Fascinated to see how an animal launches piRNA defense response when facing a natual transposon invasion!! Congrats to Baptiste and co-authors!!
04.08.2025 09:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
piRNAs are essential for transposon silencing in the animal germline.
But how do hosts trap transposon sequences in genomic loci that help establish a piRNA response?
Looking at a natural transposon invasion, Baptiste Rafanel and Kirsten Senti made some remarkable observations.
03.08.2025 15:39 — 👍 39 🔁 14 💬 2 📌 1
Remodeling Activity of ChAHP Restricts Transcription Factor Access to Chromatin
Transcription in eukaryotes is regulated by chromatin-based mechanisms that control nucleosome occupancy, chromatin modifications, and transcription factor binding. We have previously shown that the transcription factor ADNP forms the ChAHP complex with the chromatin remodeler CHD4 and HP1 proteins, acting as a site-specific regulator of transcription and antagonist of CTCF binding. However, the molecular basis of these functions remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the CHD4 subunit is essential to antagonize CTCF and silence transcription of transposons, while HP1 proteins are dispensable. Although the remodeling activity of CHD4 is not required for ChAHP chromatin association, it is critical for both transposon repression and CTCF antagonism. Our findings support a model wherein ADNP recruits chromatin remodeling activity in a sequence-specific manner, enabling transcriptional control and local modulation of chromatin architecture. ### Competing Interest Statement The Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) receives significant financial contributions from the Novartis Research Foundation. Published research reagents from the FMI are shared with the academic community under a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) having terms and conditions corresponding to those of the UBMTA (Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement). Novartis Research Foundation, n.a. Swiss National Science Foundation, grant 310030_188835
preprint alert: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
06.07.2025 11:55 — 👍 41 🔁 10 💬 1 📌 2
If you like transposons...
If you you love genome editing...
Or if you just like random bird animations,
we have the paper for you!
We (@kedmonds.bsky.social et al) are happy to share our work turning a songbird retrotransposon into a genome editing tool. 🐣 (1/n)
03.07.2025 03:20 — 👍 43 🔁 16 💬 4 📌 2
⚠️ I am really excited to share the work of Anastasios Balaskas, an excellent PhD candidate in the lab, with the wider world. Tasos made a significant advance: generating a stem cell-based embryo model that contains both posterior and anterior neural tissues of the late-stage gastrulating embryo.
23.06.2025 07:51 — 👍 123 🔁 45 💬 4 📌 7
REFEREE 1: “I conclude with a simple, direct statement - this is the best paper I have read all year!”
#TransparentPeerReview
Co-evolving infectivity and expression patterns drive the diversification of endogenous retroviruses
@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social et al
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
06.06.2025 14:18 — 👍 102 🔁 33 💬 3 📌 2
Genome-wide CRISPR screening identified a novel negative regulator ASB7 of H3K9me3 homeostasis
Cul5-ASB7 E3 ligase complex➡️⏫ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of SUV39H1 (main H3K9 methyltransferase)
Looks more potent than KDM4A/B/C😎
@science.org 2025
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
06.06.2025 18:53 — 👍 9 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
IMBA is recruiting a Junior Group Leader! Are you interested in starting your own lab, pursuing curiosity-driven basic research in the life sciences? Apply by May 18: imba.science/beagroupleader #hiring #biology #research #groupleader #europe
14.05.2025 07:00 — 👍 16 🔁 19 💬 0 📌 1
We are hiring a postdoctoral researcher! Join the Ma Lab in exploring the the intricate interplay between plant development and defense signaling. Link below. #jobs #research #plantbiology #vienna
09.05.2025 16:15 — 👍 18 🔁 30 💬 1 📌 1
Massively parallel jumping assay decodes Alu retrotransposition activity - Nature Communications
Here, the authors develop a high-throughput assay to measure the jumping potential of thousands of transposons in parallel.
