Pedro Ortega
@pedroorteg.bsky.social
Postdoctoral researcher at @RemiBuisson | @UCIrvine. Former PhD student at @AguileraLab | @unisevilla.
Genome damage and Cancer Biology.
Genome damage and Cancer Biology.
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
How could a simple self-replicating system emerge at the origins of life? RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but existing ones are so large that their self-replication seems impossible. Could they be smaller?
Excited to share our latest work in @science.org on a new small polymerase.
1/n
Excited to share our latest work in @science.org on a new small polymerase.
1/n
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...
www.science.org
February 13, 2026 at 11:42 AM
How could a simple self-replicating system emerge at the origins of life? RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but existing ones are so large that their self-replication seems impossible. Could they be smaller?
Excited to share our latest work in @science.org on a new small polymerase.
1/n
Excited to share our latest work in @science.org on a new small polymerase.
1/n
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Happy to share the results from my PhD thesis, in which we uncovered a function for FANCD2 on maintaining fork stability upon re-replication, now out in Nat. Commun!
📖 Read the full story here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way!
📖 Read the full story here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way!
FANCD2 restrains fork progression and prevents fragility at early origins upon re-replication - Nature Communications
Re-replication is a driving force of tumorigenesis and genomic instability. Here, the authors show that upon re-replication, FANCD2 localizes at early origins to limit replisome progression, ssDNA gap...
www.nature.com
February 8, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Happy to share the results from my PhD thesis, in which we uncovered a function for FANCD2 on maintaining fork stability upon re-replication, now out in Nat. Commun!
📖 Read the full story here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way!
📖 Read the full story here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way!
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Excited to share our new Nature study! 🧬
We (sidrituruci.bsky.social et al) discovered that CFAP20 helps clear stalled RNAPII, preventing harmful clashes with DNA replication machinery. This protects cells from R-loops and genome instability.
Full paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We (sidrituruci.bsky.social et al) discovered that CFAP20 helps clear stalled RNAPII, preventing harmful clashes with DNA replication machinery. This protects cells from R-loops and genome instability.
Full paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 15, 2026 at 7:45 AM
Excited to share our new Nature study! 🧬
We (sidrituruci.bsky.social et al) discovered that CFAP20 helps clear stalled RNAPII, preventing harmful clashes with DNA replication machinery. This protects cells from R-loops and genome instability.
Full paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We (sidrituruci.bsky.social et al) discovered that CFAP20 helps clear stalled RNAPII, preventing harmful clashes with DNA replication machinery. This protects cells from R-loops and genome instability.
Full paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Thrilled to share our latest work - now available in full in Nature Communications - led in my lab by @vcherdy.bsky.social, with key collaborative contributions from @nitikataneja.bsky.social .
rdcu.be/eVrxX
rdcu.be/eVrxX
Nucleoplasmic Lamin A/C controls replication fork restart upon stress by modulating local H3K9me3 and ADP-ribosylation levels
Nature Communications - Replication fork plasticity upon genotoxic stress is modulated by nuclear architectural components by elusive mechanisms. Here the authors implicate Lamin A/C – best...
rdcu.be
December 19, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Thrilled to share our latest work - now available in full in Nature Communications - led in my lab by @vcherdy.bsky.social, with key collaborative contributions from @nitikataneja.bsky.social .
rdcu.be/eVrxX
rdcu.be/eVrxX
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
🚨 Exciting news! Our latest study is out in Nature Communications!
We reveal how specific BRCA2 mutations can hijack transcriptional programs—beyond their role in DNA repair.
🔗 rdcu.be/eT1R9
#CancerResearch #BRCA2 #Genomics
We reveal how specific BRCA2 mutations can hijack transcriptional programs—beyond their role in DNA repair.
