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Luke Yates

@layates.bsky.social

Assistant Professor in Genome Stability at University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. Visiting scientist at Francis Crick Institute & Imperial College London. Structural biologist investigating DNA damage checkpoints. Artist and charity trustee. Views are own.

543 Followers  |  849 Following  |  11 Posts  |  Joined: 13.11.2024  |  1.5949

Latest posts by layates.bsky.social on Bluesky

Fantastic to see this published! Congratulations to all the authors on a very nice study.

03.09.2025 18:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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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: β€œDNA2 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

03.09.2025 15:59 β€” πŸ‘ 39    πŸ” 19    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 1
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Centromere protection requires strict mitotic inactivation of the Bloom syndrome helicase complex Nature Communications - Centromeres play an essential function in faithful chromosome segregation. Here, the authors demonstrate the mechanism by which human cells dynamically modulate the activity...

#NEW_PAPER

In this study, the Chan Lab uncover the molecular mechanisms by which human cells safeguard centromeric chromatin during mitosis, via tight dynamic control of the Bloom Syndrome complex (BTRR).

rdcu.be/eCGxF

27.08.2025 11:16 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
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The balance between B55Ξ± and Greatwall expression levels predicts sensitivity to Greatwall inhibition in cancer cells Nature Communications - The authors develop and characterise a selective Greatwall inhibitor, C-604, and show that its cytotoxicity stems from PP2A-B55Ξ± hyperactivation. They identify...

#NEW_PAPER
The Hochegger laboratory + collaborators investigate the sensitivity of cancer cells to a highly selective inhibitor of human Greatwall kinase (GWL) + the BB5alpha-to-GWL expression ratio is a predictive biomarker for the cellular reponse to Greatwall-targeted therapeutics. rdcu.be/eC4Hf

29.08.2025 14:20 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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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...

#New-Paper Rass laboratory reveal DNA2 to be a gatekeeper to homologous recombination at stalled DNA replication forks, rrequired to stave off cellular senescence. Their findings provide a molecular explanation for the association of DNA2 with primordial dwarfism and cancer.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

03.09.2025 15:13 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Exclusive Interview with Nobel Prize Winner John Jumper: AI's Next Frontier After AlphaFold
YouTube video by Agents of Tech Exclusive Interview with Nobel Prize Winner John Jumper: AI's Next Frontier After AlphaFold

Absolute pleasure to be invited back on the @agentsoftech.bsky.social podcast to join Stephen Horn and Laila Rizvi and talk with #Nobel winner John Jumper about #AlphaFold and research at Google DeepMind. We also touch on needing experimentalists, and what he & AI will tackle next in biology

06.08.2025 21:34 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I use Modevectors in PyMol pymolwiki.org/index.php/Mo... to depict the motion between my structures in this paper www.nature.com/articles/s41...

06.08.2025 17:06 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Congratulations!

26.06.2025 22:53 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
DNA Damage and Replication Stress Checkpoints | Annual Reviews DNA damage checkpoints are key regulatory signaling cascades that arrest cell cycle progression upon DNA damage or upon DNA replication stalling and allow time for repair or correction. Failure to eli...

Published online now in @annualreviews.bsky.social Annual Review of Biochemistry, Prof Zhang @crick.ac.uk and Prof Burgers @washu.bsky.social and I summarise current mechanistic understanding of DNA damage checkpoints, which act as a barrier to cancer in humans. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

24.06.2025 08:42 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I had a case where the grids were OUTSIDE of the grid box and were at the bottom of the dewar 😱 eBIC skilfully retrieved them and loaded - they were completely fine πŸ˜΅β€πŸ’«

28.03.2025 07:48 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

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

10.02.2025 14:45 β€” πŸ‘ 37    πŸ” 36    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Life Sciences PhD Genome Stability - Molecular basis for DNA damage checkpoint termination : University of Sussex

I have a funded PhD position in my lab in @gdsc-sussex.bsky.social (UK fees only).

This is an exciting new project using structural biology to investigate proteins involved in ovarian cancer, with opportunities for drug discovery and collaborations with clinicians. Application link below.

11.02.2025 09:57 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

OK, I’ll bite - the Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 complex?

11.01.2025 22:21 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I have received a Wellcome Discovery Award to study the initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication, with 8 years of funding at the Francis Crick Institute.

Looking for a postdoc in molecular mechanisms, cryo-EM, cryo-FIB and in situ structure? Contact me now!

3 postdoc positions advertised soon.

11.12.2024 13:53 β€” πŸ‘ 183    πŸ” 49    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 1

The Genome Damage and Stability Centre at the University of Sussex has now joined BlueSky! Follow us here, for news, views and publications.

06.12.2024 09:25 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

Online today @science.org πŸ‘€Molecular basis of FIGNL1 in dissociating RAD51 from #DNA and #chromatin by @alexcarver.bsky.social @layates.bsky.social et al. in @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @mskcancercenter.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

05.12.2024 21:11 β€” πŸ‘ 27    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Lovely structures, Alessandro!

27.11.2024 17:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Celebrating 70 Years of Organ Transplants: Inspiring Stories of Legacy, Innovation, and Hope
YouTube video by WebsEdgeMedicine Celebrating 70 Years of Organ Transplants: Inspiring Stories of Legacy, Innovation, and Hope

The Equal Dose podcast by @websedgetv.bsky.social covered a topic very close to my heart - organ donation. And it was wonderful to share my story and very humbling to hear about Billy Moon’s legacy. Episode available here: youtu.be/9UAruhx2vk0?...

24.11.2024 22:16 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Building Blocks of Life, AlphaFold and AI Drug Development
YouTube video by WebsEdge Building Blocks of Life, AlphaFold and AI Drug Development

It was a pleasure to be invited on the β€˜Agents of Tech’ podcast from @websedgetv.bsky.social to talk about how AlphaFold3 is transforming structural biology and biomedical research. Link to the episode below: youtu.be/ohKGM6A9vhQ

15.11.2024 20:57 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@layates is following 19 prominent accounts