Kaitlyn Kiernan
@kaitlynakiernan.bsky.social
Postdoc in the Sazanov lab at ISTAustria. Using structural biology to find meaning in a world ruled by microbes. 🔬🦠
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Brand new preprint from my lab, showing that TnpB, the ancestor of Cas12, acts as a gene drive in plasmids! And it turns out in conjugative plasmids that it acts as a primitive anti-self defense system, providing a potential link between its transposon effect and becoming CRISPR!
What is the best strategy to win any contest?
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 20, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Brand new preprint from my lab, showing that TnpB, the ancestor of Cas12, acts as a gene drive in plasmids! And it turns out in conjugative plasmids that it acts as a primitive anti-self defense system, providing a potential link between its transposon effect and becoming CRISPR!
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Excited to share our new preprint in collaboration with Ahmet Yildiz's lab. Check out how our team uncovers a novel binding footprint and motor regulation mechanism for MAP9 Congrats to Burak Cetin and @aryantaheri.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 18, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Excited to share our new preprint in collaboration with Ahmet Yildiz's lab. Check out how our team uncovers a novel binding footprint and motor regulation mechanism for MAP9 Congrats to Burak Cetin and @aryantaheri.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
MISO: microfluidic protein isolation enables single-particle cryo-EM structure determination from a single cell colony.
Or from a single dish of HEK cell culture in the case of two membrane proteins.
Out in Nature Methods now! lnkd.in/gpyBSceg
Wonderful collaboration with the Efremov lab.
Or from a single dish of HEK cell culture in the case of two membrane proteins.
Out in Nature Methods now! lnkd.in/gpyBSceg
Wonderful collaboration with the Efremov lab.
November 14, 2025 at 6:38 PM
MISO: microfluidic protein isolation enables single-particle cryo-EM structure determination from a single cell colony.
Or from a single dish of HEK cell culture in the case of two membrane proteins.
Out in Nature Methods now! lnkd.in/gpyBSceg
Wonderful collaboration with the Efremov lab.
Or from a single dish of HEK cell culture in the case of two membrane proteins.
Out in Nature Methods now! lnkd.in/gpyBSceg
Wonderful collaboration with the Efremov lab.
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
1/9 Metagenomics lets us read microbiomes in nature without cultivation, but writing (editing) them in their native context is still a major challenge.
Meet MetaEdit: a platform for pathway-scale metagenomic editing inside the gut microbiome. science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Meet MetaEdit: a platform for pathway-scale metagenomic editing inside the gut microbiome. science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases
Although metagenomic sequencing has revealed a rich microbial biodiversity in the mammalian gut, methods to genetically alter specific species in the microbiome are highly limited. Here, we introduce ...
science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:25 PM
1/9 Metagenomics lets us read microbiomes in nature without cultivation, but writing (editing) them in their native context is still a major challenge.
Meet MetaEdit: a platform for pathway-scale metagenomic editing inside the gut microbiome. science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Meet MetaEdit: a platform for pathway-scale metagenomic editing inside the gut microbiome. science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
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...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
The Wilkinson Lab is open for science! @mskcancercenter.bsky.social
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
Wilkinson Lab
We discover and study reverse transcriptases
wilkinsonlab.bio
October 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The Wilkinson Lab is open for science! @mskcancercenter.bsky.social
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
ISTA @istaresearch.bsky.social is hiring a tenure-track staff scientist in Computational Structural Biology, to develop tools for cryo-EM, cryo-ET, structural prediction methods and protein interaction analysis!
Please spread the word!
ista.ac.at/en/job/tenur...
Please spread the word!
ista.ac.at/en/job/tenur...
Tenure-based Research Staff Scientist Position in Computational Structural Biology
ISTA (www.ista.ac.at) is seeking a highly skilled Staff Scientist in Computational Structural Biology to support and advance the Institute’s structural biology research through the development and imp...
ista.ac.at
October 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM
ISTA @istaresearch.bsky.social is hiring a tenure-track staff scientist in Computational Structural Biology, to develop tools for cryo-EM, cryo-ET, structural prediction methods and protein interaction analysis!
Please spread the word!
ista.ac.at/en/job/tenur...
