Alfredo Castello
@alf-castello.bsky.social
Professor of Systems Bioloy
MRC University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research
#RNA #Virus #host-virus #OMICS #proteomics
Opinions of my own
MRC University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research
#RNA #Virus #host-virus #OMICS #proteomics
Opinions of my own
Pinned
A deserved celebration after the hard work 🍾🥂. @waelskamel.bsky.social and collaborators from the @castello-lab.bsky.social discovered that the U2 snRNP displays a moonlighting antiviral role and uses the U2 snRNA to interact with viral RNA 🤯🤯🤯 t.co/DJlXFxmGEv
Thrilled to announce the successful thesis viva defense of Zaydah Roland de Laurent 🦟 on her work defining the RNA interactome of mosquitoes. So proud for her successful defence! Well deserved! #MosquitoResearch #RNA #Doctorate.
November 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Thrilled to announce the successful thesis viva defense of Zaydah Roland de Laurent 🦟 on her work defining the RNA interactome of mosquitoes. So proud for her successful defence! Well deserved! #MosquitoResearch #RNA #Doctorate.
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
We’ll soon be advertising a postdoc position (3 years) to study how mRNA-specific translational regulation shapes the innate immune system, in collaboration with @alf-castello.bsky.social. The formal ad will be out soon but get in touch if you’d like an informal chat! #RNASky
November 11, 2025 at 3:53 PM
We’ll soon be advertising a postdoc position (3 years) to study how mRNA-specific translational regulation shapes the innate immune system, in collaboration with @alf-castello.bsky.social. The formal ad will be out soon but get in touch if you’d like an informal chat! #RNASky
Are you thinking on an exciting PHD project at the interface of translation control and innate immunity? @rnanomad.bsky.social and I have a project that might interest you!
@alf-castello.bsky.social & I are inviting applications for a competitive PhD studentship to study the mechanisms of translational regulation of the host response to RNA virus infections. The student will be based at Uni. Glasgow. Please spread the word. #RNASky
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
University of Glasgow - Postgraduate study - Centres for Doctoral Training - NorthWest Biosciences - Our Projects - Understanding Pathogens, from Molecules to Phenotypes - Alfredo Castello
www.gla.ac.uk
October 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Are you thinking on an exciting PHD project at the interface of translation control and innate immunity? @rnanomad.bsky.social and I have a project that might interest you!
Our new PLOS Pathogens paper with @brennanlab.bsky.social is out! We charted the first protein–RNA interaction map for virus-infected tick cells, revealing 283 RNA-binding proteins reshaped by Uukuniemi virus. Some directly control viral particle output. Full story: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Uukuniemi virus infection causes a pervasive remodelling of the RNA-binding proteome in tick cells
Author summary In host cells, RNA-binding proteins play essential roles in the life cycle of many viruses by influencing how viral RNA is processed, translated, replicated and assembled into virions. ...
doi.org
August 13, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Our new PLOS Pathogens paper with @brennanlab.bsky.social is out! We charted the first protein–RNA interaction map for virus-infected tick cells, revealing 283 RNA-binding proteins reshaped by Uukuniemi virus. Some directly control viral particle output. Full story: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
Post 5/5 🧵
IMPACT: This transforms tick-borne disease research:
🎯 New drug targets
🎯 Understanding vector competence
🎯 Virus-tick evolution
Testing if mechanisms work across other tick viruses next.
👨🔬 collaborative project with @alf-castello.bsky.social and @alainkohlvirology.bsky.social
IMPACT: This transforms tick-borne disease research:
🎯 New drug targets
🎯 Understanding vector competence
🎯 Virus-tick evolution
Testing if mechanisms work across other tick viruses next.
👨🔬 collaborative project with @alf-castello.bsky.social and @alainkohlvirology.bsky.social
August 13, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Post 5/5 🧵
IMPACT: This transforms tick-borne disease research:
🎯 New drug targets
🎯 Understanding vector competence
🎯 Virus-tick evolution
Testing if mechanisms work across other tick viruses next.
👨🔬 collaborative project with @alf-castello.bsky.social and @alainkohlvirology.bsky.social
IMPACT: This transforms tick-borne disease research:
🎯 New drug targets
🎯 Understanding vector competence
🎯 Virus-tick evolution
Testing if mechanisms work across other tick viruses next.
