Peter Andersen
@germline.bsky.social
Germline genome regulation & genetic conflicts
piRNAs | paralogs | epigenetics | transposons | flies
Group leader, Aarhus University, Denmark (https://mbg.au.dk/pan)
YOLO but germ cells are immortal and I wanna know how they do that.
piRNAs | paralogs | epigenetics | transposons | flies
Group leader, Aarhus University, Denmark (https://mbg.au.dk/pan)
YOLO but germ cells are immortal and I wanna know how they do that.
Pinned
Peter Andersen
@germline.bsky.social
· Oct 30
Recurrent innovation of protein-protein interactions in the Drosophila piRNA pathway
Despite being essential for fertility, genome defence pathway genes often evolve rapidly. However, little is known about the molecular basis of this adaptation. Here, we characterize the evolution of ...
www.biorxiv.org
🧬 New PAN Lab Preprint Alert! 🧬
1/ Genome defence pathway genes are crucial for animal fertility yet often evolve rapidly. We investigated the molecular basis of such rapid evolution in the fly piRNA pathway
TL;DR: protein-protein interaction innovation 💡🤝
🧵👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/ Genome defence pathway genes are crucial for animal fertility yet often evolve rapidly. We investigated the molecular basis of such rapid evolution in the fly piRNA pathway
TL;DR: protein-protein interaction innovation 💡🤝
🧵👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Are you an early-stage graduate student (2nd or 3rd year) or early-stage postdoc based in the US or Canada, working primarily in Drosophila? Would you like to help improve the experience of all trainees working in Drosophila research? If so, read on.
(Please repost to reach a broad audience.)
(Please repost to reach a broad audience.)
November 12, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Are you an early-stage graduate student (2nd or 3rd year) or early-stage postdoc based in the US or Canada, working primarily in Drosophila? Would you like to help improve the experience of all trainees working in Drosophila research? If so, read on.
(Please repost to reach a broad audience.)
(Please repost to reach a broad audience.)
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Chromatin fatigue: DNA repair alters the chromatin environment and introduces heritable variation in gene expression in a larger region around the lesion! Amazing achievement by @sbantele.bsky.social and Jiri Lukas published in @science.org 🙌 Happy we could contribute. See 👇
𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲?Excited to share our new study “Repair of DNA double-strand breaks leaves heritable impairment to genome function”, revealing DNA repair’s hidden cost, out now @science.org tinyurl.com/5n6zw3ye. Led by @sbantele.bsky.social and Jiri Lukas.🧵👇1/n
Repair of DNA double-strand breaks leaves heritable impairment to genome function
Upon DNA breakage, a genomic locus undergoes alterations in three-dimensional chromatin architecture to facilitate signaling and repair. Although cells possess mechanisms to repair damaged DNA, it is ...
tinyurl.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Chromatin fatigue: DNA repair alters the chromatin environment and introduces heritable variation in gene expression in a larger region around the lesion! Amazing achievement by @sbantele.bsky.social and Jiri Lukas published in @science.org 🙌 Happy we could contribute. See 👇
Reposted by Peter Andersen
FastGA -> ALNview; step into the centromeric matrix! github.com/thegenemyers Probably the best dot plot software on the planet...
November 11, 2025 at 7:20 PM
FastGA -> ALNview; step into the centromeric matrix! github.com/thegenemyers Probably the best dot plot software on the planet...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
New paper from the lab: we’re using long-read sequencing to disentangle isoform complexity at allele-specific loci 🧬💡
Here, we combine the PacBio Iso-Seq workflow with the established WhatsHap phasing approach to assign long reads to the correct allele in polymorphic F1 mouse hybrids.
Here, we combine the PacBio Iso-Seq workflow with the established WhatsHap phasing approach to assign long reads to the correct allele in polymorphic F1 mouse hybrids.
November 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM
New paper from the lab: we’re using long-read sequencing to disentangle isoform complexity at allele-specific loci 🧬💡
Here, we combine the PacBio Iso-Seq workflow with the established WhatsHap phasing approach to assign long reads to the correct allele in polymorphic F1 mouse hybrids.
Here, we combine the PacBio Iso-Seq workflow with the established WhatsHap phasing approach to assign long reads to the correct allele in polymorphic F1 mouse hybrids.
Reposted by Peter Andersen
I feel like I'm going crazy. Is reviewing grants and papers time-consuming and painful, but a vitally important part of our job and the scientific enterprise? Or is it drudge work we're supposed to outsource to AI?