Please spread the word!
ista.ac.at/en/job/tenur...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Nickel-NTA lipid-monolayer affinity grids allow for high-resolution structure determination by cryo-EM pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41083086/ #cryoem
October 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Nickel-NTA lipid-monolayer affinity grids allow for high-resolution structure determination by cryo-EM pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41083086/ #cryoem
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
How do SMC complexes load onto DNA to get ready for loop extrusion?
@roisnehamelinf.bsky.social & co discovered that Wadjet, an SMC complex involved in bacterial DNA immunity, performs some impressive molecular gymnastics 🤸♂️🤸♂️🤸♂️.
Check out the new paper: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
@roisnehamelinf.bsky.social & co discovered that Wadjet, an SMC complex involved in bacterial DNA immunity, performs some impressive molecular gymnastics 🤸♂️🤸♂️🤸♂️.
Check out the new paper: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
October 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM
How do SMC complexes load onto DNA to get ready for loop extrusion?
@roisnehamelinf.bsky.social & co discovered that Wadjet, an SMC complex involved in bacterial DNA immunity, performs some impressive molecular gymnastics 🤸♂️🤸♂️🤸♂️.
Check out the new paper: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
@roisnehamelinf.bsky.social & co discovered that Wadjet, an SMC complex involved in bacterial DNA immunity, performs some impressive molecular gymnastics 🤸♂️🤸♂️🤸♂️.
Check out the new paper: www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
De novo design of RNA and nucleoprotein complexes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.01.679929v1
October 2, 2025 at 10:46 PM
De novo design of RNA and nucleoprotein complexes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.01.679929v1
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
We're hosting the 8th Austrian CryoEM symposium at ISTA Nov 11-12 @istaresearch.bsky.social this year - you don't want to miss! We have a fantastic lineup of invited speakers + selected talks from abstracts #cryoEM
Deadline for abstracts Oct 15
Final deadline Oct 31
cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at
Deadline for abstracts Oct 15
Final deadline Oct 31
cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at
8th Austrian Cryo-EM Symposium
cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at
October 1, 2025 at 8:39 AM
We're hosting the 8th Austrian CryoEM symposium at ISTA Nov 11-12 @istaresearch.bsky.social this year - you don't want to miss! We have a fantastic lineup of invited speakers + selected talks from abstracts #cryoEM
Deadline for abstracts Oct 15
Final deadline Oct 31
cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at
Deadline for abstracts Oct 15
Final deadline Oct 31
cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
How the twin-arginine translocase (Tat) system manages to transport folded proteins across membranes without any leaks? To answer this fundamental question we solved the first structure of TatB3C3 complex with bound cargo. Please check out new preprint!
t.co/962Kj9pt6F
t.co/962Kj9pt6F
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.16.676506v1
t.co
September 18, 2025 at 5:35 PM
How the twin-arginine translocase (Tat) system manages to transport folded proteins across membranes without any leaks? To answer this fundamental question we solved the first structure of TatB3C3 complex with bound cargo. Please check out new preprint!
t.co/962Kj9pt6F
t.co/962Kj9pt6F
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Join us for the Austrian Cryo-EM Symposium Nov 11–12 at @istaresearch.bsky.social!
Top speakers, cutting-edge cryo-EM, and a chance to explore Vienna & the ISTA campus.
Register now 👉 cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at #cryoEM #teamtomo
Top speakers, cutting-edge cryo-EM, and a chance to explore Vienna & the ISTA campus.
Register now 👉 cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at #cryoEM #teamtomo
September 15, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Join us for the Austrian Cryo-EM Symposium Nov 11–12 at @istaresearch.bsky.social!
Top speakers, cutting-edge cryo-EM, and a chance to explore Vienna & the ISTA campus.
Register now 👉 cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at #cryoEM #teamtomo
Top speakers, cutting-edge cryo-EM, and a chance to explore Vienna & the ISTA campus.
Register now 👉 cryoem-symposium.pages.ist.ac.at #cryoEM #teamtomo
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
This one is a bit of a departure from the usual and definitely a work in progress!
We found that by using ab initio reconstruction at very high res, in very small steps, we could crack some small structures that had eluded us - e.g. 39kDa iPKAc (EMPIAR-10252), below.
Read on for details... 1/x
We found that by using ab initio reconstruction at very high res, in very small steps, we could crack some small structures that had eluded us - e.g. 39kDa iPKAc (EMPIAR-10252), below.
