Liam Faller
@liamfaller.bsky.social
Cancer researcher, RNA biologist, and all round science geek, based at the University of Bristol. Ribosomes FTW.
Reposted by Liam Faller
Happy holiday ❄️⛄🎅! Global protein synthesis rates can fluctuate dramatically as a function of food intake, infections, energy resources, etc. Wondering whether/how protein elimination routes adapt to these changes to maintain proteome homeostasis ? Find out here: www.cell.com/cell-systems....
www.cell.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Happy holiday ❄️⛄🎅! Global protein synthesis rates can fluctuate dramatically as a function of food intake, infections, energy resources, etc. Wondering whether/how protein elimination routes adapt to these changes to maintain proteome homeostasis ? Find out here: www.cell.com/cell-systems....
Reposted by Liam Faller
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The vault associates with membranes in situ
The eukaryotic vault particle is a giant ribonucleoprotein complex that assembles into an iconic barrel-like cage. Its cellular function has remained elusive despite extensive characterization. Using ...
www.biorxiv.org
December 16, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Liam Faller
New preprint out!
Our latest work on how ZAKα is activated by stalled or/and collided ribosomes is now online🎉. #Ribosome #RibotoxicStressResponse #ZAKα #Translation #mRNA www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Our latest work on how ZAKα is activated by stalled or/and collided ribosomes is now online🎉. #Ribosome #RibotoxicStressResponse #ZAKα #Translation #mRNA www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
ZAKα is a sensor of mRNA stasis at the ribosomal exit channel
Despite a growing interest in the ribotoxic stress response (RSR), it remains unknown how the upstream p38 and JNK-activating MAP3 kinase ZAKα senses translational impairment. Combining Alphafold3 pre...
www.biorxiv.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:24 PM
New preprint out!
Our latest work on how ZAKα is activated by stalled or/and collided ribosomes is now online🎉. #Ribosome #RibotoxicStressResponse #ZAKα #Translation #mRNA www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Our latest work on how ZAKα is activated by stalled or/and collided ribosomes is now online🎉. #Ribosome #RibotoxicStressResponse #ZAKα #Translation #mRNA www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Liam Faller
How does the kinase ZAK sense ribosome collisions? Find out in our latest collaboration with the @greenlab.bsky.social @doubleshuang.bsky.social @Vienna Huso: 1/4
rdcu.be/eRmJl
#ribosome #cryoEM #LMU #JHMI
rdcu.be/eRmJl
#ribosome #cryoEM #LMU #JHMI
November 23, 2025 at 3:47 PM
How does the kinase ZAK sense ribosome collisions? Find out in our latest collaboration with the @greenlab.bsky.social @doubleshuang.bsky.social @Vienna Huso: 1/4
rdcu.be/eRmJl
#ribosome #cryoEM #LMU #JHMI
rdcu.be/eRmJl
#ribosome #cryoEM #LMU #JHMI
Reposted by Liam Faller
eIF2B Selectively Anchors and Activates Mutant KRAS
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
eIF2B Selectively Anchors and Activates Mutant KRAS
We demonstrate that the translation initiation factor eIF2B, best known for its guanine nucleotide exchange (GEF) function in mRNA translation initiation, also acts as a potent inducer of mutant KRAS ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 13, 2025 at 8:39 AM
eIF2B Selectively Anchors and Activates Mutant KRAS
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Liam Faller
First ad for a position in my new lab at the University of Bristol! If you are looking for a fully funded PhD in cutting edge science that will be based in a supportive environment, and in a great city, check out the link below!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Funded PhD: Understanding the role of the ribosomal P-stalk in immune responses at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Funded PhD: Understanding the role of the ribosomal P-stalk in immune responses at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:32 PM
First ad for a position in my new lab at the University of Bristol! If you are looking for a fully funded PhD in cutting edge science that will be based in a supportive environment, and in a great city, check out the link below!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Liam Faller
Colliding ribosomes are potent signals of cellular stress. But do cells use ‘programmed’ ribosome collisions to regulate gene expression? I’m excited to present a new story from my lab led by Frederick Rehfeld(@fred-rehfeld.bsky.social) which revealed that the answer is YES! Read on to find out how👇
Oxidative stress sensing by the translation elongation machinery promotes production of detoxifying selenoproteins
Selenocysteine, incorporated into polypeptides at recoded termination codons, plays an essential role in redox biology. Using GPX1 and GPX4, selenoenzymes that mitigate oxidative stress, as reporters,...
