Alexandra Teslenko
@alexateslenko.bsky.social
Biochemist, PhD, @LCBM, EPFL🇨🇭
PTMs | ubiquitin | single-molecule enzymology🔬| chromatin | PRC1 mediated gene regulation 🧬
PTMs | ubiquitin | single-molecule enzymology🔬| chromatin | PRC1 mediated gene regulation 🧬
Pinned
Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes
Single-molecule experiments show that active conformation formation controls chromatin ubiquitylation kinetics by variant PRC1.
doi.org
If you always wanted to know the kinetics of how the Polycomb enzymes modify chromatin, we are thrilled to share our work!!! 🎉📄🧬🔬
Thank you, @beatfierz.bsky.social for all the guidance as well as the @lcbm-epfl.bsky.social group members for all the support!
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Thank you, @beatfierz.bsky.social for all the guidance as well as the @lcbm-epfl.bsky.social group members for all the support!
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Excited to share our latest: we engineered the reactivity of a bacterial E1-like enzyme for ATP-driven modification of C termini. Our tool mimics the logic of peptide bond formation in biology for precision modification of proteins in vitro. 🧪https://rdcu.be/ewN7C
Engineered reactivity of a bacterial E1-like enzyme enables ATP-driven modification of protein and peptide C termini
Nature Chemistry - In living systems, ATP provides an energetic driving force for protein synthesis and modification. Now, an engineered enzymatic tool has been developed for high-yield, ATP-driven...
rdcu.be
July 18, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Excited to share our latest: we engineered the reactivity of a bacterial E1-like enzyme for ATP-driven modification of C termini. Our tool mimics the logic of peptide bond formation in biology for precision modification of proteins in vitro. 🧪https://rdcu.be/ewN7C
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
In today’s publication in Science we introduce Zincore: a novel protein of QRICH1 and SEPHS1 and functions as a transcriptional coregulator dedicated to zinc finger transcription factors. Here’s how we found it: 🧵 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 1/11
Zincore, an atypical coregulator, binds zinc finger transcription factors to control gene expression
Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) are the largest family of transcription factors, yet how they activate gene expression remains unclear. In this study, we identified Zincore, a protein complex consisting o...
www.science.org
July 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM
In today’s publication in Science we introduce Zincore: a novel protein of QRICH1 and SEPHS1 and functions as a transcriptional coregulator dedicated to zinc finger transcription factors. Here’s how we found it: 🧵 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 1/11
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Excited to share our latest study published in Nucleic Acids Research: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
It’s the cover story for Issue #12! We drew inspiration from Greek mythology to illustrate the endless work of CTCF in shaping the 3D genome architecture.
It’s the cover story for Issue #12! We drew inspiration from Greek mythology to illustrate the endless work of CTCF in shaping the 3D genome architecture.
CTCF binding landscape is shaped by the epigenetic state of the N-terminal nucleosome in relation to CTCF motif orientation
Abstract. CTCF binding sites serve as anchors for the 3D chromatin architecture in vertebrates. The functionality of these anchors is influenced by the res
academic.oup.com
July 8, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Excited to share our latest study published in Nucleic Acids Research: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
It’s the cover story for Issue #12! We drew inspiration from Greek mythology to illustrate the endless work of CTCF in shaping the 3D genome architecture.
It’s the cover story for Issue #12! We drew inspiration from Greek mythology to illustrate the endless work of CTCF in shaping the 3D genome architecture.
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
1/
New preprint!
How do transcription factors (TFs) use intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) to find their target sites?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#TranscriptionFactors #IDPs #SingleMolecule #Biophysics
New preprint!
How do transcription factors (TFs) use intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) to find their target sites?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#TranscriptionFactors #IDPs #SingleMolecule #Biophysics
Intrinsically disordered regions facilitate Msn2 target search to drive promoter selectivity
Transcription factors (TFs) regulate gene expression by binding specific DNA motifs, yet only a fraction of putative sites is occupied in vivo. Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) have emerged as ...
www.biorxiv.org
May 27, 2025 at 10:11 PM
1/
New preprint!
How do transcription factors (TFs) use intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) to find their target sites?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#TranscriptionFactors #IDPs #SingleMolecule #Biophysics
New preprint!