Read on for details... 1/x
September 13, 2025 at 12:05 AM
This one is a bit of a departure from the usual and definitely a work in progress!
We found that by using ab initio reconstruction at very high res, in very small steps, we could crack some small structures that had eluded us - e.g. 39kDa iPKAc (EMPIAR-10252), below.
Read on for details... 1/x
We found that by using ab initio reconstruction at very high res, in very small steps, we could crack some small structures that had eluded us - e.g. 39kDa iPKAc (EMPIAR-10252), below.
Read on for details... 1/x
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Glad to share the final version of our story about the UBR4 complex, an E4 ligase protein quality control hub @science.org. Now with more cryo-EM structures and a deeper dive into substrate recognition, especially escaped mitochondrial proteins @clausenlab.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
August 28, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Glad to share the final version of our story about the UBR4 complex, an E4 ligase protein quality control hub @science.org. Now with more cryo-EM structures and a deeper dive into substrate recognition, especially escaped mitochondrial proteins @clausenlab.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Excited to share our latest work with @simonbullock11.bsky.social! We looked at how diverse mRNAs get selected for subcellular localization and it turns out that a single protein can recognize different RNA elements using shared features that weren’t apparent before.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
August 5, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Excited to share our latest work with @simonbullock11.bsky.social! We looked at how diverse mRNAs get selected for subcellular localization and it turns out that a single protein can recognize different RNA elements using shared features that weren’t apparent before.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
🚨 new paper alert 🚨
Here, we present a method for designing protein nanoparticles with two unique faces that can bring together distinct biological targets at controlled distances!
This project was led by Dr. Sanela Rankovic is out now in Nature Materials: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here, we present a method for designing protein nanoparticles with two unique faces that can bring together distinct biological targets at controlled distances!
This project was led by Dr. Sanela Rankovic is out now in Nature Materials: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 1, 2025 at 9:22 PM
🚨 new paper alert 🚨
Here, we present a method for designing protein nanoparticles with two unique faces that can bring together distinct biological targets at controlled distances!
This project was led by Dr. Sanela Rankovic is out now in Nature Materials: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here, we present a method for designing protein nanoparticles with two unique faces that can bring together distinct biological targets at controlled distances!
This project was led by Dr. Sanela Rankovic is out now in Nature Materials: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Excited to finally share this work!
We noticed a pair of genes - a nuclease and a protease - shuffles between antiviral systems. We show how proteolysis activates the nuclease, triggering defense in known and unknown immune contexts.
tinyurl.com/2uwwy4ty
We noticed a pair of genes - a nuclease and a protease - shuffles between antiviral systems. We show how proteolysis activates the nuclease, triggering defense in known and unknown immune contexts.
tinyurl.com/2uwwy4ty
Recurrent acquisition of nuclease-protease pairs in antiviral immunity
Antiviral immune systems diversify by integrating new genes into existing pathways, creating new mechanisms of viral resistance. We identified genes encoding a predicted nuclease paired with a trypsin...
tinyurl.com
July 29, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Excited to finally share this work!
We noticed a pair of genes - a nuclease and a protease - shuffles between antiviral systems. We show how proteolysis activates the nuclease, triggering defense in known and unknown immune contexts.
tinyurl.com/2uwwy4ty
We noticed a pair of genes - a nuclease and a protease - shuffles between antiviral systems. We show how proteolysis activates the nuclease, triggering defense in known and unknown immune contexts.
tinyurl.com/2uwwy4ty
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
🦠🧍♀️From bacterial to human immunity.
We report in @science.org the discovery of a human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins that participates in the TLR pathway of animal innate immunity.
Co-led wt @enzopoirier.bsky.social by D. Bonhomme and @hugovaysset.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We report in @science.org the discovery of a human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins that participates in the TLR pathway of animal innate immunity.
Co-led wt @enzopoirier.bsky.social by D. Bonhomme and @hugovaysset.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org
July 24, 2025 at 6:23 PM
🦠🧍♀️From bacterial to human immunity.
We report in @science.org the discovery of a human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins that participates in the TLR pathway of animal innate immunity.
Co-led wt @enzopoirier.bsky.social by D. Bonhomme and @hugovaysset.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We report in @science.org the discovery of a human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins that participates in the TLR pathway of animal innate immunity.