November 11, 2025 at 9:35 AM
I feel like I'm going crazy. Is reviewing grants and papers time-consuming and painful, but a vitally important part of our job and the scientific enterprise? Or is it drudge work we're supposed to outsource to AI?
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Delighted to share Array Assembler — a web tool for designing oligos for generating crRNA arrays for #Cas12 and #Cas13 systems. Input spacers and key plasmid details to generate an order-ready XLSX of oligos, streamlining array creation while minimising cost, time, and errors. Happy CRISPRing!
May 8, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Peter Andersen
new Lai lab paper @natsmb.nature.com! Dicer is specifically mutated in cancer, but we don't fully understand its molecular/reg impacts. with @danweihuangfu.bsky.social, we characterized the first knockin Dicer hotspot in hESCs, and found unexpected defects in miRNA biogenesis! 🧬 1/4
rdcu.be/eOc0q
rdcu.be/eOc0q
Human DICER1 hotspot mutation induces both loss and gain of miRNA function
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology - Jee et al. study a cancer hotspot allele of DICER1 that disrupts RNaseIIIb activity. Beyond ablating 5p hairpin cleavage, 3p passenger strands are...
rdcu.be
November 10, 2025 at 4:43 PM
new Lai lab paper @natsmb.nature.com! Dicer is specifically mutated in cancer, but we don't fully understand its molecular/reg impacts. with @danweihuangfu.bsky.social, we characterized the first knockin Dicer hotspot in hESCs, and found unexpected defects in miRNA biogenesis! 🧬 1/4
rdcu.be/eOc0q
rdcu.be/eOc0q
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Excited to share our new preprint on BioRxiv!
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
The tiny germline chromosomes of Paramecium aurelia have an exceptionally high recombination rate and are capped by a new class of Helitrons
Background. Paramecia belong to the ciliate phylum of unicellular eukaryotes characterized by nuclear dimorphism. A diploid germline micronucleus (MIC) transmits genetic information across sexual gene...
www.biorxiv.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Excited to share our new preprint on BioRxiv!
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
A collaborative effort spanning many years and several labs to uncover what the germline chromosomes of Paramecium really look like. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
Reposted by Peter Andersen
It's weird. A hundred years ago, only rich people owned cars while everyone else owned horses. Now only rich people own horses while everyone else owns cars.
How the stables have turned.
How the stables have turned.
November 8, 2025 at 7:14 PM
It's weird. A hundred years ago, only rich people owned cars while everyone else owned horses. Now only rich people own horses while everyone else owns cars.
How the stables have turned.
How the stables have turned.
Reposted by Peter Andersen
And we have another open position, this time with a focus on Genome Biology! Join a great community in Vienna to bring your research to the next level!
📢 Open Call! The Max Perutz Labs invite applications for a Tenure-Track Professorship in Genome Biology. We are particularly interested in researchers investigating the molecular and biophysical mechanisms underlying genome function and regulation. More details ➡️ tinyurl.com/3t7vvdct
November 6, 2025 at 4:35 AM
And we have another open position, this time with a focus on Genome Biology! Join a great community in Vienna to bring your research to the next level!
Reposted by Peter Andersen
great to be at the #EMBOMobileGenome meeting in Heidelberg with a wonderful bunch of colleagues, speakers and attendees.
this meeting is a good reflection of the excitement and collegiality in the transposon field.
kindly sponsored by @embo.org
this meeting is a good reflection of the excitement and collegiality in the transposon field.
kindly sponsored by @embo.org
Welcome to Day 1 of 'The mobile genome: genetic and physiological impacts of transposable elements'! 🧬
The opening remarks by Julius Brennecke accompanied by his fellow scientific organisers:
🔹Déborah Bourc'his
🔹Josefa González
🔹Joseph Peters
#EMBOMobileGenome
The opening remarks by Julius Brennecke accompanied by his fellow scientific organisers:
🔹Déborah Bourc'his
🔹Josefa González
🔹Joseph Peters
#EMBOMobileGenome
November 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM
great to be at the #EMBOMobileGenome meeting in Heidelberg with a wonderful bunch of colleagues, speakers and attendees.
this meeting is a good reflection of the excitement and collegiality in the transposon field.
kindly sponsored by @embo.org
this meeting is a good reflection of the excitement and collegiality in the transposon field.
kindly sponsored by @embo.org
What's the ultimate 45-minute introduction to RNAi?
Updating a lecture made me start from scratch to make it... ✨ ultimate ✨
Main focus: anti-viral and genome defense functions in plants+fungi+invertebrates
If you have input (or even better *slides*), please reply here or DM me
Thanks!