www.biorxiv.org
October 14, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Colliding ribosomes are potent signals of cellular stress. But do cells use ‘programmed’ ribosome collisions to regulate gene expression? I’m excited to present a new story from my lab led by Frederick Rehfeld(@fred-rehfeld.bsky.social) which revealed that the answer is YES! Read on to find out how👇
First ad for a position in my new lab at the University of Bristol! If you are looking for a fully funded PhD in cutting edge science that will be based in a supportive environment, and in a great city, check out the link below!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Funded PhD: Understanding the role of the ribosomal P-stalk in immune responses at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Funded PhD: Understanding the role of the ribosomal P-stalk in immune responses at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:32 PM
First ad for a position in my new lab at the University of Bristol! If you are looking for a fully funded PhD in cutting edge science that will be based in a supportive environment, and in a great city, check out the link below!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Liam Faller
We have an exciting PhD opportunity to study ribosome hibernation in archaea using cryo-electron microscopy, tomography, microfluidics, omics, and confocal imaging. @daumlab.bsky.social,
@lsiexeter.bsky.social
Apply via:
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
Any questions, IM me.
@lsiexeter.bsky.social
Apply via:
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
Any questions, IM me.
October 10, 2025 at 10:24 AM
We have an exciting PhD opportunity to study ribosome hibernation in archaea using cryo-electron microscopy, tomography, microfluidics, omics, and confocal imaging. @daumlab.bsky.social,
@lsiexeter.bsky.social
Apply via:
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
Any questions, IM me.
@lsiexeter.bsky.social
Apply via:
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
Any questions, IM me.
Reposted by Liam Faller
We’re excited to report work led by postdoc Jennifer Porat in the lab, finding that DNA accumulates on the surface of living cells and that the secreted extracellular protein DNASE1L3 can modulate its levels on B and T cells. With a new twist for ATAC-seq as well www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
DNASE1L3 surveils mitochondrial DNA on the surface of distinct mammalian cells
The extracellular space is a critical environment for discriminating self versus non-self nucleic acids and initiating the appropriate immune responses through signaling cascades to relay information ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
We’re excited to report work led by postdoc Jennifer Porat in the lab, finding that DNA accumulates on the surface of living cells and that the secreted extracellular protein DNASE1L3 can modulate its levels on B and T cells. With a new twist for ATAC-seq as well www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Liam Faller
Ooohhh....GCN1 couples GCN2 to ribosomal state to initiate amino acid response pathway signaling | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
GCN1 couples GCN2 to ribosomal state to initiate amino acid response pathway signaling
During nutrient deprivation, activation of the protein kinase GCN2 regulates cell survival and metabolic homeostasis. In addition to amino acid stress, GCN2 is activated by a variety of cellular stres...
www.science.org
October 2, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Ooohhh....GCN1 couples GCN2 to ribosomal state to initiate amino acid response pathway signaling | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Liam Faller
“Riding a bike is associated with a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a 22% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, compared with taking nonactive travel modes such as a car, bus or train…” #ISOGG #DNA #epigenetics www.cnn.com/2025/09/20/h...
Cycling linked with lower dementia risk, study finds | CNN
Cycling instead of driving has been linked with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a large study has found.
www.cnn.com
September 24, 2025 at 11:39 PM
“Riding a bike is associated with a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a 22% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, compared with taking nonactive travel modes such as a car, bus or train…” #ISOGG #DNA #epigenetics www.cnn.com/2025/09/20/h...
Here's the latest from the lab! In it we dive into the role of ribosomal proteins in antigen processing and presentation!
academic.oup.com/narcancer/ar...
academic.oup.com/narcancer/ar...
