Granton Jindal
@grantonjindal.bsky.social
Assistant Project Scientist at UC San Diego studying dev bio and genomics
Pinned
Granton Jindal
@grantonjindal.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Hello Bluesky!
My name is Granton Jindal and I'm currently an Assistant Project Scientist at UC San Diego studying developmental biology and genomics.
With this account, I will mostly repost things I find interesting in developmental biology and genomics!
My name is Granton Jindal and I'm currently an Assistant Project Scientist at UC San Diego studying developmental biology and genomics.
With this account, I will mostly repost things I find interesting in developmental biology and genomics!
Reposted by Granton Jindal
November 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Granton Jindal
Hiding in plain sight - how close are we to mapping ALL 🧬enhancers🧬 in the genome?
Our new paper by Mannion et al. takes a systematic look at "hidden enhancers" and why they remain so hard to find. With @mosterwalder.bsky.social, @jlopezrios.bsky.social & many more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our new paper by Mannion et al. takes a systematic look at "hidden enhancers" and why they remain so hard to find. With @mosterwalder.bsky.social, @jlopezrios.bsky.social & many more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 8, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Hiding in plain sight - how close are we to mapping ALL 🧬enhancers🧬 in the genome?
Our new paper by Mannion et al. takes a systematic look at "hidden enhancers" and why they remain so hard to find. With @mosterwalder.bsky.social, @jlopezrios.bsky.social & many more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our new paper by Mannion et al. takes a systematic look at "hidden enhancers" and why they remain so hard to find. With @mosterwalder.bsky.social, @jlopezrios.bsky.social & many more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
Most neurodevelopmental disorders are caused by having 1 functional gene copy. Using SCN2A, we show that upregulating the functional copy rescues neuronal phenotypes. Amazing work with @neurobender.bsky.social led by Serena Tamura, Andrew Nelson, Perry Spratt & others.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
CRISPR activation for SCN2A-related neurodevelopmental disorders | Nature
www.nature.com
September 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Most neurodevelopmental disorders are caused by having 1 functional gene copy. Using SCN2A, we show that upregulating the functional copy rescues neuronal phenotypes. Amazing work with @neurobender.bsky.social led by Serena Tamura, Andrew Nelson, Perry Spratt & others.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
✨ New hashtag series: #ZebrafishJokes, where we share our fintastic fish puns. Second take:
What do you call a zebrafish with a medical degree?
A fishician.
What do you call a zebrafish with a medical degree?
A fishician.
November 11, 2025 at 7:51 PM
✨ New hashtag series: #ZebrafishJokes, where we share our fintastic fish puns. Second take:
What do you call a zebrafish with a medical degree?
A fishician.
What do you call a zebrafish with a medical degree?
A fishician.
Reposted by Granton Jindal
📣 Paper alert!
I am delighted that our paper exploring the impact of Neanderthal-derived variants on the activity of a disease-associated craniofacial enhancer has been published in Development today!
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
I am delighted that our paper exploring the impact of Neanderthal-derived variants on the activity of a disease-associated craniofacial enhancer has been published in Development today!
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
November 10, 2025 at 11:11 AM
📣 Paper alert!
I am delighted that our paper exploring the impact of Neanderthal-derived variants on the activity of a disease-associated craniofacial enhancer has been published in Development today!
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
I am delighted that our paper exploring the impact of Neanderthal-derived variants on the activity of a disease-associated craniofacial enhancer has been published in Development today!
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
#GI2025 Ilias Georgakopoulos-Soares presents "Quadrupia - a comprehensive catalog of G-quadruplexes across genomes from the tree of life". Now published in Genome Research @genomeresearch.bsky.social Read full text here ➡️ tinyurl.com/Genome-Res-2...
November 6, 2025 at 10:41 PM
#GI2025 Ilias Georgakopoulos-Soares presents "Quadrupia - a comprehensive catalog of G-quadruplexes across genomes from the tree of life". Now published in Genome Research @genomeresearch.bsky.social Read full text here ➡️ tinyurl.com/Genome-Res-2...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
I'd only dabbled with napari, but needed to use it for a paper we're writing. This is a quick post about getting started: from installation to a folder full of thousands of processed images, with gotchas along the way.
quantixed.org/2025/11/04/a...
quantixed.org/2025/11/04/a...