👨🔬 collaborative project with @alf-castello.bsky.social and @alainkohlvirology.bsky.social
🚀 New from Cell: SPIDR is a game-changer—map dozens to hundreds of RNA-binding proteins simultaneously with single-nucleotide precision in one CLIP experiment. An exciting advance for RNA–protein interactomics! 🧬🔗https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.042
July 27, 2025 at 8:02 AM
🚀 New from Cell: SPIDR is a game-changer—map dozens to hundreds of RNA-binding proteins simultaneously with single-nucleotide precision in one CLIP experiment. An exciting advance for RNA–protein interactomics! 🧬🔗https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.042
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
I am really pleased we managed to squeeze this story out during #ASMS2025. This is our contribution relating to the fantastic Omnitrap/Orbitrap. What we thought would be a straightforward conversation of our exploris-omnitrap turned into quite a journey. (1/n)
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Integrating Alternative Fragmentation Techniques into Standard LC-MS Workflows Using a Single Deep Learning Model Enhances Proteome Coverage
We built and characterised a mass spectrometer capable of performing CID (both beam type and resonant type), UVPD, EID and ECD in an automated fashion during an LCMS type experiment. We exploited this...
www.biorxiv.org
June 1, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I am really pleased we managed to squeeze this story out during #ASMS2025. This is our contribution relating to the fantastic Omnitrap/Orbitrap. What we thought would be a straightforward conversation of our exploris-omnitrap turned into quite a journey. (1/n)
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
🚨🚨 News from the @castello-lab.bsky.social and @shabazlab.bsky.social. Our work, led by Louisa Iselin, reveals pervasive changes in the RNA-bound proteome induced by interferon. #RNA, #immunity, #interferon, #host-virus www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
June 3, 2025 at 10:01 PM
🚨🚨 News from the @castello-lab.bsky.social and @shabazlab.bsky.social. Our work, led by Louisa Iselin, reveals pervasive changes in the RNA-bound proteome induced by interferon. #RNA, #immunity, #interferon, #host-virus www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
Proud of Louisa Iselin for this work. Not only a covid baby but had both of her supervisors move lab (@alf-castello.bsky.social and me). The works is a meticulous analysis of the interferon pathway and specifially how RNA binding of proteins are modulated by PTMs.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
RNA binding regulation is a new dimension in the type I IFN response
The type I interferon (IFN-I) response shapes the intracellular environment to supress virus infection. Historically, this remodelling has been linked to the transcriptional induction of interferon st...
www.biorxiv.org
June 2, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Proud of Louisa Iselin for this work. Not only a covid baby but had both of her supervisors move lab (@alf-castello.bsky.social and me). The works is a meticulous analysis of the interferon pathway and specifially how RNA binding of proteins are modulated by PTMs.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Happy to see Honglin Chen's paper published! 🎉🎉🍾🥂. Great collaboration with @shabazlab.bsky.social to discover the discordances between RNA and protein in the interferon response...
Very happy to see Honglin Chen's DPhil work and and @alf-castello.bsky.social passion project (aren't all projects passion projects in academia?) finally get published!
www.mcponline.org/article/S153...
www.mcponline.org/article/S153...
Omics analyses uncover host networks defining virus-permissive and -hostile cellular states
The capacity of host cells to sustain or restrict virus infection is influenced by
their proteome. Understanding the compendium of proteins defining cellular permissiveness
is key to many questions in...
www.mcponline.org
April 7, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Happy to see Honglin Chen's paper published! 🎉🎉🍾🥂. Great collaboration with @shabazlab.bsky.social to discover the discordances between RNA and protein in the interferon response...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
A basic solution to a very common problem.
collab with @kusterlab.bsky.social and @bendavisgroup.bsky.social
www.mcponline.org/article/S153...
collab with @kusterlab.bsky.social and @bendavisgroup.bsky.social
www.mcponline.org/article/S153...
Addressing NHS chemistry: Efficient quenching of excess TMT reagent and reversing TMT-over labelling in proteomic samples by methylamine
N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester chemistry is used extensively across proteomics sample
preparation. One of its increasingly prevalent applications is in isobaric reagent-based
quantitation such as iT...
www.mcponline.org
March 13, 2025 at 2:24 PM
A basic solution to a very common problem.
collab with @kusterlab.bsky.social and @bendavisgroup.bsky.social
www.mcponline.org/article/S153...
collab with @kusterlab.bsky.social and @bendavisgroup.bsky.social
www.mcponline.org/article/S153...
