George Ghanim
@automnenine.bsky.social
Assistant Professor @ Princeton MolBio |
From transposons to telomeres and back | bicycles and biochemistry
https://ghanim.lab.princeton.edu
From transposons to telomeres and back | bicycles and biochemistry
https://ghanim.lab.princeton.edu
Pinned
Did you know that two jumping sequences (LINE-1 and Alu) make up nearly 30% of our genomes? Ever wonder how they jump into new genomic sites? We have some exciting discoveries to share new in @science.org on the structural mechanisms of LINE-1 retrotransposition (aka jumping 🧬➡️🧬) 🧪 #ScienceResearch
Reposted by George Ghanim
Announcing cryo-EM heterogeneity challenge #2, now dubbed the 2025 Community-Wide Assessment of Cryo-EM Heterogeneous Reconstruction Algorithms (CAHRA)! Join us for a webinar next Friday (Nov 14th) to learn more. Datasets already posted here: heterogeneity.notion.site/challenge #cryoem
CAHRA 2025: Community-Wide Assessment of Cryo-EM Heterogeneous Reconstruction Algorithms
A community-wide data processing challenge for cryo-electron microscopy.
heterogeneity.notion.site
November 7, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Announcing cryo-EM heterogeneity challenge #2, now dubbed the 2025 Community-Wide Assessment of Cryo-EM Heterogeneous Reconstruction Algorithms (CAHRA)! Join us for a webinar next Friday (Nov 14th) to learn more. Datasets already posted here: heterogeneity.notion.site/challenge #cryoem
#CryoEM how do we feel about this instrument? We may be in the market and I want to know what people are currently using.
#cryoem researchers - On Sale Now - GloQube Plus a compact & easy to use glow discharge system for TEM Grids - Ideal for the hydrophilization of carbon coated TEM support films & grids - Learn More & contact us today for a quote zurl.co/MjPW
October 23, 2025 at 7:16 PM
#CryoEM how do we feel about this instrument? We may be in the market and I want to know what people are currently using.
Hummm
It seems like every lab has a lab pet at some point. Show us your "George"!
It's sadly too late to sequence my George
October 18, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Hummm
This is an auto include on my reading list because I know its going to be good. Congrats @vcushing.bsky.social @bjgreber.bsky.social and all!
Now out in Science! Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are key regulators of the cell cycle. In @vcushing.bsky.social's magnum opus, we use #cryoEM to figure out how the CDK-activating kinase recognises CDKs to fully activate them - a key step in cell cycle control.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Structural basis of T-loop–independent recognition and activation of CDKs by the CDK-activating kinase
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are prototypical regulators of the cell cycle. The CDK-activating kinase (CAK) acts as a master regulator of CDK activity by catalyzing the activating phosphorylation o...
www.science.org
October 16, 2025 at 8:28 PM
This is an auto include on my reading list because I know its going to be good. Congrats @vcushing.bsky.social @bjgreber.bsky.social and all!
Reposted by George Ghanim
When Macrophages Disappear, Skin Blood Vessels Age!
Check out our new study @nature.com that uncovers how the loss of capillary-associated macrophages with age blocks vessel repair and blood flow, revealing a new cellular trigger of tissue aging. #Aging #Immunology
👇👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out our new study @nature.com that uncovers how the loss of capillary-associated macrophages with age blocks vessel repair and blood flow, revealing a new cellular trigger of tissue aging. #Aging #Immunology
👇👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Niche-specific dermal macrophage loss promotes skin capillary ageing - Nature
Capillary-associated macrophages are selectively lost over time, contributing to impaired vascular repair and reduced tissue perfusion in older mice.
www.nature.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:52 PM
When Macrophages Disappear, Skin Blood Vessels Age!
Check out our new study @nature.com that uncovers how the loss of capillary-associated macrophages with age blocks vessel repair and blood flow, revealing a new cellular trigger of tissue aging. #Aging #Immunology
👇👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out our new study @nature.com that uncovers how the loss of capillary-associated macrophages with age blocks vessel repair and blood flow, revealing a new cellular trigger of tissue aging. #Aging #Immunology
👇👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by George Ghanim
Congrats to #LMBAlumni Juan B. Rodriguez Molina, former Investigator Scientist in the LMB's Structural Studies Division, newly appointed Assistant Professor in the Dept of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/1818215
researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/1818215
September 25, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Congrats to #LMBAlumni Juan B. Rodriguez Molina, former Investigator Scientist in the LMB's Structural Studies Division, newly appointed Assistant Professor in the Dept of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/1818215
researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/1818215
Reposted by George Ghanim
Important to remember the theoretical size limit is based on assumptions and a model that may or may not be complete. It isn't some indisputable universal truth.