Loss of ribosomal protein uL14 enables tumor escape from T cell immunosurveillance
Abstract. The presentation of peptides on HLA molecules is essential to CD8+ T cell responses. Here, we show that loss of uL14 significantly downregulates
academic.oup.com
September 1, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Here's the latest from the lab! In it we dive into the role of ribosomal proteins in antigen processing and presentation!
academic.oup.com/narcancer/ar...
academic.oup.com/narcancer/ar...
Very cool stuff on the co-translational folding of dimers by Sander Tans and his team @amolf-nl.bsky.social:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Co-translational ribosome pairing enables native assembly of misfolding-prone subunits - Nature Communications
Protein complexes are essential for cell function. Here, authors show that paired ribosomes can help each other’s nascent chains fold correctly, enabling proper dimer assembly and preventing misfoldin...
www.nature.com
August 28, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Very cool stuff on the co-translational folding of dimers by Sander Tans and his team @amolf-nl.bsky.social:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Liam Faller
'Cancer Research UK told The Observer that several pieces of research had been affected by...immigration costs, which have risen by 126% since 2019 and are up to 17 times higher than the average of comparable countries including France, Australia, the US and South Korea.' Not only cancer research.
Cancer research ‘set back years’ as visa fees drive scien...
With vital studies being shelved and foreign experts turning down jobs, leading charity urges ministers to act
observer.co.uk
August 24, 2025 at 7:59 AM
'Cancer Research UK told The Observer that several pieces of research had been affected by...immigration costs, which have risen by 126% since 2019 and are up to 17 times higher than the average of comparable countries including France, Australia, the US and South Korea.' Not only cancer research.
Reposted by Liam Faller
This preprint from Helen Sakharova is one of the coolest things to come out of my lab: “Protein language models reveal evolutionary constraints on synonymous codon choice.” Codon choice is a big puzzle in how information is encoded in genomes, and we have a new angle. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Protein language models reveal evolutionary constraints on synonymous codon choice
Evolution has shaped the genetic code, with subtle pressures leading to preferences for some synonymous codons over others. Codons are translated at different speeds by the ribosome, imposing constrai...
www.biorxiv.org
August 7, 2025 at 8:29 AM
This preprint from Helen Sakharova is one of the coolest things to come out of my lab: “Protein language models reveal evolutionary constraints on synonymous codon choice.” Codon choice is a big puzzle in how information is encoded in genomes, and we have a new angle. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Liam Faller
In a new study by our @pelleeas.bsky.social, we reveal how Mrx4 organizes translational regulation of cytochrome b synthesis at the mitoribosomal tunnel exit. Thanks @kawresearch.bsky.social for funding and @stirlingchurchman.bsky.social for the fun collaboration! academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
A molecular switch at the yeast mitoribosomal tunnel exit controls cytochrome b synthesis
Abstract. Mitochondrial gene expression needs to be balanced with cytosolic translation to produce oxidative phosphorylation complexes. In yeast, translati
academic.oup.com
July 18, 2025 at 7:35 AM
In a new study by our @pelleeas.bsky.social, we reveal how Mrx4 organizes translational regulation of cytochrome b synthesis at the mitoribosomal tunnel exit. Thanks @kawresearch.bsky.social for funding and @stirlingchurchman.bsky.social for the fun collaboration! academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Reposted by Liam Faller
Here, we show that bacterial ribosomes—often viewed as conserved drug targets—actually vary across species due to extensive sequence variation in their drug-binding residues. In some cases, this divergence may lead to intrinsic drug resistance in certain bacterial clades: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
June 19, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Here, we show that bacterial ribosomes—often viewed as conserved drug targets—actually vary across species due to extensive sequence variation in their drug-binding residues. In some cases, this divergence may lead to intrinsic drug resistance in certain bacterial clades: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Reposted by Liam Faller
I'm reading the report behind these headlines about glyphosate and it may be the most scientifically illiterate thing I've come across (although it's a close thing with the recent MAHA report). 1/n
June 2, 2025 at 4:41 AM
I'm reading the report behind these headlines about glyphosate and it may be the most scientifically illiterate thing I've come across (although it's a close thing with the recent MAHA report). 1/n
Reposted by Liam Faller
Identified in the 1970s, the precise molecular function of the alternative initiation factor eIF2A has remained unclear. Here, we map its interactome and uncover a surprising role in ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) upon ribosome stalling. 1/x
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The alternative initiation factor eIF2A regulates 40S subunit turnover in ribosome-associated quality control
The noncanonical translation initiation factor eIF2A plays critical roles in diverse cellular processes, including the integrated stress response, neurodegeneration and tumorigenesis. However, the pre...