Great conference at @embl.org on the expanding world of #RBPs. After the hard (fun) work, the @castello-lab.bsky.social chilled out in the beautiful Heidelberg
March 14, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Great conference at @embl.org on the expanding world of #RBPs. After the hard (fun) work, the @castello-lab.bsky.social chilled out in the beautiful Heidelberg
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
Pre-print is up! SARS-2 produces a truncated N protein to antagonize multiple antiviral pathways. A very collaborative project in the @corcoranlab.bsky.social with @nogasharlin.bsky.social, Danyel Evseev, and Max Bui-Marinos, and of course the boss Jenn Corcoran
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
March 2, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Pre-print is up! SARS-2 produces a truncated N protein to antagonize multiple antiviral pathways. A very collaborative project in the @corcoranlab.bsky.social with @nogasharlin.bsky.social, Danyel Evseev, and Max Bui-Marinos, and of course the boss Jenn Corcoran
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
@science.org Cryo-EM reveals mechanisms of natural RNA multivalency | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#RNAsky #RNAbiology #Cryo-EM
#RNAsky #RNAbiology #Cryo-EM
March 13, 2025 at 6:09 PM
@science.org Cryo-EM reveals mechanisms of natural RNA multivalency | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#RNAsky #RNAbiology #Cryo-EM
#RNAsky #RNAbiology #Cryo-EM
Excellent talk of Louisa Iselin on the remodelling of the RBPome by interferon at the "Expanding Universe of RBPs" in @embl.org, Heidelberg. The @castello-lab.bsky.social is very proud 🍾🥂🎊🎊
March 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Excellent talk of Louisa Iselin on the remodelling of the RBPome by interferon at the "Expanding Universe of RBPs" in @embl.org, Heidelberg. The @castello-lab.bsky.social is very proud 🍾🥂🎊🎊
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
Translation of mRNA can be triggered with spatiotemporal control in zebrafish 🐟 embryos by light ⚡ & FlashCaps 🧪⚗😊 Kudos to all authors and collaborators 🙏👍
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Spatiotemporal control of translation in live zebrafish embryos via photoprotected mRNAs - Communications Chemistry
Translation of mRNA into protein is a fundamental process and tightly controlled during development, however, experimentally controlling the mRNA translation remains challenging. Here, the authors dem...
www.nature.com
January 27, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Translation of mRNA can be triggered with spatiotemporal control in zebrafish 🐟 embryos by light ⚡ & FlashCaps 🧪⚗😊 Kudos to all authors and collaborators 🙏👍
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Amazing work of our dear friends @ilandavis.bsky.social and @jeffylee.bsky.social characterising the interlinked roles of two key RBPs in drosophila brain development, congratulations 🍾🥂🎉🎉🎉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Imp/IGF2BP and Syp/SYNCRIP temporal RNA interactomes uncover combinatorial networks of regulators of Drosophila brain development
RNA binding protein combinations control neuronal identity through a network of temporal regulators.
www.science.org
February 17, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Amazing work of our dear friends @ilandavis.bsky.social and @jeffylee.bsky.social characterising the interlinked roles of two key RBPs in drosophila brain development, congratulations 🍾🥂🎉🎉🎉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
Had a wonderful couple of days with these guys. @alf-castello.bsky.social @marvintanenbaum.bsky.social and Stephen carter. Always a pleasure
January 23, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Had a wonderful couple of days with these guys. @alf-castello.bsky.social @marvintanenbaum.bsky.social and Stephen carter. Always a pleasure
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
At this END of YEAR please check out our new paper on GENE ENDS and a convenient marker of transcription termination: RNAPII CTD T4ph! We think it is relevant to anyone studying human/animal #genes and #genome so put a lot of effort to make it easy to read. #RNABiology and #Epigenetics meet:)
Do you know where transcription of a gene actually stops? Hint: it is not the annotated gene end.
In our new paper in Nucleic Acids Research we argue that phosphorylation on threonine 4 of RNA Pol II CTD is a marker of transcription termination in animals... 🧵
academic.oup.com/nar/advance-...
In our new paper in Nucleic Acids Research we argue that phosphorylation on threonine 4 of RNA Pol II CTD is a marker of transcription termination in animals... 🧵
academic.oup.com/nar/advance-...