‘We expect that this approach may be useful for cryo-EM analysis of other small particles near or below the theoretical size limit.’ 🤯
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 9:07 PM
Important to remember the theoretical size limit is based on assumptions and a model that may or may not be complete. It isn't some indisputable universal truth.
Hey thats me.
We have restarted our global Nucleic Acid Strcuture webinar series to bring the expiremental and computational communities together to discuss new developments in the field. Join us this Thursday for the next webinar. Sign up to our mailing list here: groups.google.com/g/casp-rna-sig
September 2, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Hey thats me.
Reposted by George Ghanim
Since when are vaults cool again? Loving it
Structural flexibility of the human vault protein revealed by high-resolution cryo-EM and molecular dynamics simulations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.26.672097v1
August 27, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Since when are vaults cool again? Loving it
Reposted by George Ghanim
My lab has developed mSHINE, allowing for both highly multiplexed and portable nucleic acid detection. Very exciting work led by the talented @sijbren-kramer.bsky.social, who is off to do a PhD at Stanford at the end of the month!
Multiplexed nucleic acid detection is critical for the surveillance of pathogens and mutations, but existing technologies either require extensive lab equipment or have low multiplexing. We built a portable microfluidic manifold for massively multiplexed CRISPR-based detection. (1/12)
A handheld microfluidic manifold for massively multiplexed CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection
Multiplexed methods for nucleic acid detection are immensely challenging to deploy outside of laboratory settings. Conversely, field-deployable methods are limited to low levels of multiplexing. Durin...
www.biorxiv.org
August 15, 2025 at 6:45 PM
My lab has developed mSHINE, allowing for both highly multiplexed and portable nucleic acid detection. Very exciting work led by the talented @sijbren-kramer.bsky.social, who is off to do a PhD at Stanford at the end of the month!
Reposted by George Ghanim
Now out in Science Advances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org
August 8, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Now out in Science Advances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
😍😍😍
Not my area at all, but how cool are these cryoEM structures of purely RNA-based assemblies!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 7, 2025 at 3:14 PM
😍😍😍
Reposted by George Ghanim
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 George Ghanim
The LMB recently hosted a symposium to mark 50 years since Richard Henderson and Nigel Unwin published the structure of bacteriorhodopsin, the first 3D structure of a protein determined by #cryoEM.
Read about the event and find more photos here: www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/the-structur...
#LMBNews 🧪🔬
Read about the event and find more photos here: www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/the-structur...
#LMBNews 🧪🔬
August 4, 2025 at 2:33 PM
The LMB recently hosted a symposium to mark 50 years since Richard Henderson and Nigel Unwin published the structure of bacteriorhodopsin, the first 3D structure of a protein determined by #cryoEM.
Read about the event and find more photos here: www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/the-structur...
#LMBNews 🧪🔬
Read about the event and find more photos here: www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/the-structur...
#LMBNews 🧪🔬
Reposted by George Ghanim
I somehow missed this piece about Jon in my lab: molbio.princeton.edu/news/2025/jo...
Jonathan St. Ange Receives Fulbright U.S. Student Award for 2025-2026
Jonathan St. Ange, a Ph.D. Student in Molecular Biology at Princeton University, has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to conduct research in Molecular Biology in France for the 2025-202...
molbio.princeton.edu
July 30, 2025 at 9:38 PM
I somehow missed this piece about Jon in my lab: molbio.princeton.edu/news/2025/jo...
I just got it. This is great.
July 18, 2025 at 11:40 AM
I just got it. This is great.
Reposted by George Ghanim
🦟 Bioinformatics Research Scientist position open in my lab in Nice (FR) to study Aedes mosquito retrotransposons & their interactions with arboviruses collab w/ @salehlabparis.bsky.social & @lambrechtslab.bsky.social
Apply: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/359830
Please boost! #ArboRetro #Bioinformatics
Apply: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/359830
Please boost! #ArboRetro #Bioinformatics
July 11, 2025 at 9:43 PM
🦟 Bioinformatics Research Scientist position open in my lab in Nice (FR) to study Aedes mosquito retrotransposons & their interactions with arboviruses collab w/ @salehlabparis.bsky.social & @lambrechtslab.bsky.social
Apply: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/359830
Please boost! #ArboRetro #Bioinformatics
Apply: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/359830
Please boost! #ArboRetro #Bioinformatics
Reposted by George Ghanim
Returned from a wonderful symposium in honour of the 50th anniversary of Richard Henderson's and Nigel Unwin's 1975 paper on the structure of bacteriorhodopsin - the paper that started the field of membrane protein structural biology.