www.biorxiv.org
May 26, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Identified in the 1970s, the precise molecular function of the alternative initiation factor eIF2A has remained unclear. Here, we map its interactome and uncover a surprising role in ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) upon ribosome stalling. 1/x
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Liam Faller
Delighted to share paper on translational activity of 80S monosomes across different tissues in 🪰 in @narjournal.bsky.social thanks to fabulous team Albert Blandy Tayah Hopes Elton Vasconcelos @amy-turner96.bsky.social Bulat Fatkhullin Michaela Agapiou Juan Fontana academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Translational activity of 80S monosomes varies dramatically across different tissues
Abstract. Translational regulation at the stage of initiation can impact the number of ribosomes translating each mRNA molecule. However, the translational
academic.oup.com
May 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Delighted to share paper on translational activity of 80S monosomes across different tissues in 🪰 in @narjournal.bsky.social thanks to fabulous team Albert Blandy Tayah Hopes Elton Vasconcelos @amy-turner96.bsky.social Bulat Fatkhullin Michaela Agapiou Juan Fontana academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Reposted by Liam Faller
🧵5 Top Free Alternatives to BioRender for Scientific Illustrations!
These five websites offer free scientific illustrations for biologists. Great for presentations, research papers and other research communication needs.
Save and share the post!
These five websites offer free scientific illustrations for biologists. Great for presentations, research papers and other research communication needs.
Save and share the post!
May 13, 2025 at 7:55 PM
🧵5 Top Free Alternatives to BioRender for Scientific Illustrations!
These five websites offer free scientific illustrations for biologists. Great for presentations, research papers and other research communication needs.
Save and share the post!
These five websites offer free scientific illustrations for biologists. Great for presentations, research papers and other research communication needs.
Save and share the post!
New paper from the lab! Want to know if there is a difference in ribosome collisions between your samples? We show that you can detect this in the rRNA reads in your ribosome profiling data.
academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...
academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...
Detecting ribosome collisions with differential rRNA fragment analysis in ribosome profiling data
Abstract. It has become clear in recent years that ribosomes regularly stall during translation. Such translation impairment has many causes, including exp
academic.oup.com
May 8, 2025 at 11:32 AM
New paper from the lab! Want to know if there is a difference in ribosome collisions between your samples? We show that you can detect this in the rRNA reads in your ribosome profiling data.
academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...
academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...
Reposted by Liam Faller
ZNF574 is a quality control factor for defective ribosome biogenesis intermediates
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
ZNF574 is a quality control factor for defective ribosome biogenesis intermediates
Eukaryotic ribosome assembly is an intricate process that involves four ribosomal RNAs, 80 ribosomal proteins, and over 200 biogenesis factors that pa…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 6, 2025 at 10:11 AM
ZNF574 is a quality control factor for defective ribosome biogenesis intermediates
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Very interesting work from Samie Jaffrey's lab: m6A promotes ribosome collisions, with big effects on RNA stability. #RNASky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
m6A alters ribosome dynamics to initiate mRNA degradation
m6A is a potent inducer of ribosome stalling and collisions that trigger YTHDF-mediated
mRNA degradation, a process that highlights the ribosome as a critical sensor linking
translation dynamics to m6...
www.cell.com
May 6, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Very interesting work from Samie Jaffrey's lab: m6A promotes ribosome collisions, with big effects on RNA stability. #RNASky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...