🔗 rdcu.be/eT1R9
#CancerResearch #BRCA2 #Genomics
A recurrent pathogenic BRCA2 truncating variant reveals a role for BRCA2-PCAF complex in modulating NF-κB-driven transcription - Nature Communications
Pathogenic BRCA2 truncating variants in heterozygosis drive distinct cancer-linked mechanisms. Here the authors show that one causes PARPi sensitivity and HR loss via haploinsufficiency, while another...
www.nature.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:11 PM
🚨 Exciting news! Our latest study is out in Nature Communications!
We reveal how specific BRCA2 mutations can hijack transcriptional programs—beyond their role in DNA repair.
🔗 rdcu.be/eT1R9
#CancerResearch #BRCA2 #Genomics
We reveal how specific BRCA2 mutations can hijack transcriptional programs—beyond their role in DNA repair.
🔗 rdcu.be/eT1R9
#CancerResearch #BRCA2 #Genomics
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Thrilled to share that my postdoc research is published today in @science.org! We found that DNA repair uses cohesin complexes to build new chromatin loops that guide the homology search and boost accurate repair! 1/n
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cohesin drives chromatin scanning during the RAD51-mediated homology search
Cohesin folds genomes into chromatin loops, the roles of which are under debate. We found that double-strand breaks (DSBs) induce de novo formation of chromatin loops in human cells, with the loop bas...
www.science.org
December 4, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Thrilled to share that my postdoc research is published today in @science.org! We found that DNA repair uses cohesin complexes to build new chromatin loops that guide the homology search and boost accurate repair! 1/n
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Finally published! Our work on how the #CircadianClock controls DNA repair. This has direct implications for cancer treatment: #Chronotherapy.
@CABIMER @UniSevilla
rdcu.be/eSwxl
@CABIMER @UniSevilla
rdcu.be/eSwxl
Circadian regulation of homologous recombination by cryptochrome1-mediated dampening of DNA end resection
Nature Communications - The study shows that DNA double-strand break repair follows a circadian rhythm: homologous recombination peaks in the morning and declines by evening. CRY1 regulates CCAR2...
rdcu.be
December 1, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Finally published! Our work on how the #CircadianClock controls DNA repair. This has direct implications for cancer treatment: #Chronotherapy.
@CABIMER @UniSevilla
rdcu.be/eSwxl
@CABIMER @UniSevilla
rdcu.be/eSwxl
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
New manuscript from the lab on @cddpress " H263A and SCAN1/H493R mutant TDP1 block TOP1-induced Double-Strand Break Repair during gene transcription in quiescent cells and promote cell death". rdcu.be/eSxtG @ibis-investigacion.bsky.social @unisevilla.bsky.social
H263A and SCAN1/H493R mutant TDP1 block TOP1-induced double-strand break repair during gene transcription in quiescent cells and promote cell death
Cell Death & Disease - H263A and SCAN1/H493R mutant TDP1 block TOP1-induced double-strand break repair during gene transcription in quiescent cells and promote cell death
rdcu.be
December 1, 2025 at 3:17 PM
New manuscript from the lab on @cddpress " H263A and SCAN1/H493R mutant TDP1 block TOP1-induced Double-Strand Break Repair during gene transcription in quiescent cells and promote cell death". rdcu.be/eSxtG @ibis-investigacion.bsky.social @unisevilla.bsky.social
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
💫NEW: Saur, Lesage et al. report that RNA:DNA hybrids arise at double-strand breaks in transcribed genes, independently of de novo recruitment of RNA polymerase II/III, as a result of DSB-induced transcriptional repression.
@lablegube.bsky.social
@cbitoulouse.bsky.social
bit.ly/4kFWGr1
@lablegube.bsky.social
@cbitoulouse.bsky.social
bit.ly/4kFWGr1
Transcriptional repression facilitates RNA:DNA hybrid accumulation at DNA double-strand breaks - Nature Cell Biology
Saur, Lesage et al. report that RNA:DNA hybrids arise at double-strand breaks in transcribed genes, independently of de novo recruitment of RNA polymerase II/III, as a result of DSB-induced transcript...
bit.ly
June 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
💫NEW: Saur, Lesage et al. report that RNA:DNA hybrids arise at double-strand breaks in transcribed genes, independently of de novo recruitment of RNA polymerase II/III, as a result of DSB-induced transcriptional repression.