Updating a lecture made me start from scratch to make it... ✨ ultimate ✨
Main focus: anti-viral and genome defense functions in plants+fungi+invertebrates
If you have input (or even better *slides*), please reply here or DM me
Thanks!
November 3, 2025 at 12:21 PM
What's the ultimate 45-minute introduction to RNAi?
Updating a lecture made me start from scratch to make it... ✨ ultimate ✨
Main focus: anti-viral and genome defense functions in plants+fungi+invertebrates
If you have input (or even better *slides*), please reply here or DM me
Thanks!
Updating a lecture made me start from scratch to make it... ✨ ultimate ✨
Main focus: anti-viral and genome defense functions in plants+fungi+invertebrates
If you have input (or even better *slides*), please reply here or DM me
Thanks!
Reposted by Peter Andersen
My awesome grad student Shashank and I wrote this paper trying to look at broader patterns of HT in TEs. HT is happening everywhere! DNA transposons jump further than other classes! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Recent horizontal transfer of transposable elements in Drosophila
Transposable elements (TEs) are genetic elements also known as "jumping genes" that increase their copy numbers within a host through various mechanisms of transposition. TEs can also move between spe...
www.biorxiv.org
October 31, 2025 at 3:58 PM
My awesome grad student Shashank and I wrote this paper trying to look at broader patterns of HT in TEs. HT is happening everywhere! DNA transposons jump further than other classes! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
🚨Our collaboration with @centriolelab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social is out today in @cp-cell.bsky.social
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
October 31, 2025 at 2:42 PM
🚨Our collaboration with @centriolelab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social is out today in @cp-cell.bsky.social
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Lab’s first paper is out!! We show the first structures of #Asgard #chromatin by #cryo-EM 🧬❄️
Asgard histones form closed and open hypernucleosomes. Closed are conserved across #Archaea, while open resemble eukaryotic H3–H4 octasomes and are Asgard-specific. More here: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Asgard histones form closed and open hypernucleosomes. Closed are conserved across #Archaea, while open resemble eukaryotic H3–H4 octasomes and are Asgard-specific. More here: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
October 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Lab’s first paper is out!! We show the first structures of #Asgard #chromatin by #cryo-EM 🧬❄️
Asgard histones form closed and open hypernucleosomes. Closed are conserved across #Archaea, while open resemble eukaryotic H3–H4 octasomes and are Asgard-specific. More here: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Asgard histones form closed and open hypernucleosomes. Closed are conserved across #Archaea, while open resemble eukaryotic H3–H4 octasomes and are Asgard-specific. More here: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
I’m a fair-weather poster on here to say the least. However, I'm pleased to present our latest paper. A great effort from all authors and an interesting insight into transcriptional regulation (we think!).
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Sequential verification of transcription by Integrator and Restrictor
Estell and Łazowski et al. show that Integrator and Restrictor form distinct pathways
for early attenuation of RNA polymerase II: Integrator acts at the promoter-proximal
pause site, whereas Restricto...
www.cell.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I’m a fair-weather poster on here to say the least. However, I'm pleased to present our latest paper. A great effort from all authors and an interesting insight into transcriptional regulation (we think!).
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
We (@sobuelow.bsky.social) developed AF-CALVADOS to integrate AlphaFold and CALVADOS to simulate flexible multidomain proteins at scale
See preprint for:
— Ensembles of >12000 full-length human proteins
— Analysis of IDRs in >1500 TFs
📜 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
💾 github.com/KULL-Centre/...
See preprint for:
— Ensembles of >12000 full-length human proteins
— Analysis of IDRs in >1500 TFs
📜 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
💾 github.com/KULL-Centre/...
October 20, 2025 at 11:26 AM
We (@sobuelow.bsky.social) developed AF-CALVADOS to integrate AlphaFold and CALVADOS to simulate flexible multidomain proteins at scale
See preprint for:
— Ensembles of >12000 full-length human proteins
— Analysis of IDRs in >1500 TFs
📜 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
💾 github.com/KULL-Centre/...
See preprint for:
— Ensembles of >12000 full-length human proteins
— Analysis of IDRs in >1500 TFs
📜 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
💾 github.com/KULL-Centre/...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Today @anthropic.com released PubMed integration for Claude. No hallucinations. Just real science, real data. As a beta tester, this has been game changing— a supercharged research tool. Here are 6 prompts that will transform how you search the literature. A 🧵
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
Claude for Life Sciences
Discover how Claude accelerates life sciences research with new scientific connectors, skills, and improved performance for drug discovery and clinical work.
www.anthropic.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Today @anthropic.com released PubMed integration for Claude. No hallucinations. Just real science, real data. As a beta tester, this has been game changing— a supercharged research tool. Here are 6 prompts that will transform how you search the literature. A 🧵
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Excited to share our new @narjournal.bsky.social paper!