How do transcription factors (TFs) use intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) to find their target sites?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#TranscriptionFactors #IDPs #SingleMolecule #Biophysics
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Our new study of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 on the single-molecule scale: We visualize directly how vPRC1 ubiquitylates neighboring nucleosomes during a single binding event, showing a potential mechanism how H2Aub domains are established.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes
Single-molecule experiments show that active conformation formation controls chromatin ubiquitylation kinetics by variant PRC1.
www.science.org
May 21, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Our new study of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 on the single-molecule scale: We visualize directly how vPRC1 ubiquitylates neighboring nucleosomes during a single binding event, showing a potential mechanism how H2Aub domains are established.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
If you always wanted to know the kinetics of how the Polycomb enzymes modify chromatin, we are thrilled to share our work!!! 🎉📄🧬🔬
Thank you, @beatfierz.bsky.social for all the guidance as well as the @lcbm-epfl.bsky.social group members for all the support!
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Thank you, @beatfierz.bsky.social for all the guidance as well as the @lcbm-epfl.bsky.social group members for all the support!
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes
Single-molecule experiments show that active conformation formation controls chromatin ubiquitylation kinetics by variant PRC1.
doi.org
May 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM
If you always wanted to know the kinetics of how the Polycomb enzymes modify chromatin, we are thrilled to share our work!!! 🎉📄🧬🔬
Thank you, @beatfierz.bsky.social for all the guidance as well as the @lcbm-epfl.bsky.social group members for all the support!
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Thank you, @beatfierz.bsky.social for all the guidance as well as the @lcbm-epfl.bsky.social group members for all the support!
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Excited to share our new preprint on HLp—a bacterial histone from Leptospira perolatii that forms stable tetramers and wraps ~60 bp of DNA: "DNA Wrapping by a Tetrameric Bacterial Histone" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
@mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
@mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
May 12, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Excited to share our new preprint on HLp—a bacterial histone from Leptospira perolatii that forms stable tetramers and wraps ~60 bp of DNA: "DNA Wrapping by a Tetrameric Bacterial Histone" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
@mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
@mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
There are days in life that shake you.
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
March 18, 2025 at 11:27 PM
There are days in life that shake you.
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Check it out! Another novel RNA modification - ADP-ribosylation - that was previously only known on proteins. A cousin to #glycoRNA 👏
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Check it out! Another novel RNA modification - ADP-ribosylation - that was previously only known on proteins. A cousin to #glycoRNA 👏
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
We made a photoswitchable HaloTag (psHaloTag), which can reversibly turn-on fluorogenic dyes upon illumination 💡. Congrats to Franzi, Bego and all co-authors, check out our preprint below 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
January 7, 2025 at 8:45 AM
We made a photoswitchable HaloTag (psHaloTag), which can reversibly turn-on fluorogenic dyes upon illumination 💡. Congrats to Franzi, Bego and all co-authors, check out our preprint below 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Would you like to see @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social add a share to blue sky button?! I know I would! Share this post to let @richardsever.bsky.social @erictopol.bsky.social and others at bioarxiv know!
December 2, 2024 at 12:10 PM
Would you like to see @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social add a share to blue sky button?! I know I would! Share this post to let @richardsever.bsky.social @erictopol.bsky.social and others at bioarxiv know!
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
🥳 Today we celebrated the PhD defense of our very first PhD student Kevin Schiefelbein 🤩 Kevin told us about his Lasso Peptide journey over the past four years, and it was so great to see the full story coming together. Congratulations Kevin, and thank you for everything! #proudPI
December 4, 2024 at 8:45 PM
🥳 Today we celebrated the PhD defense of our very first PhD student Kevin Schiefelbein 🤩 Kevin told us about his Lasso Peptide journey over the past four years, and it was so great to see the full story coming together. Congratulations Kevin, and thank you for everything! #proudPI
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
We did this crazy project where we tried to see if proteins could interact with their mirror image ligand. Seems impossible when proteins need to form 3D structures to interact. But what about if the interaction remains disordered???
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Stereochemistry in the disorder–order continuum of protein interactions - Nature
Studies on protein–protein interactions using proteins containing d- or l-amino acids show that stereoselectivity of binding varies with the degree of disorder within the complex.
www.nature.com
November 27, 2024 at 8:31 PM
We did this crazy project where we tried to see if proteins could interact with their mirror image ligand. Seems impossible when proteins need to form 3D structures to interact. But what about if the interaction remains disordered???
