Julius Brennecke
@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social
enthusiast of transposable elements, genetic conflicts, small RNAs, Drosophila, and funky germline biology
running a lab at IMBA, Vienna BioCenter
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research/julius-brennecke
running a lab at IMBA, Vienna BioCenter
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research/julius-brennecke
Pinned
PIWI clade Argonautes are essential for transposon silencing. Without them, animals are sterile due to massive transposon activity.
But how does piRNA-guided target interaction translate into silencing?
PhD student Júlia Portell Montserrat has an intriguing answer
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
But how does piRNA-guided target interaction translate into silencing?
PhD student Júlia Portell Montserrat has an intriguing answer
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Love RNA biology?
Join us to explore the piRNA pathway with structural and genetic approaches (see 👇👇).
PhD student/postdoc position co-supervised by Clemens Plaschka & myself.
DM or email us if you’d like to know more!
@vbcscitraining.bsky.social @imbavienna.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social
Join us to explore the piRNA pathway with structural and genetic approaches (see 👇👇).
PhD student/postdoc position co-supervised by Clemens Plaschka & myself.
DM or email us if you’d like to know more!
@vbcscitraining.bsky.social @imbavienna.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
A lovely example of how extensive cryoEM data classification can provide new insights into the recognition of the nucleosome by nucleosome-modifying proteins.
ALC1 Finds a New Foothold on the Nucleosome's Super-Groove https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.10.687450v1
November 11, 2025 at 10:11 AM
A lovely example of how extensive cryoEM data classification can provide new insights into the recognition of the nucleosome by nucleosome-modifying proteins.
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
🌍Open call: Junior Group Leader positions!
Join a world-class biomedical research institute at the heart of the Vienna BioCenter, where curiosity drives discovery.
Lead your own lab, pursue bold ideas, and shape the future of science at the IMP: www.imp.ac.at/career/open-...
Join a world-class biomedical research institute at the heart of the Vienna BioCenter, where curiosity drives discovery.
Lead your own lab, pursue bold ideas, and shape the future of science at the IMP: www.imp.ac.at/career/open-...
November 10, 2025 at 1:26 PM
🌍Open call: Junior Group Leader positions!
Join a world-class biomedical research institute at the heart of the Vienna BioCenter, where curiosity drives discovery.
Lead your own lab, pursue bold ideas, and shape the future of science at the IMP: www.imp.ac.at/career/open-...
Join a world-class biomedical research institute at the heart of the Vienna BioCenter, where curiosity drives discovery.
Lead your own lab, pursue bold ideas, and shape the future of science at the IMP: www.imp.ac.at/career/open-...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
What an incredible time at #EMBOMobileGenome last week! 🧬
A huge thank you to everyone who made it such a success – our speakers for their inspiring talks and thought-provoking discussions, our participants for their enthusiasm and engagement, and our team for their hard work behind the scenes 🙏🏼
A huge thank you to everyone who made it such a success – our speakers for their inspiring talks and thought-provoking discussions, our participants for their enthusiasm and engagement, and our team for their hard work behind the scenes 🙏🏼
November 10, 2025 at 4:44 PM
What an incredible time at #EMBOMobileGenome last week! 🧬
A huge thank you to everyone who made it such a success – our speakers for their inspiring talks and thought-provoking discussions, our participants for their enthusiasm and engagement, and our team for their hard work behind the scenes 🙏🏼
A huge thank you to everyone who made it such a success – our speakers for their inspiring talks and thought-provoking discussions, our participants for their enthusiasm and engagement, and our team for their hard work behind the scenes 🙏🏼
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
📢 Interested in #chromosomes 🧬 & #archaea thriving at the edge of life? PhD project in York,UK on how archaea pass on their genome to daughter cells.Friendly supervisors: me, @steve-quinn-lab.bsky.social & @georgerheath.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
November 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
📢 Interested in #chromosomes 🧬 & #archaea thriving at the edge of life? PhD project in York,UK on how archaea pass on their genome to daughter cells.Friendly supervisors: me, @steve-quinn-lab.bsky.social & @georgerheath.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Recent paper here, if you are interested to read more:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Coupling chromosome organization to genome segregation in Archaea
Nature Communications - Proteins SegA and SegB are important for chromosome segregation and organization in archaea of the order Sulfolobales, but mechanisms are unclear. Here, Kabli et al. uncover...
www.nature.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Recent paper here, if you are interested to read more:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
this looks very interesting with numerous implications for nuclear biology and gene expression.
Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions
Li et al. apply base-pair resolution Micro Capture-C ultra to map chromatin contacts
between individual motifs within cis-regulatory elements and reveal a unified model
of biophysically mediated enhan...
www.cell.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:07 PM
this looks very interesting with numerous implications for nuclear biology and gene expression.
Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Drosophila Neurobiology: Genes, Circuits & Behavior
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.
meetings.cshl.edu
November 8, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Role model of a comment
Thank you, Harmit!
Thank you, Harmit!
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
November 8, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Role model of a comment
Thank you, Harmit!
Thank you, Harmit!
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
November 7, 2025 at 11:43 PM
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
November 7, 2025 at 10:18 PM
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
At a fundamental level, we have to accept much of silicon valley has gone insane.
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
Patrick Gelsinger, executive chairman of Gloo, has made it his mission to advance Christian principles in Silicon Valley
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
At a fundamental level, we have to accept much of silicon valley has gone insane.
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
RIP James Watson. Reading The Double Helix in high school was one of the first times I felt the thrill of scientific discovery. But his later statements were also a stark reminder that great science and deeply flawed views can coexist in one person.
The obituary of someone who gained widespread fame through remarkable achievements at a young age and then expected to be taken seriously for anything he said thereafter.
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:54 PM
RIP James Watson. Reading The Double Helix in high school was one of the first times I felt the thrill of scientific discovery. But his later statements were also a stark reminder that great science and deeply flawed views can coexist in one person.
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Last day walking to #EMBOMobileGenome. What a meeting! What a field to work on!
November 11, 2023 at 7:22 AM
Last day walking to #EMBOMobileGenome. What a meeting! What a field to work on!
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Having a lot of fun at #EMBOMobileGenome 😃
Perfect timing for our paper from the lab of @toddmacfarlan.bsky.social to be out @natcomms.nature.com!!
…and I’m currently on the job market looking for a new scientific home!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Perfect timing for our paper from the lab of @toddmacfarlan.bsky.social to be out @natcomms.nature.com!!
…and I’m currently on the job market looking for a new scientific home!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Young KRAB-zinc finger gene clusters are highly dynamic incubators of ERV-driven genetic heterogeneity in mice - Nature Communications
KRAB-zinc finger proteins repress retrotransposons and rapidly evolve in mammals. Here, the authors show that ERV insertions drive the emergence and diversification of new KZFP genes in mice, revealin...
www.nature.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Having a lot of fun at #EMBOMobileGenome 😃
Perfect timing for our paper from the lab of @toddmacfarlan.bsky.social to be out @natcomms.nature.com!!
…and I’m currently on the job market looking for a new scientific home!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Perfect timing for our paper from the lab of @toddmacfarlan.bsky.social to be out @natcomms.nature.com!!
…and I’m currently on the job market looking for a new scientific home!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Had an absolute blast presenting my “Last Minute Breakthrough talk” at #EMBOmobilegenome today! 🔥 What an incredible crowd, the energy in the room was unreal. Huge thanks to the organizers for selecting me and to everyone who came, asked questions, and made it such a fun session! 🙌
November 5, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Had an absolute blast presenting my “Last Minute Breakthrough talk” at #EMBOmobilegenome today! 🔥 What an incredible crowd, the energy in the room was unreal. Huge thanks to the organizers for selecting me and to everyone who came, asked questions, and made it such a fun session! 🙌
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Complicated legacy obviously, but a towering figure for our field.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Complicated legacy obviously, but a towering figure for our field.
James Watson, Who Helped Discover the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:32 PM
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Complicated legacy obviously, but a towering figure for our field.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Complicated legacy obviously, but a towering figure for our field.