Co-led wt @enzopoirier.bsky.social by D. Bonhomme and @hugovaysset.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
Excited to share our latest work using AI-designed proteins to block heme-piracy by E. coli. Published in @natcomms.nature.com. A team effort between my lab and the @knottrna.bsky.social lab, with experimental work led by the talented @danielrfox.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Inhibiting heme piracy by pathogenic Escherichia coli using de novo-designed proteins - Nature Communications
Many pathogens encode transporters that extract heme directly from host proteins. In this study, the authors demonstrate the utility of de novo-designed proteins in understanding the mechanism behind ...
www.nature.com
July 9, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Excited to share our latest work using AI-designed proteins to block heme-piracy by E. coli. Published in @natcomms.nature.com. A team effort between my lab and the @knottrna.bsky.social lab, with experimental work led by the talented @danielrfox.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
🚀 My first Cryo-EM structures are OUT on the PDB!
🎉Super excited about this milestone as PhD, it’s been a journey, and I’m grateful to finally have these as my first Cryo-EM structures! 🙌
🔁Thank you for sharing!❤️
Read @daaninthelab.bsky.social et. al.: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
⬇️ 2nd video
🎉Super excited about this milestone as PhD, it’s been a journey, and I’m grateful to finally have these as my first Cryo-EM structures! 🙌
🔁Thank you for sharing!❤️
Read @daaninthelab.bsky.social et. al.: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
⬇️ 2nd video
July 9, 2025 at 10:43 PM
🚀 My first Cryo-EM structures are OUT on the PDB!
🎉Super excited about this milestone as PhD, it’s been a journey, and I’m grateful to finally have these as my first Cryo-EM structures! 🙌
🔁Thank you for sharing!❤️
Read @daaninthelab.bsky.social et. al.: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
⬇️ 2nd video
🎉Super excited about this milestone as PhD, it’s been a journey, and I’m grateful to finally have these as my first Cryo-EM structures! 🙌
🔁Thank you for sharing!❤️
Read @daaninthelab.bsky.social et. al.: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
⬇️ 2nd video
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
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 Kaitlyn Kiernan
New paper out, with a contribution from Dom Gurvic and I; led by Andy Lovering and @lalouxlab.bsky.social:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A porin-like protein used by bacterial predators defines a wider lipid-trapping superfamily
Nature Communications - This study reveals that an outer membrane protein from the predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus forms a pentameric assembly that traps a lipid monolayer within. This allows...
www.nature.com
July 7, 2025 at 10:00 AM
New paper out, with a contribution from Dom Gurvic and I; led by Andy Lovering and @lalouxlab.bsky.social:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
We're hiring a postdoc!
Join our ActinID project to explore an uncharacterized actin-binding protein.
- Background in cell and/or structural biology?
- Eager to bridge both fields?
Get in touch if you're curious or have questions!
#cellbiology #cryoEM #cryoET #actin
ista.ac.at/en/job/postd...
Join our ActinID project to explore an uncharacterized actin-binding protein.
- Background in cell and/or structural biology?
- Eager to bridge both fields?
Get in touch if you're curious or have questions!
#cellbiology #cryoEM #cryoET #actin
ista.ac.at/en/job/postd...
Postdoc Research Group Schur
The Schur lab at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has an open postdoc position for a highly motivated candidate to be part of our ERC-funded project ActinID.
Our Group
...
ista.ac.at
July 7, 2025 at 9:21 AM
We're hiring a postdoc!
Join our ActinID project to explore an uncharacterized actin-binding protein.
- Background in cell and/or structural biology?
- Eager to bridge both fields?
Get in touch if you're curious or have questions!
#cellbiology #cryoEM #cryoET #actin
ista.ac.at/en/job/postd...
Join our ActinID project to explore an uncharacterized actin-binding protein.
- Background in cell and/or structural biology?
- Eager to bridge both fields?
Get in touch if you're curious or have questions!
#cellbiology #cryoEM #cryoET #actin
ista.ac.at/en/job/postd...
Reposted by Kaitlyn Kiernan
CryoRhodopsins: A comprehensive characterization of a group of microbial rhodopsins from cold environments pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40614199/ #cryoem
July 5, 2025 at 9:14 PM
CryoRhodopsins: A comprehensive characterization of a group of microbial rhodopsins from cold environments pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40614199/ #cryoem