New preprint alert! 🚨👇 I'm delighted to share the latest research from @jemmabetts.bsky.social
in our group: ‘A new protein-dependent riboswitch activates ribosomal frameshifting’. Huge congratulations to Jemma for the first manuscript of her PhD! ✨

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

ACA 2025 Starter Pack for attendees of the 75th Annual Meeting.
Tried to include everyone, feel free to tag yourself or others missed. Connecting the community at #ACA2025!
@acastructuralsci.bsky.social @rcsbpdb.bsky.social
🔗 go.bsky.app/JAmraSp

New paper out in Mol Cell, where we show how N-myristolytransferases lipidate proteins on the translating ribosome!
Continuing our successful collaboration with DeuerlingLab @uni-konstanz.de & Shu-ou Chan @caltech.edu
@snsf.ch @ethz.ch
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

Cryo-EM structure of human telomerase dimer reveals H/ACA RNP-mediated dimerization Telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) synthesizes telomeric repeats at chromosome ends using a telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and a telomerase RNA (hTR in humans). Previous structural work showe...

Proud to share our work where we resolved a longstanding question regarding the existence of a human telomerase dimer and provided insights into its function. Led by 3 amazing lab members in collaboration with @yiliangding.bsky.social and @rdaslab.bsky.social.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

@science.org Mechanism of release factor–mediated peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis on the ribosome | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#ribosome #RNA #hydrolysis

Temporal gating of nuclear import: How Merkel cell polyomavirus exploits the cell cycle for nuclear entry Author summary Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) causes a rare but deadly form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. However, many aspects of its infectious life cycle are unclear, including how...

I’m excited to share the first publication from my lab on the unexpected strategy that MCPyV, a cancer-causing virus, uses to enter cells. This was truly a team effort and I am so grateful for each of the brilliant women who contributed to this research project. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

Group photo of the 2025 Cryo-EM Workshop participants, alongside a list of logos of the workshops sponsors: Globus, MiTeGen, Structura, SubAngstrom, and the Life Sciences Institute

Thank you to all the presenters and scientists from around the country who attended the LSI's 2025 #CryoEM Workshop and made the event such a successful hands-on learning experience!
Thanks also to our event sponsors, SubAngstrom, @globusorg.bsky.social, @mitegen.com and @structurabio.bsky.social

Translational activity of 80S monosomes varies dramatically across different tissues Abstract. Translational regulation at the stage of initiation can impact the number of ribosomes translating each mRNA molecule. However, the translational

Delighted to share paper on translational activity of 80S monosomes across different tissues in 🪰 in @narjournal.bsky.social thanks to fabulous team Albert Blandy Tayah Hopes Elton Vasconcelos @amy-turner96.bsky.social Bulat Fatkhullin Michaela Agapiou Juan Fontana academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

I’m thrilled to share my very first first-author preprint and our lab’s latest work💫 We discovered a novel role for eIF2A in ribosome-associated quality control (RQC), challenging decades-old assumptions about its enigmatic function in translation initiation.

Check it out to learn more! ⭐️
#RNA

The alternative initiation factor eIF2A regulates 40S subunit turnover in ribosome-associated quality control The noncanonical translation initiation factor eIF2A plays critical roles in diverse cellular processes, including the integrated stress response, neurodegeneration and tumorigenesis. However, the pre...

Identified in the 1970s, the precise molecular function of the alternative initiation factor eIF2A has remained unclear. Here, we map its interactome and uncover a surprising role in ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) upon ribosome stalling. 1/x

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

We are happy to share that our snR30 story is finally out in @natureportfolio.nature.com 🥳 We report the first structure of a H/ACA snoRNP acting in ribosome synthesis thereby providing a detailed structural and biochemical view of the snR30 snoRNP guiding local 18S rRNA subdomain folding. 👇👇👇

Molecular basis of influenza ribonucleoprotein complex assembly and processive RNA synthesis Influenza viruses replicate and transcribe their genome in the context of a conserved ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. By integrating cryo–electron microscopy single-particle analysis and cryo–electro...