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Our lab is actively looking for PhD students and there is NOW an Open Call for PhD fellowship at the IRB Barcelona!!!!! phd.irbbarcelona.org
Application Guidelines - IRB PhD Call 2026 NOW OPEN! | Irb
phd.irbbarcelona.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Our lab is actively looking for PhD students and there is NOW an Open Call for PhD fellowship at the IRB Barcelona!!!!! phd.irbbarcelona.org
just in time for the opening of the @hohmannulrich.bsky.social group at @imbmainz.bsky.social
what started as a project on how cells export piRNA precursors, ended up as a tour de force in mRNA export. truly wonderful collaboration with @plaschkalab.bsky.social at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social
what started as a project on how cells export piRNA precursors, ended up as a tour de force in mRNA export. truly wonderful collaboration with @plaschkalab.bsky.social at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social
New paper alert! Scientists in Clemens Plaschka’s lab at the IMP and @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social's lab at
@imbavienna.bsky.social solved a decade-old puzzle, uncovering how the information molecule mRNA travels from the cell’s nucleus to its periphery. More: bit.ly/4nHcvys
@imbavienna.bsky.social solved a decade-old puzzle, uncovering how the information molecule mRNA travels from the cell’s nucleus to its periphery. More: bit.ly/4nHcvys
November 7, 2025 at 6:03 PM
just in time for the opening of the @hohmannulrich.bsky.social group at @imbmainz.bsky.social
what started as a project on how cells export piRNA precursors, ended up as a tour de force in mRNA export. truly wonderful collaboration with @plaschkalab.bsky.social at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social
what started as a project on how cells export piRNA precursors, ended up as a tour de force in mRNA export. truly wonderful collaboration with @plaschkalab.bsky.social at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
🤯This is wow! Molecular mechanism of mRNA export. by @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social @plaschkalab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 6, 2025 at 5:20 PM
🤯This is wow! Molecular mechanism of mRNA export. by @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social @plaschkalab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
How is epigenetic information inherited? We found that CDCA7 proteins are critical players in the inheritance of DNA methylation at CG sites in plants, and this is true both in the lab and in the wild. How does this work? 🧵👇
New paper! Work led by @p-bourguet.bsky.social and Frédéric Berger at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social and @esasaki007.bsky.social identified how protein CDCA7 helps plants stably maintain epigenetic modifications across generations.
Read more: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...
Read more: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...
November 7, 2025 at 5:05 PM
How is epigenetic information inherited? We found that CDCA7 proteins are critical players in the inheritance of DNA methylation at CG sites in plants, and this is true both in the lab and in the wild. How does this work? 🧵👇
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Some impressions from the rather fabulous #EMBOmobilegenome Mobile Genome meeting in Heidelberg
Morning walk through the woods, exciting panel discussion, flash talks, lab community, drosophila friends, …
@events.embl.org
The transposon community is going very strong. see you all again in 2027!!
Morning walk through the woods, exciting panel discussion, flash talks, lab community, drosophila friends, …
@events.embl.org
The transposon community is going very strong. see you all again in 2027!!
November 7, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Some impressions from the rather fabulous #EMBOmobilegenome Mobile Genome meeting in Heidelberg
Morning walk through the woods, exciting panel discussion, flash talks, lab community, drosophila friends, …
@events.embl.org
The transposon community is going very strong. see you all again in 2027!!
Morning walk through the woods, exciting panel discussion, flash talks, lab community, drosophila friends, …
@events.embl.org
The transposon community is going very strong. see you all again in 2027!!
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Thrilled to start my Group Leader adventure with these and other great scientists!
We are excited to welcome @fueyoraquel.bsky.social, @sedonamurphy.bsky.social, and @jmstein.bsky.social as new group leaders at our institute!
Read more about their work:
--> www.molgen.mpg.de/2025-10-31-n...
All three are recruiting in the IMPRS PhD Call!
--> www.molgen.mpg.de/IMPRSPhDproj...
Read more about their work:
--> www.molgen.mpg.de/2025-10-31-n...
All three are recruiting in the IMPRS PhD Call!
--> www.molgen.mpg.de/IMPRSPhDproj...
Three new research groups joining the MPIMG
www.molgen.mpg.de
November 6, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Thrilled to start my Group Leader adventure with these and other great scientists!