@lablegube.bsky.social
@cbitoulouse.bsky.social
bit.ly/4kFWGr1
@lablegube.bsky.social
@cbitoulouse.bsky.social
bit.ly/4kFWGr1
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Excited to share our lab’s latest preprint! We identify DDIAS as a novel single-stranded DNA-binding component of the TOPBP1–CIP2A complex, which acts in a mitotic DNA damage response pathway to protect chromosome integrity. Short summary below, and read it here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
DDIAS is a single-stranded DNA-binding effector of the TOPBP1-CIP2A complex in mitosis
DNA double-strand breaks and unresolved DNA replication intermediates are particularly dangerous during mitosis. Paradoxically, cells inactivate canonical DNA repair mechanisms during chromosome segre...
www.biorxiv.org
September 10, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Excited to share our lab’s latest preprint! We identify DDIAS as a novel single-stranded DNA-binding component of the TOPBP1–CIP2A complex, which acts in a mitotic DNA damage response pathway to protect chromosome integrity. Short summary below, and read it here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
New work from the lab! 🔬
We report that DDIAS is a new component of the mitotic CIP2A-TOPBP1 pathway of genome maintenance. 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We report that DDIAS is a new component of the mitotic CIP2A-TOPBP1 pathway of genome maintenance. 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Mitotic single-stranded DNA suppression by DDIAS
Incomplete DNA replication and chromosome breakage during mitosis pose major threats to chromosome segregation. The CIP2A-TOPBP1 complex acts to mitigate this peril, but its exact role is not yet unde...
www.biorxiv.org
September 10, 2025 at 4:50 PM
New work from the lab! 🔬
We report that DDIAS is a new component of the mitotic CIP2A-TOPBP1 pathway of genome maintenance. 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We report that DDIAS is a new component of the mitotic CIP2A-TOPBP1 pathway of genome maintenance. 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Happy to share new work from my lab by co-authors Peng and Lee-when BRCA1 is absent, RAD51 is busy authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
September 10, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Happy to share new work from my lab by co-authors Peng and Lee-when BRCA1 is absent, RAD51 is busy authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Thrilled to share our latest work, just published in @nature.com ⬇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discovered that PARP inhibitors 💊 trigger histone eviction from the chromatin and this creates a hidden vulnerability in PARPi resistant tumors.
🧵 (1/8)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discovered that PARP inhibitors 💊 trigger histone eviction from the chromatin and this creates a hidden vulnerability in PARPi resistant tumors.
🧵 (1/8)
NASP modulates histone turnover to drive PARP inhibitor resistance - Nature
PARP inhibitor treatment triggers histone release from the chromatin in cancer cells; consequently, targeting the histone chaperone NASP renders cells vulnerable to PARP inhibition.
www.nature.com
August 13, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Thrilled to share our latest work, just published in @nature.com ⬇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discovered that PARP inhibitors 💊 trigger histone eviction from the chromatin and this creates a hidden vulnerability in PARPi resistant tumors.
🧵 (1/8)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discovered that PARP inhibitors 💊 trigger histone eviction from the chromatin and this creates a hidden vulnerability in PARPi resistant tumors.
🧵 (1/8)
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
New from us in @natrevmcb.nature.com -- @szmyd-radoslaw.bsky.social & @radoncdocgee.bsky.social explore how DNA repair actively shapes cancer cell fate following DNA damage, reframing repair as both a protective process & a driver of treatment response and cell death. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
DNA-repair-driven cell death compels us to rethink cancer therapies - Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
Emerging evidence suggests that, following genotoxic therapy, it is the repair of DNA double-strand breaks, rather than the damage itself, that frequently drives cancer cell death.
www.nature.com
August 4, 2025 at 5:48 AM
New from us in @natrevmcb.nature.com -- @szmyd-radoslaw.bsky.social & @radoncdocgee.bsky.social explore how DNA repair actively shapes cancer cell fate following DNA damage, reframing repair as both a protective process & a driver of treatment response and cell death. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Excited to share my first PhD paper published in @narjournal.bsky.social! This project was led by amazing supervisor Belén Gómez González in @aguilerloop.bsky.social lab. Thanks to all colaborators of Blanco and Diffley teams. I hope you like it!