Excited to share our new @science.org paper! Led by postdocs Ruchao Peng and Xin Xu, we used cryo-EM/ET to reveal the influenza ribonucleoprotein complex structure and its strand-sliding mechanism for RNA synthesis, paving the way for new antivirals.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

1/10 Today in @science.org in collaboration with
the Liu group we report the development of a laboratory-evolved CRISPR-associated transposase (evoCAST) that supports therapeutically relevant levels of RNA-programmable gene insertion in human cells. drive.google.com/file/d/1I-Ub...

Hello Bluesky! 🌤️

We're on the Molecular Cell cover!

How are ribosome levels adjusted?

Stm1 not only protects ribosomes from degradation, it also promotes their biogenesis in nutrient-rich conditions.

Two roles, one protein - tuned by nutrient availability.

🔗 www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

You want to start tomography? Solve structures inside cells? Reach Nyquist 😳 ? @phaips.vd.st and I have a website for you! tomoguide.github.io
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !

The structure of the Vibrio natriegens 70S ribosome in complex with the proline-rich antimicrobial peptide Bac5(1–17) Abstract. Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) are produced as part of the innate immune response of animals, insects, and plants. The well-charact

In our newly published study we show that the proline-rich antimicrobial peptide (PrAMP) Bac5 has a distinct mode of interaction with the ribosome compared to other PrAMPs…https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/53/8/gkaf324/8126264

RIOK3 mediates the degradation of 40S ribosomes Huang et al. identify a pathway for stress-induced 40S ribosome degradation: 40S ribosomes ubiquitylated by RNF10 are subsequently bound by the atypical kinase RIOK3, which mediates their degradation ...

RIOK3 mediates the degradation of 40S ribosomes: Molecular Cell www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

Watching Sven elucidate this mechanism from an unbiased screen onwards has been one of my favorite experiences as a PI. In these challenging times for science at Harvard, it reminds me of the sheer joy of doing science and making discoveries.

🧬🦠🧫 @science.org RNA-mediated CRISPR-Cas13 inhibition through crRNA structural mimicry | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... meeskelab.org bit.ly/sustecheducnJiaLab #CRISPR #RNA

Portrait of Janet Smith with text: Congratulations to Janet Smith on being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which recognizes members for their significant contributions in scholarly and professional fields.

Congratulations to LSI Associate Director and Professor Janet Smith, Ph.D., who has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of her outstanding achievements in science:
record.umich.edu/articles/fiv...

The electron cryo-microscope adapted for use at liquid nitrogen temperatures within its custom-made black box.

A colder frontier in cryo-EM 🧪🔬

Chris Russo’s group, inc. Joshua Dickerson, adapted #cryoEM to work at liquid helium temperatures (13 kelvins), where every frame captured contains more information than the equivalent using liquid nitrogen (81 kelvins).

Read more: tinyurl.com/mwwcunkc

#LMBResearch

mRNA export factors store nascent transcripts within nuclear speckles as an adaptive response to transient global inhibition of transcription Transcription inhibitors also disrupt nuclear export. Here, Williams et al. reveal that mRNA export factors sense transcription inhibition and adapt by storing mature export-competent mRNA in nuclear speckles. This enables rapid release when transcription resumes and ensures retention of cellular identity and viability during a transient global transcription insult.

Why can a human tolerate a drug that globally inhibits transcription? Why do transcription inhibitors not cure cancer? Our first paper of 2025 may help explain (some) of this!

So incredibly proud of @tobiaswilliams.bsky.social & Ewa Michalak who led the work!

www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

I am happy to share the latest paper from the lab. We detail a tripartite cell-free translation system based on the separation of mRNAs, ribosomes and ribosome-depleted cytoplasmic lysate from human cells, allowing for flexible reconstitution of translation reaction.
#RNA #Ribosome