Foijer Lab

DNA methylation influences human centromere positioning and function - Nature Genetics Genome-wide and targeted perturbation of DNA methylation at centromeres affects CENP-A positioning and centromere structure, resulting in aneuploidy and reduced cell viability.

#1 Centromeres are epigenetic loci defined by CENP-A, positioned in unmethylated DNA flanked by highly methylated regions. Our work, published in @natgenet.nature.com in collaboration with @naltemose.bsky.social investigates the role of DNAme at human centromeres www.nature.com/articles/s41...

DNA methylation influences human centromere positioning and function - Nature Genetics Genome-wide and targeted perturbation of DNA methylation at centromeres affects CENP-A positioning and centromere structure, resulting in aneuploidy and reduced cell viability.

📢ONLINE @natgenet.nature.com

📰DNA methylation influences human centromere positioning and function.

By Catalina Salinas-Luypaert, @dfachinetti.bsky.social, @naltemose.bsky.social and colleagues.

⬇️

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Quantitative measurement of phenotype dynamics during cancer drug resistance evolution using genetic barcoding - Nature Communications Understanding the dynamics of how drug resistance originates in cancer remains crucial, but it is not possible to observe them directly. Here, the authors construct a mathematical framework to infer d...

Using barcodes 📊 to track cancer 💊 resistance evolution: is it clonal selection or plasticity? @fwhiting.bsky.social‬ knows! His new "Evolutionary Informed Resistance Assays" (EIRAs) framework infers resistance evolution dynamics from barcode diversity data. www.nature.com/articles/s41... @icr.ac.uk

Congrats Puck, super cool!

RNA transcripts regulate G-quadruplex landscapes through G-loop formation G-quadruplexes (G4s) are prevalent DNA structures that regulate transcription but also threaten genome stability. How G4 dynamics are controlled remains poorly understood. Here, we report that RNA tra...

Excited our paper is out! G-quadruplex (G4) unwinding via an intricate G-loop assembly and disassembly mechanism maintains genome integrity. Pioneered by Koichi Sato with great collaborators Jing Lyu and @simonelsasser.bsky.social Check it out: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr0493 🧵(1/4)

🧬 New tool to generate aneuploidies and analyse their impact on development.

The tool created by @milanlab.bsky.social helps better understand this phenomenon, which is the main cause of spontaneous miscarriage.

📰 Published in #CellGenomics by #IRBBarcelona

Read the news ➡️ shorturl.at/Ektif

👇

👋 Are you looking for a postdoc position? Do you think microtubules are fascinating? Then we might have the job for you! 2-year funded postdoc to join our lab!
👉 deadline 20/06
👇 check it out

www.godinholab.com

No brainer for talented bioinformaticians: great team, great science, great mentor! Apply!

Model figure - in EAC cancers, as chromosomal instability (CIN) increases, we found that a CIN-driven cGAS-dependent axis drives myeloid directed chemokine expression and recruitment of tumor-favoring myeloid populations

Incoming - new preprint alert from the Parkes lab led by @brunobeernaert.bsky.social Full bluetutorial follows! 1/ 11 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The @embo.org #chromoploidy2025 is over. It was an amazing workshop organized by a perfect match of scientists and friends @mcclellandlab.bsky.social @bendavidlab.bsky.social @stesantaguida.bsky.social @foijer-lab.bsky.social, Elsa Logarinho, Caroline Audouin and myself

Chromosome Segregation and Aneuploidy Aneuploidy is a hallmark of cancer and developmental disorders such as Down syndrome. Understanding how cells accomplish faithful chromosome segregation and how chromosomal instability (CIN) impacts …

Excited to get the #EMBOChromoploidy meeting started! 3 days of fantastic science and fun in beautiful Stresa are beginning now!

meetings.embo.org/event/25-ane...

The FANCD2-FANCI heterodimer coordinates chromatin openness and cell cycle progression throughout DNA double-strand break repair The FANCD2-FANCI heterodimer contributes to DNA repair at interstrand crosslinks and sites of replication stress. This complex has been physically and mechanistically linked to double-strand break (DSB) repair, but its role in that process remains undefined. Here we show that the FANCD2-FANCI heterodimer dynamically interacts with open chromatin regions, including transient, DSB-induced open chromatin, where it can be stabilized by co-activation by the DNA repair kinase ATM and the Fanconi anemia core ubiquitin ligase. The loaded FANCD2-FANCI heterodimer stabilizes open chromatin and promotes resection and loading of RPA through increased association of BRCA1 and BLM. Chromatin-loaded FANCD2-FANCI has a second distinct function promoting a G2 arrest that is dependent on the ATR-CHK1-WEE1 axis. Our results support a two-step genome surveillance model in which FANCD2-FANCI monitors open chromatin sites and is stably loaded to coordinate DNA repair activities in response to signaling from a DNA repair kinase. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Super cool new preprint: FANCD2:FANCI is a sensor of open chromatin, independent of DNA damage, but further increased at double strand breaks.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A chemical-genetic system to rapidly inhibit the PP2A-B56 phosphatase reveals a role at metaphase kinetochores - Nature Communications Phosphatase enzymes are challenging to study due to a lack of specific inhibitors. Here, authors develop a chemical-genetic system to inhibit and characterize a major Ser/Thr phosphatase complex, and ...