Adventures in Code VII: getting started with napari – quantixed
quantixed.org
November 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM
I'd only dabbled with napari, but needed to use it for a paper we're writing. This is a quick post about getting started: from installation to a folder full of thousands of processed images, with gotchas along the way.
quantixed.org/2025/11/04/a...
quantixed.org/2025/11/04/a...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
We are thrilled to see this out in @jcellsci.bsky.social an in the special issue on Cilia. Cfap298 - which we call Kurly - is the mutant that keeps on giving us surprises! In this paper, a mutation generated by CRISPR, that deletes two aa and changes a third, specifically affects cilia motility.
Marvin Cortez, Cullen Young, Rebecca Burdine @rburdine1.bsky.social and colleagues identify a conserved domain in Cfap298 that governs left–right symmetry breaking in vertebrates.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
November 3, 2025 at 6:33 PM
We are thrilled to see this out in @jcellsci.bsky.social an in the special issue on Cilia. Cfap298 - which we call Kurly - is the mutant that keeps on giving us surprises! In this paper, a mutation generated by CRISPR, that deletes two aa and changes a third, specifically affects cilia motility.
Reposted by Granton Jindal
Must read! Nice examples why basic science is important and how we all benefit from it
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
Ozempic, MRI machines and flat screen televisions all emerged out of fundamental research decades earlier — the very types of study being slashed by the US government.
www.nature.com
November 2, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Must read! Nice examples why basic science is important and how we all benefit from it
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
A fun little side project I've been working on with @stepadenisov.bsky.social , Mato Lagator, and Andreas Wagner: "Strong promoters are mutationally robust". Briefly...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Strong promoters are mutationally robust
Mutational robustness is the persistence of a phenotype upon mutation. It facilitates molecular evolution and has been characterized in a variety of biological systems, but studies of prokaryotic prom...
www.biorxiv.org
October 21, 2025 at 8:02 AM
A fun little side project I've been working on with @stepadenisov.bsky.social , Mato Lagator, and Andreas Wagner: "Strong promoters are mutationally robust". Briefly...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
One of the most exciting works of my career, years in the making. We used high-throughput precision genome editing to test the fitness effects of thousands of natural variants. Our findings challenge the long-held assumption that common variants are inconsequential.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Massively parallel interrogation of the fitness of natural variants in ancient signaling pathways reveals pervasive local adaptation
The nature of standing genetic variation remains a central debate in population genetics, with differing perspectives on whether common variants are almost always neutral as suggested by neutral and n...
www.biorxiv.org
October 22, 2025 at 5:46 PM
One of the most exciting works of my career, years in the making. We used high-throughput precision genome editing to test the fitness effects of thousands of natural variants. Our findings challenge the long-held assumption that common variants are inconsequential.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
50 years ago, King & Wilson published a foundational paper that underlies the cis-regulatory paradigm (CRP) of #DevoEvo #EvoDevo, i.e., that *almost* all morphological evolution is driven by mutations in regulatory elements, rather than proteins, and it all arose from simple misunderstanding 🧪 🧵
October 29, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by Granton Jindal
New paper alert! Rare DNA changes in the SETBP1 gene are linked to speech problems & diverse syndromes affecting brain development. Work led by ace postdoc @maggiemkwong.bsky.social uncovered impact of different gene variants, coupling clinical/speech evaluation to molecular & cellular readouts.🧬🗣️🔬🧪
SETBP1 variants outside the degron disrupt DNA-binding, transcription and neuronal differentiation capacity to cause a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder - Nature Communications
Different types of SETBP1 variants cause variable developmental syndromes with only partial clinical and functional overlaps. Here, the authors report that SETBP1 variants outside the degron region impair DNA-binding, transcription, and neuronal differentiation capacity and morphologies.
www.nature.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:36 PM
New paper alert! Rare DNA changes in the SETBP1 gene are linked to speech problems & diverse syndromes affecting brain development. Work led by ace postdoc @maggiemkwong.bsky.social uncovered impact of different gene variants, coupling clinical/speech evaluation to molecular & cellular readouts.🧬🗣️🔬🧪
Reposted by Granton Jindal
The most important paper in evolutionary biology I'd never heard of:
1/
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
1/
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
October 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The most important paper in evolutionary biology I'd never heard of:
1/
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
1/
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
I'm very pleased to announce the official publication of our lab's paper "DNA mutagenesis driven by transcription factor competition with mismatch repair" in today's issue of Cell! www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
DNA mutagenesis driven by transcription factor competition with mismatch repair
Competition between transcription factors and mismatch repair machinery drives localized
hypermutation at regulatory elements, with implications for cancer and genome evolution.