Also fulfilled my dream of ringing the LMB seminar bell.
Also fulfilled my dream of ringing the LMB seminar bell.
July 12, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Returned from a wonderful symposium in honour of the 50th anniversary of Richard Henderson's and Nigel Unwin's 1975 paper on the structure of bacteriorhodopsin - the paper that started the field of membrane protein structural biology.
Also fulfilled my dream of ringing the LMB seminar bell.
Also fulfilled my dream of ringing the LMB seminar bell.
Reposted by George Ghanim
Highly collaborative efforts that involved 6 lab members and the labs of @yiliangding.bsky.social and @rdaslab.bsky.social. We uncovered a telomerase dimer and its potential role in telomere maintenance.
Sebastian Balch, Zala Sekne & Elsa Franco-Echevarría in @kellythd-nguyen.bsky.social's group have confirmed the existence of dimeric telomerase and illustrated how it is key to telomere maintenance:
www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/first-struct...
#LMBResearch @yiliangding.bsky.social @rdaslab.bsky.social 🧪
www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/first-struct...
#LMBResearch @yiliangding.bsky.social @rdaslab.bsky.social 🧪
July 11, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Highly collaborative efforts that involved 6 lab members and the labs of @yiliangding.bsky.social and @rdaslab.bsky.social. We uncovered a telomerase dimer and its potential role in telomere maintenance.
Hurray! 🥳🎉🥂
Many congratulations to Dr Kiarash Jamali @kjamali.bsky.social for successfully defending his PhD thesis today! 🥳 Also many thanks to Jonas Adler and Randy Read for examining him. I expect great things from Dr Jamali in his career, so do keep an eye on him. #ModelAngelo
July 8, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Hurray! 🥳🎉🥂
Reposted by George Ghanim
Goodbye Nucleic Acids GRC, goodbye Tuscany - this was great! Thanks to Jane Jackman and Brandt Eichman for organising this fantastic conference!
June 27, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Goodbye Nucleic Acids GRC, goodbye Tuscany - this was great! Thanks to Jane Jackman and Brandt Eichman for organising this fantastic conference!
Reposted by George Ghanim
Calling all structural biologists in the NYC metro area! The nysbdg.bsky.social is back for in-person events!
Register here 👉🏼 buff.ly/dGmJeau
I look forward to seeing you there! 😎
#structuralbiology #cyrstallography #cryoEM #NMR
#chromatography #proteinpurification #AKTAsystems
Register here 👉🏼 buff.ly/dGmJeau
I look forward to seeing you there! 😎
#structuralbiology #cyrstallography #cryoEM #NMR
#chromatography #proteinpurification #AKTAsystems
June 26, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Calling all structural biologists in the NYC metro area! The nysbdg.bsky.social is back for in-person events!
Register here 👉🏼 buff.ly/dGmJeau
I look forward to seeing you there! 😎
#structuralbiology #cyrstallography #cryoEM #NMR
#chromatography #proteinpurification #AKTAsystems
Register here 👉🏼 buff.ly/dGmJeau
I look forward to seeing you there! 😎
#structuralbiology #cyrstallography #cryoEM #NMR
#chromatography #proteinpurification #AKTAsystems
Reposted by George Ghanim
Congratulations to Dirk Hockemeyer on his promotion to MCB Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology! 👏🎉
mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-eve...
mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-eve...
June 18, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Congratulations to Dirk Hockemeyer on his promotion to MCB Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology! 👏🎉
mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-eve...
mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-eve...
In Barbara we trust!
🧬🌽 Happy Transposon Day! 🌽🧬
Today we celebrate the birthday of Barbara McClintock - scientist extraordinaire and discoverer of jumping genes. Still the only woman to have an unshared Nobel Prize in the biomedical sciences #TransposonDay2025
Today we celebrate the birthday of Barbara McClintock - scientist extraordinaire and discoverer of jumping genes. Still the only woman to have an unshared Nobel Prize in the biomedical sciences #TransposonDay2025
June 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM
In Barbara we trust!