Delighted to share a chemical-genetic system we developed to rapidly inhibit a serine/threonine phosphatase complex (within secs). This will make it much easier to study #phosphatases. The system is also applicable to other “undruggable” enzymes.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We now have a Twitter account, to reach people who are not on bluesky—and to help get them here.

If you still have a Twitter account please follow us there, and ask others to follow too.
x.com/altnih4science

A window-of-opportunity trial reveals mechanisms of response and resistance to navtemadlin in patients with recurrent glioblastoma In patients with glioblastoma, navtemadlin resistance is not mediated by TP53-inactivating mutations, and combination with TMZ may improve efficacy.

A window-of-opportunity trial reveals mechanisms of response and resistance to navtemadlin in patients with recurrent glioblastoma | Science Translational Medicine www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...

Please check out our preprint where we find that mitotic transcription helps ensure ecDNA inheritance through chromosomal tethering:

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

Dear all,

Postdoc positions are available to work on (1) the role of DNA strand break repair proteins during DNA replication and (2) the molecular/structural biology of XRCC1 protein complexes, as part of our work on genetic diseases & cancer. Contact me if interested: k.w.caldecott@sussex.ac.uk

A compendium of Amplification-Related Gain Of Sensitivity genes in human cancer Nature Communications - In cancer, the impact on cellular fitness of copy-number gains affecting collaterally-amplified genes remains poorly understood compared to oncogenes. Here, the authors...

Supper happy to see the results of our longstanding collaboration in @naturecomms.bsky.social. We identify RBM14 as an ARGOS gene to modulate cGAS-STING signalling. Driven by @ms01.bsky.social and @vrendo.bsky.social with @bendavidlab.bsky.social and @rameenberoukhim.bsky.social. rdcu.be/d7Mky

New paper out! 🚨🥳

We thought that passenger gene amplifications can drive cancer vulnerabilities and show that RBM14 does so via cGAS-STING modulation 👇
@vrendo.bsky.social @bendavidlab.bsky.social @rameenberoukhim.bsky.social @foijer-lab.bsky.social

A compendium of Amplification-Related Gain Of Sensitivity genes in human cancer - Nature Communications In cancer, the impact on cellular fitness of copy-number gains affecting collaterally-amplified genes remains poorly understood compared to oncogenes. Here, the authors integrate genomic data from tum...

So excited to see our paper describing the class of ARGOS genes in cancer out in @naturecomms.bsky.social! 🤩
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A giant effort led with @ms01.bsky.social and executed under the mentorship of @bendavidlab.bsky.social @rameenberoukhim.bsky.social @foijer-lab.bsky.social
🧵👇:

High CDC20 levels increase sensitivity of #cancer cells to MPS1 inhibitors.

-> www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

High CDC20 expression promotes aneuploid cancer #cell sensitivity to #spindle assembly #checkpoint (SAC) inhibition by prolonging #metaphase and reducing mitotic errors.

CDC20 is a modulator of CIN, too much CDC20 promotes CIN, too little CDC20 decreases sensitivity to spindle checkpoint inhibitors. A very fruitful collaboration between the @bendavidlab.bsky.social and our lab. Check out our publication here: www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

The Foijer lab is making a new start @bsky.app, moving away from X. We will continue to update you of our science news and share news of others as previously, and maybe even a bit more proactively :). Let's stay in touch!

Chromosome Segregation and Aneuploidy Aneuploidy is a hallmark of cancer and developmental disorders such as Down syndrome. Understanding how cells accomplish faithful chromosome segregation and how chromosomal instability (CIN) impacts …

Please consider joining us at the next EMBO Chromosome Segregation and Aneuploidy Meeting co-organised by @mcclellandlab.bsky.social @foijer-lab.bsky.social @bendavidlab.bsky.social Elsa Logarinho Dani Fachinetti and myself meetings.embo.org/event/25-ane... 🧬🔬😎

🚨Our call is open NOW! Join our PhD program in Amsterdam. Deadline: Feb. 28. Apply here: bit.ly/3O4bOjq #PhD

A great initiative to spread the use of non-mammalian models in cancer research!!!!

The Max Planck Society consists of 84 institutes worldwide. Do you want to know what they are researching? Then follow the ever-growing #MaxPlanck Family on Bluesky, share this starter pack and help people join our community 🙏 Thanks a lot! 😊 go.bsky.app/2sYoWWN

Homologous recombination promotes non-immunogenic mitotic cell death upon DNA damage - Nature Cell Biology Szmyd et al. show that DNA repair pathways impact whether cells with DNA lesions arrest in mitosis. The formation of homologous recombination-driven double Holliday junctions elicits mitotic cell deat...

1/Delighted to announce the newest paper from our lab, “Homologous recombination promotes non-immunogenic mitotic cell death upon DNA damage”, is out today in @naturecellbiology.bsky.social, www.nature.com/articles/s41....

Chromosome Segregation and Aneuploidy Aneuploidy is a hallmark of cancer and developmental disorders such as Down syndrome. Understanding how cells accomplish faithful chromosome segregation and how chromosomal instability (CIN) impacts …

Announcing the next EMBO Chromosome Segregation and Aneuploidy Meeting! Italy 2025. Please register and join us for another exciting and friendly meeting in a beautiful location meetings.embo.org/event/25-ane...