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
behold our paper on Medusavirus nucleosomes. Fantastic work by Chelsea Toner, @nhoitsma.bsky.social, and Sashi Weerawarana This giant virus also encodes a linker histone, more about that in the paper 🧪👩🔬 🧵.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 23, 2024 at 6:19 PM
behold our paper on Medusavirus nucleosomes. Fantastic work by Chelsea Toner, @nhoitsma.bsky.social, and Sashi Weerawarana This giant virus also encodes a linker histone, more about that in the paper 🧪👩🔬 🧵.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
First attempt in a (loosely defined) Single-Molecule Biophysics starter pack. Please share and (self-) nominate. go.bsky.app/CteFZM5
November 13, 2024 at 8:23 AM
First attempt in a (loosely defined) Single-Molecule Biophysics starter pack. Please share and (self-) nominate. go.bsky.app/CteFZM5
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.25.620026v1
Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.25.620026v1
Chromatin regulation relies on "writer" enzymes that add post-translational modifications (PTMs) to
www.biorxiv.org
October 29, 2024 at 10:49 PM
Single-molecule analysis reveals the mechanism of chromatin ubiquitylation by variant PRC1 complexes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.25.620026v1
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Please see our paper in Nature on read-write mechanisms of H2AK119 ubiquitination by Polycomb repressive complex I. Congrats to the whole team, especially Victoria and huge thanks to our collaborator JP Armache! Also big thanks to Mark Foundation for Cancer Research for the support! rdcu.be/dZ5HZ
Read–write mechanisms of H2A ubiquitination by Polycomb repressive complex 1
Nature - Cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical studies elucidate the read–write mechanisms of non-canonical PRC1-containing RYBP in histone H2A lysine 119 monoubiquitination and their...
rdcu.be
November 13, 2024 at 6:23 PM
Please see our paper in Nature on read-write mechanisms of H2AK119 ubiquitination by Polycomb repressive complex I. Congrats to the whole team, especially Victoria and huge thanks to our collaborator JP Armache! Also big thanks to Mark Foundation for Cancer Research for the support! rdcu.be/dZ5HZ
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
📯📯 Chemical Biology starter pack 📯📯
140 PIs & groups posting primary research in chemical biology.
Please reskeet (?) & reply to this post if you want to be added!
go.bsky.app/KLrTWoj
Let's make ChemBioSky even greater again!
#realtimechem #FluorescenceFriday #chemsky #chemtwitter #AgentOrange
140 PIs & groups posting primary research in chemical biology.
Please reskeet (?) & reply to this post if you want to be added!
go.bsky.app/KLrTWoj
Let's make ChemBioSky even greater again!
#realtimechem #FluorescenceFriday #chemsky #chemtwitter #AgentOrange
November 17, 2024 at 10:58 PM
📯📯 Chemical Biology starter pack 📯📯
140 PIs & groups posting primary research in chemical biology.
Please reskeet (?) & reply to this post if you want to be added!
go.bsky.app/KLrTWoj
Let's make ChemBioSky even greater again!
#realtimechem #FluorescenceFriday #chemsky #chemtwitter #AgentOrange
140 PIs & groups posting primary research in chemical biology.
Please reskeet (?) & reply to this post if you want to be added!
go.bsky.app/KLrTWoj
Let's make ChemBioSky even greater again!
#realtimechem #FluorescenceFriday #chemsky #chemtwitter #AgentOrange
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
Check out this list of ubiquitin and Ubl profiles to follow. Repost if you want me to add you to it. Let’s create a good community here ☁️ go.bsky.app/3VPQofn
November 15, 2024 at 7:38 PM
Check out this list of ubiquitin and Ubl profiles to follow. Repost if you want me to add you to it. Let’s create a good community here ☁️ go.bsky.app/3VPQofn
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
⚠️THREAD OF ALL SCIENCE-RELATED STARTER PACKS! ⚠️
🔄Share to help people finding its topic/field
- STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Structural Biology 1: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Structural Biology 2: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Crystallography: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Synchrotron&CryoEM: bsky.app/starter-pack...
🔄Share to help people finding its topic/field
- STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Structural Biology 1: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Structural Biology 2: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Crystallography: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Synchrotron&CryoEM: bsky.app/starter-pack...
November 17, 2024 at 6:48 PM
⚠️THREAD OF ALL SCIENCE-RELATED STARTER PACKS! ⚠️
🔄Share to help people finding its topic/field
- STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Structural Biology 1: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Structural Biology 2: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Crystallography: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Synchrotron&CryoEM: bsky.app/starter-pack...
🔄Share to help people finding its topic/field
- STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Structural Biology 1: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Structural Biology 2: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Crystallography: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Synchrotron&CryoEM: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Reposted by Alexandra Teslenko
On November 20, the new class of peptide-cyanobenzene dye photocatalysts developed by Xingyu have been first made public in a preprint at ChemRxiv, including a great collaboration Wei Cai in the @beatfierz.bsky.social group and Dr. Anne Sophie Chauvin
chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
November 23, 2024 at 8:29 AM
On November 20, the new class of peptide-cyanobenzene dye photocatalysts developed by Xingyu have been first made public in a preprint at ChemRxiv, including a great collaboration Wei Cai in the @beatfierz.bsky.social group and Dr. Anne Sophie Chauvin
chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...