Now online here 👇🏼 academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Now online here 👇🏼 academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
S-phase checkpoint protects from aberrant replication fork processing and degradation
Abstract. Replication stress, a hallmark of cancer cells, is detected by checkpoint mechanisms that trigger a range of cellular responses. Among these, the
academic.oup.com
July 31, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Excited to share my first PhD paper published in @narjournal.bsky.social! This project was led by amazing supervisor Belén Gómez González in @aguilerloop.bsky.social lab. Thanks to all colaborators of Blanco and Diffley teams. I hope you like it!
Now online here 👇🏼 academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Now online here 👇🏼 academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
🚨Our new study out today in Nature Communications. Bats can asymptomatically host multiple viruses while remaining apparently healthy. Here we identify how interferon-mediated responses protect bats and identify molecular adaptations in GBP1. #LZCI
Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Bat-specific adaptations in interferon signaling and GBP1 contribute to enhanced antiviral capacity - Nature Communications
Bats harbor diverse viruses but it’s less clear how they tolerate infection. Here, by characterizing innate immune responses in bat cells the authors show that IFN-beta signaling resists antagonistic ...
www.nature.com
July 1, 2025 at 1:39 PM
🚨Our new study out today in Nature Communications. Bats can asymptomatically host multiple viruses while remaining apparently healthy. Here we identify how interferon-mediated responses protect bats and identify molecular adaptations in GBP1. #LZCI
Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
"In a competitive academic world, building bridges instead of walls may be our most powerful tool to accelerate discovery and rebuild public trust in science."
I'm very happy with this article piece! 🥳
www.the-scientist.com/science-thri...
I'm very happy with this article piece! 🥳
www.the-scientist.com/science-thri...
Science Thrives on Trust: Why Collaboration Is Our Greatest Strength
In a competitive academic world, building bridges instead of walls may be our most powerful tool to accelerate discovery and rebuild public trust in science.
www.the-scientist.com
June 16, 2025 at 8:24 PM
"In a competitive academic world, building bridges instead of walls may be our most powerful tool to accelerate discovery and rebuild public trust in science."
I'm very happy with this article piece! 🥳
www.the-scientist.com/science-thri...
I'm very happy with this article piece! 🥳
www.the-scientist.com/science-thri...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
These tiny proteins are super cool! 😊
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/s...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/s...
Shining a Light on the World of Tiny Proteins
www.nytimes.com
June 12, 2025 at 9:49 PM
These tiny proteins are super cool! 😊
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/s...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/s...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Join us NEXT WEEK for the #EMGS webinar "Oxidative DNA Damage and Repair: Impacts and Methods of Detection," featuring a workshop lead by Drs. Laurie Sanders and Tobias Dansen, a keynote talk by Dr. Karlene Cimprich, and more!
Register Today: emgs-us.org/event/OxiDNA...
Register Today: emgs-us.org/event/OxiDNA...
June 3, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Join us NEXT WEEK for the #EMGS webinar "Oxidative DNA Damage and Repair: Impacts and Methods of Detection," featuring a workshop lead by Drs. Laurie Sanders and Tobias Dansen, a keynote talk by Dr. Karlene Cimprich, and more!
Register Today: emgs-us.org/event/OxiDNA...