Using ReLo and AlphaFold, we described a network of interactions between Drosophila piRNA pathway factors suggesting new links how they coordinate to ensure transposon silencing and genome integrity.
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Using ReLo and AlphaFold, we described a network of interactions between Drosophila piRNA pathway factors suggesting new links how they coordinate to ensure transposon silencing and genome integrity.
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
October 18, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Excited to share our new @narjournal.bsky.social paper!
Using ReLo and AlphaFold, we described a network of interactions between Drosophila piRNA pathway factors suggesting new links how they coordinate to ensure transposon silencing and genome integrity.
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Using ReLo and AlphaFold, we described a network of interactions between Drosophila piRNA pathway factors suggesting new links how they coordinate to ensure transposon silencing and genome integrity.
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
Our latest paper on a histone methyltransferase-independent function of PRC2 controlling small RNA dynamics during programmed DNA elimination in Paramecium is now published in #NAR.
#RNAbiology #TEsky #smallRNAs #PRC2 #DNAelimination
1/5
academic.oup.com/nar/article-...
#RNAbiology #TEsky #smallRNAs #PRC2 #DNAelimination
1/5
academic.oup.com/nar/article-...
A histone methyltransferase-independent function of PRC2 controls small RNA dynamics during programmed DNA elimination in Paramecium
Abstract. To limit transposable element (TE) mobilization, most eukaryotes have evolved small RNAs to silence TE activity via homology-dependent mechanisms
academic.oup.com
October 17, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Our latest paper on a histone methyltransferase-independent function of PRC2 controlling small RNA dynamics during programmed DNA elimination in Paramecium is now published in #NAR.
#RNAbiology #TEsky #smallRNAs #PRC2 #DNAelimination
1/5
academic.oup.com/nar/article-...
#RNAbiology #TEsky #smallRNAs #PRC2 #DNAelimination
1/5
academic.oup.com/nar/article-...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
I think people adjacent to science (but who now find themselves deciding the fate of US science somehow) undervalue humility, valuing braggadocios hubris instead.
Yes it’s true that some scientific discoveries are complete paradigm changers, and we celebrate these. 1/
Yes it’s true that some scientific discoveries are complete paradigm changers, and we celebrate these. 1/
October 16, 2025 at 4:11 PM
I think people adjacent to science (but who now find themselves deciding the fate of US science somehow) undervalue humility, valuing braggadocios hubris instead.
Yes it’s true that some scientific discoveries are complete paradigm changers, and we celebrate these. 1/
Yes it’s true that some scientific discoveries are complete paradigm changers, and we celebrate these. 1/
Reposted by Peter Andersen
When transposons jump, genomes diverge - even in cultured cells.
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
October 14, 2025 at 8:34 PM
When transposons jump, genomes diverge - even in cultured cells.
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
Reposted by Peter Andersen
We still can’t predict much of anything in biology
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/we-still-c...
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/we-still-c...
We still can’t predict much of anything in biology
Biology is hard. Yes, even for AI.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM
We still can’t predict much of anything in biology
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/we-still-c...
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/we-still-c...
Reposted by Peter Andersen
How does a “universal” transcription factor evolve to do species-specific jobs?
Our new preprint reveals how divergence in TBP’s domains shapes transcriptional specialization across eukaryotes.
Read it here 👉
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#MolecularEvolution #Transcription
Our new preprint reveals how divergence in TBP’s domains shapes transcriptional specialization across eukaryotes.
Read it here 👉
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#MolecularEvolution #Transcription
Molecular determinants underlying functional divergence of TBP homologs
The TATA-box binding protein (TBP) is a highly conserved basal transcription factor and a core component of the pre-initiation complex (PIC) for all three eukaryotic RNA polymerases (RNA Pols). Despit...
www.biorxiv.org
October 7, 2025 at 7:43 PM
How does a “universal” transcription factor evolve to do species-specific jobs?
Our new preprint reveals how divergence in TBP’s domains shapes transcriptional specialization across eukaryotes.
Read it here 👉
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#MolecularEvolution #Transcription
Our new preprint reveals how divergence in TBP’s domains shapes transcriptional specialization across eukaryotes.
Read it here 👉
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#MolecularEvolution #Transcription