www.cell.com
October 2, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I'm very pleased to announce the official publication of our lab's paper "DNA mutagenesis driven by transcription factor competition with mismatch repair" in today's issue of Cell! www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
New week, new tool: Find our Protein Domain Designer tool to generate publication-ready protein domain diagrams here: domaindesigner.farnunglab.com
September 29, 2025 at 3:01 PM
New week, new tool: Find our Protein Domain Designer tool to generate publication-ready protein domain diagrams here: domaindesigner.farnunglab.com
Reposted by Granton Jindal
Nature rarely invents, but recycles all the time..,
More on the ancient foundation of animal development. Coyle & King illustrate how core regulatory modules were present in our pre-animal ancestors. The key was not invention, but recycling & new protein interactions. #CellBiology #multicellularity #protistsOnSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 8, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Nature rarely invents, but recycles all the time..,
Reposted by Granton Jindal
❄️ Common shrews shrink their brains in winter.
🧠 The process is reversible and occurs because brain cells shrink, rather than die off. As a result, neuronal numbers stay constant and preserve brain function.
I can defo relate to seasonal brain shrinkage.
🧪🦊🌍
Paper: www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧠 The process is reversible and occurs because brain cells shrink, rather than die off. As a result, neuronal numbers stay constant and preserve brain function.
I can defo relate to seasonal brain shrinkage.
🧪🦊🌍
Paper: www.cell.com/current-biol...
September 4, 2025 at 3:23 PM
❄️ Common shrews shrink their brains in winter.
🧠 The process is reversible and occurs because brain cells shrink, rather than die off. As a result, neuronal numbers stay constant and preserve brain function.
I can defo relate to seasonal brain shrinkage.
🧪🦊🌍
Paper: www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧠 The process is reversible and occurs because brain cells shrink, rather than die off. As a result, neuronal numbers stay constant and preserve brain function.
I can defo relate to seasonal brain shrinkage.
🧪🦊🌍
Paper: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
August 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
Reposted by Granton Jindal
Reposted by Granton Jindal
Some exciting work from our group on the evolution of transcription factor binding sites! Also, please consider following @gopinath21.bsky.social who just made a Bluesky account :)
🚨 New preprint from the Andreas Wagner lab
lab at University of Zurich, with Andrei Papkou:
🧬 "The fitness landscape of the E. coli lac operator is highly rugged in two environments"
🔗 biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧡 Powered by URPP Evolution in Action
lab at University of Zurich, with Andrei Papkou:
🧬 "The fitness landscape of the E. coli lac operator is highly rugged in two environments"
🔗 biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧡 Powered by URPP Evolution in Action
The fitness landscape of the E.coli lac operator is highly rugged in two different environments
We know little about the fitness landscapes of bacterial operators, regulatory DNA elements that are crucial to regulate metabolic genes like those of the lac operon for lactose utilization. For examp...
biorxiv.org
July 28, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Some exciting work from our group on the evolution of transcription factor binding sites! Also, please consider following @gopinath21.bsky.social who just made a Bluesky account :)
Reposted by Granton Jindal
Evolutionary molecular biology paying dividends again - this time in finding new modulators of innate immunity - www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins mediates immunity via the Toll-like receptor pathway
Key actors of mammalian immunity originated from bacterial antiphage systems. The full extent of immune system conservation between bacteria and eukaryotes is unknown. Here, we show that the silent in...
www.science.org
July 26, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Evolutionary molecular biology paying dividends again - this time in finding new modulators of innate immunity - www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Granton Jindal
This is why we at NIH do what we do 💕. #FightForMedicalScience
Parents of children with rare diseases are charged with raising the child and also CURING THE DISEASE. What my brothers and sisters in arms are doing is nothing short of heroic. Thanks to my kids Jonah and Flora for showing me what ‘brave’ really is.
#ADSLDeficiency
#ADSLDeficiency
July 27, 2025 at 1:29 AM
This is why we at NIH do what we do 💕. #FightForMedicalScience
Reposted by Granton Jindal
First copies of my book are here!! As a new faculty member, I realized that in addition to my research job, I also had a leadership job…and I wasn’t prepared for that.
This book is the guide I wish I’d had then, with the goal of helping others now.
jenheemstra.com/book
This book is the guide I wish I’d had then, with the goal of helping others now.
jenheemstra.com/book
July 26, 2025 at 5:35 PM
First copies of my book are here!! As a new faculty member, I realized that in addition to my research job, I also had a leadership job…and I wasn’t prepared for that.
This book is the guide I wish I’d had then, with the goal of helping others now.
jenheemstra.com/book
This book is the guide I wish I’d had then, with the goal of helping others now.
jenheemstra.com/book