December 27, 2024 at 4:55 PM
At this END of YEAR please check out our new paper on GENE ENDS and a convenient marker of transcription termination: RNAPII CTD T4ph! We think it is relevant to anyone studying human/animal #genes and #genome so put a lot of effort to make it easy to read. #RNABiology and #Epigenetics meet:)
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
These studies are so important. Well done to the authors and the journal for publishing it. This certainly applies to so many antibodies. Companies selling antibodies should do and provide the right controls before commercialisation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Why Bax detection in >1400 publications might be flawed - Cell Death & Disease
Cell Death & Disease - Why Bax detection in >1400 publications might be flawed
www.nature.com
December 25, 2024 at 5:39 PM
These studies are so important. Well done to the authors and the journal for publishing it. This certainly applies to so many antibodies. Companies selling antibodies should do and provide the right controls before commercialisation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
Please check out our paper in collaboration with Nahum Sonenberg's group. We show how some DNA viruses co-opt the host cell translation machinery to repress the cGAS/STING response.
TLDR; the cap-binding protein 4EHP represses the cGAS mRNA translation.
#RNA, #RNASky
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
TLDR; the cap-binding protein 4EHP represses the cGAS mRNA translation.
#RNA, #RNASky
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
November 20, 2024 at 1:10 PM
Please check out our paper in collaboration with Nahum Sonenberg's group. We show how some DNA viruses co-opt the host cell translation machinery to repress the cGAS/STING response.
TLDR; the cap-binding protein 4EHP represses the cGAS mRNA translation.
#RNA, #RNASky
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
TLDR; the cap-binding protein 4EHP represses the cGAS mRNA translation.
#RNA, #RNASky
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
RECRUITING-PhD student to study the role of RNA-binding proteins in antiviral defence during early development.
#crispr #iclip #omics
Interested candidates, please email a full CV and a statement of interest. Open to both UK and overseas
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
#crispr #iclip #omics
Interested candidates, please email a full CV and a statement of interest. Open to both UK and overseas
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Antiviral defence during early development at University of Edinburgh on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Antiviral defence during early development at University of Edinburgh, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
December 2, 2024 at 4:06 PM
RECRUITING-PhD student to study the role of RNA-binding proteins in antiviral defence during early development.
#crispr #iclip #omics
Interested candidates, please email a full CV and a statement of interest. Open to both UK and overseas
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
#crispr #iclip #omics
Interested candidates, please email a full CV and a statement of interest. Open to both UK and overseas
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
Nuclear RBPs moonlighting in the cytoplasm as part of the host response to Sindbis virus. Another beautiful work by Alfredo Castelo’s group. I’m struggling to keep up with reading all the amazing papers they’ve published in the last few months.
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Alphavirus infection triggers selective cytoplasmic translocation of nuclear RBPs with moonlighting antiviral roles
Kamel et al. apply complementary approaches to elucidate the composition of Sindbis virus ribonucleoproteins. They identified a subset of nuclear proteins that selectively translocate to the cytoplasm, interact with viral RNA, and suppress virus infection. Among them, U2 snRNP emerges as a ribonucleoprotein complex with moonlighting antiviral activity.
www.cell.com
December 6, 2024 at 3:24 PM
Nuclear RBPs moonlighting in the cytoplasm as part of the host response to Sindbis virus. Another beautiful work by Alfredo Castelo’s group. I’m struggling to keep up with reading all the amazing papers they’ve published in the last few months.
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Alfredo Castello
I am just going to plug-in the latest paper from our lab, wherein we show that treatment with the chemotherapy agent 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) induces ribosome collision and that RQC pathway mitigates the 5FU-induced cytotoxicity. #RNA, #RNASky, #Cancer
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Ribosome Quality Control mitigates the cytotoxicity of ribosome collisions induced by 5-Fluorouracil
Abstract. Ribosome quality control (RQC) resolves collided ribosomes, thus preventing their cytotoxic effects. The chemotherapeutic agent 5-Fluorouracil (5
academic.oup.com
November 19, 2024 at 2:48 PM
I am just going to plug-in the latest paper from our lab, wherein we show that treatment with the chemotherapy agent 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) induces ribosome collision and that RQC pathway mitigates the 5FU-induced cytotoxicity. #RNA, #RNASky, #Cancer
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
A deserved celebration after the hard work 🍾🥂. @waelskamel.bsky.social and collaborators from the @castello-lab.bsky.social discovered that the U2 snRNP displays a moonlighting antiviral role and uses the U2 snRNA to interact with viral RNA 🤯🤯🤯 t.co/DJlXFxmGEv
December 17, 2024 at 7:04 PM
A deserved celebration after the hard work 🍾🥂. @waelskamel.bsky.social and collaborators from the @castello-lab.bsky.social discovered that the U2 snRNP displays a moonlighting antiviral role and uses the U2 snRNA to interact with viral RNA 🤯🤯🤯 t.co/DJlXFxmGEv