Massively parallel jumping assay (MPJA) enables to test the jumping potential of thousands of transposons. Analysis of >160,000 Alu haplotypes identified transposition-asssociated domains. Amazing work by Navneet Matharu, Jingjing Zhao, Martin Kircher and many others.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
09.05.2025 03:50 — 👍 77 🔁 35 💬 1 📌 2
Gag proteins encoded by endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development | PNAS
Transposable elements (TEs) make up the bulk of eukaryotic genomes and examples abound
of TE-derived sequences repurposed for organismal function. ...
💥🥳 At long last, our latest paper is out!
Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social
A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/n
30.04.2025 10:44 — 👍 252 🔁 103 💬 14 📌 21
You can read our full Review @science.org here 👉👉https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp2959
02.05.2025 09:05 — 👍 20 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0
At the GMI, Hania Contreras is trying to characterize proteins responsible for small RNA-based silencing and uncover how these pathways operate in duckweeds. Early-career researchers in plant science can gain hands-on experience through our internship program. Join us! Link is below.
15.04.2025 06:00 — 👍 4 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
I'm thrilled to announce our latest work is now published in Cell! Viruses encode numerous proteins that inhibit host defenses, but identifying immune-modulatory proteins among millions of viral sequences has been nearly impossible - until now! www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
23.01.2025 15:35 — 👍 160 🔁 48 💬 7 📌 10
Great and inspiring work!
14.04.2025 11:19 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
we've put a Review together 👇
Just came out at www.nature.com/articles/s41...
hoping it is useful for those in the field but also for those not in the field who would like an overview on chromatin/epigenetics/replication/nuclear organisation in early embryos
Enjoy :) - feedback welcome
10.04.2025 16:32 — 👍 57 🔁 19 💬 2 📌 0
Reprogramming site-specific retrotransposon activity to new DNA sites @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
09.04.2025 16:41 — 👍 11 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 0
AITHYRA
🚨 Hiring Alert – Senior Scientist (Biology) 🚨
My lab is looking for a senior scientist to lead functional genomics efforts and decode how small molecules reshape biology
🧬 Lead screens
🤝 Collaborate with top-tier AI/chemistry/biology minds
Interested? then apply: cemm.onlyfy.jobs/job/t7lhh1kz
07.04.2025 12:52 — 👍 14 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 0
👩🏻🎓PhD, working in the Burga lab at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) @imbavienna.bsky.social 🇦🇹
🌴 tropical nematodes, selfish genes and evolution
Curiosity. Human Model Systems. Single-Cell Genomics. EvoDevo…and more!
Piwi and piRNA and pugs enthusiast. Tennis on occasions. http://laulab.bu.edu
Molecular biologist | Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow | antiviral defence | RNA processing | interferons | transposable elements | small RNAs | embryonic development
👩🔬 PhD student at @herassr.bsky.social lab
📍 Granada, Spain
🧬 Transposable elements and immunity
Developmental neurobiologist using cerebral #organoids to study brain size and evolution. Opinions my own.
Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine | Studying the molecular mechanisms underlying cell identity and cell fate switching during differentiation and tumorigenesis.
https://www.distefano-lab.com
Prof Marine Virus Ecology
NIOZ - Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
& Univ Amsterdam
Center at Yale University that supports cutting-edge research in RNA biology and medicine by fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations
Working @adelmanlab.bsky.social @hms-bcmp.bsky.social. Previously at Martin Eilers/Elmar Wolf Lab @uni-wuerzburg.de Interested in transcription and dsRNA biology - with a special focus on RNA Pol II. Gryffindor with mildly Slytherin tendencies
Postdoc in the Percharde lab at the MRC LMS studying epigenetics and development.
Kiwi in London.
Gardener, swimmer, v. amateur birdwatcher.
Structural biologist - currently ubiquitin ligases, previously DNA replication and bacterial metabolism
Research Associate - Clausen Lab, IMP Vienna
Scientist interested in #integrons, antimicrobial resistance and the molecular basis of adaptation. Working at at Univ. Complutense (http://ucm.es/mbalab).
Bacterial plasticity, integrons, phage defence
DR2-CNRS, cheffe de groupe @Institut Pasteur
PhD student in the PGB lab at Institut Pasteur | integrons, bacterial immunity
Professor, Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Director, Institute for Human Genetics, UCSF