Register Today: emgs-us.org/event/OxiDNA...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Just published, expansion in situ genome sequencing, where you can sequence DNA while still inside the cell, mapping its organization relative to proteins and other markers, with the help of expansion microscopy! Led by @jbuenrostro.bksy.social. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
May 30, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Just published, expansion in situ genome sequencing, where you can sequence DNA while still inside the cell, mapping its organization relative to proteins and other markers, with the help of expansion microscopy! Led by @jbuenrostro.bksy.social. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Sharing our latest work tracking DNA damage inheritance by Live+QIBC www.nature.com/articles/s41.... Huge congrats to @apanagopoulos.bsky.social, M. Stout and all co-authors for this tour de force! Beautifully summarized by @s-j-aitken.bsky.social & E. Reilly www.nature.com/articles/d41...
May 21, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Sharing our latest work tracking DNA damage inheritance by Live+QIBC www.nature.com/articles/s41.... Huge congrats to @apanagopoulos.bsky.social, M. Stout and all co-authors for this tour de force! Beautifully summarized by @s-j-aitken.bsky.social & E. Reilly www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Excited to share our new paper on Nature - how Ku accommodates Alu expansion in primates by binding to dsRNA, providing a clue for both the high levels of Ku and its essentiality in human cells. Thank @chaolinzhang @hchung03 @LenaSteckelberg More to come www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ku limits RNA-induced innate immunity to allow Alu-expansion in primates - Nature
Nature - Ku limits RNA-induced innate immunity to allow Alu-expansion in primates
www.nature.com
May 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Excited to share our new paper on Nature - how Ku accommodates Alu expansion in primates by binding to dsRNA, providing a clue for both the high levels of Ku and its essentiality in human cells. Thank @chaolinzhang @hchung03 @LenaSteckelberg More to come www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Pedro Ortega
Happy to share yet another story back from my days as a postdoc 👇 we uncovered how the J2 antibody specifically recognizes #dsRNA. J2 is a quintessential tool used to discover #RNA, QC #RNA therapeutics and much more
Where and how to find fantastic new #RNAs? The J2 antibody is the gold standard to detect, map & enrich dsRNAs. Co-led by @bounaderlab.bsky.social, Kevin Juma, Ankur Bothra & Steve Leppla’s lab, we visualize how J2 recognizes dsRNA and define its epitope, specificity & bias. doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Specificity and mechanism of the double-stranded RNA-specific J2 monoclonal antibody
Double-stranded (ds) RNAs are major structural components of the transcriptome, hallmarks of viral infection, and primary triggers of innate immune responses. The J2 monoclonal antibody is the gold-st...
doi.org
May 14, 2025 at 5:55 PM
We describe how to perform Oligo-seq, a new method to map DNA motifs targeted by base editors. Validated with APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B, but adaptable to AID, CRISPR-Cas9, and more.
🧬 Full protocol 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thanks to @buissonlab.bsky.social at @ucirvine.bsky.social!
🧬 Full protocol 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thanks to @buissonlab.bsky.social at @ucirvine.bsky.social!
April 29, 2025 at 3:42 PM
We describe how to perform Oligo-seq, a new method to map DNA motifs targeted by base editors. Validated with APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B, but adaptable to AID, CRISPR-Cas9, and more.
🧬 Full protocol 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thanks to @buissonlab.bsky.social at @ucirvine.bsky.social!
🧬 Full protocol 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thanks to @buissonlab.bsky.social at @ucirvine.bsky.social!
Our latest study from my postdoctoral work has just been published in Science Advances!
Grateful to my mentor and collaborators who made it possible! @buissonlab.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Grateful to my mentor and collaborators who made it possible! @buissonlab.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Mechanism of DNA replication fork breakage and PARP1 hyperactivation during replication catastrophe
Upon ATR inhibition, APOBEC3B targets unprotected single-stranded DNA at replication forks, leading to fork breakage.
www.science.org
April 16, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Our latest study from my postdoctoral work has just been published in Science Advances!
Grateful to my mentor and collaborators who made it possible! @buissonlab.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Grateful to my mentor and collaborators who made it possible! @buissonlab.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...