henriqueswill.bsky.social
@henriqueswill.bsky.social
Genetic conflict | Structural biology
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Ever wondered why some bacteria have multiple CRISPR-Cas systems? Our new study led by Leah Smith shows how type I CRISPR systems can promote the acquisition and retention of new spacers into a co-occuring type III system. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
CRISPR-Cas systems are diverse, with microbes harboring multiple classes and subtypes. Type I DNA-targeting and type III RNA-targeting systems often c…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 18, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Ever wondered why some bacteria have multiple CRISPR-Cas systems? Our new study led by Leah Smith shows how type I CRISPR systems can promote the acquisition and retention of new spacers into a co-occuring type III system. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
We finish this manuscript with more questions than we started with... a good sign! 🤓
What are these capsids transporting? Which cells release them?? Where do they go???👾🧑🚀
So, stay tuned: even in the tiny fly brain, these mechanisms might reveal how similar processes operate in our own. 🧠✨
What are these capsids transporting? Which cells release them?? Where do they go???👾🧑🚀
So, stay tuned: even in the tiny fly brain, these mechanisms might reveal how similar processes operate in our own. 🧠✨
a cartoon drawing of a cat flying through space
ALT: a cartoon drawing of a cat flying through space
media.tenor.com
August 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
We finish this manuscript with more questions than we started with... a good sign! 🤓
What are these capsids transporting? Which cells release them?? Where do they go???👾🧑🚀
So, stay tuned: even in the tiny fly brain, these mechanisms might reveal how similar processes operate in our own. 🧠✨
What are these capsids transporting? Which cells release them?? Where do they go???👾🧑🚀
So, stay tuned: even in the tiny fly brain, these mechanisms might reveal how similar processes operate in our own. 🧠✨
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
📢 Fresh off the press! Our article on Arc is out in @currentbiology.bsky.social:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧶 Full thread on our discoveries here: bsky.app/profile/thec...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧶 Full thread on our discoveries here: bsky.app/profile/thec...
August 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
📢 Fresh off the press! Our article on Arc is out in @currentbiology.bsky.social:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧶 Full thread on our discoveries here: bsky.app/profile/thec...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧶 Full thread on our discoveries here: bsky.app/profile/thec...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
I'm excited to announce our new biorxiv preprint, wherein we investigate the evolution of the weirdest genetic locus I've ever seen! Behold the tgr genes of the social amoeba, which mediate self/non-self discrimination during facultative multicellularity 🐅 🧵 1/
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Hypermutable hotspot enables the rapid evolution of self/non-self recognition genes in Dictyostelium
Cells require highly polymorphic receptors to perform accurate self/non-self recognition. In the amoeba Dicytostelium discoideum, polymorphic TgrB1 & TgrC1 proteins are used to bind sister cells and e...
www.biorxiv.org
August 5, 2025 at 12:56 AM
I'm excited to announce our new biorxiv preprint, wherein we investigate the evolution of the weirdest genetic locus I've ever seen! Behold the tgr genes of the social amoeba, which mediate self/non-self discrimination during facultative multicellularity 🐅 🧵 1/
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
piRNAs are essential for transposon silencing in the animal germline.
But how do hosts trap transposon sequences in genomic loci that help establish a piRNA response?
Looking at a natural transposon invasion, Baptiste Rafanel and Kirsten Senti made some remarkable observations.
But how do hosts trap transposon sequences in genomic loci that help establish a piRNA response?
Looking at a natural transposon invasion, Baptiste Rafanel and Kirsten Senti made some remarkable observations.
Antisense transposon insertions into host genes trigger piRNA mediated immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.28.667215v1
August 3, 2025 at 3:39 PM
piRNAs are essential for transposon silencing in the animal germline.
But how do hosts trap transposon sequences in genomic loci that help establish a piRNA response?
Looking at a natural transposon invasion, Baptiste Rafanel and Kirsten Senti made some remarkable observations.
But how do hosts trap transposon sequences in genomic loci that help establish a piRNA response?
Looking at a natural transposon invasion, Baptiste Rafanel and Kirsten Senti made some remarkable observations.
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
I need you, and I can't stress this enough, to read this paper by Margaret Kidwell et al. on horizontal transfer of P elements from mites to flies and back...from *1991*: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Possible Horizontal Transfer of Drosophila Genes by the Mite Proctolaelaps regalis
There is strong inferential evidence for recent horizontal gene transfer of the P (mobile) element to Drosophila melanogaster from a species of the Drosophila willistoni group. One potential vector of...
www.science.org
July 24, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I need you, and I can't stress this enough, to read this paper by Margaret Kidwell et al. on horizontal transfer of P elements from mites to flies and back...from *1991*: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
First preprint from the Nemudryi Lab! 🍾
In this work, we link antiviral immunity in bacteria and humans by showing that homologs of human Schlafen nucleases protect bacteria from phages.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In this work, we link antiviral immunity in bacteria and humans by showing that homologs of human Schlafen nucleases protect bacteria from phages.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Bacterial Schlafens mediate anti-phage defense
Human Schlafen proteins restrict viral replication by cleaving tRNA, thereby suppressing protein synthesis. Although the ribonuclease domain of Schlafen proteins is conserved across all domains of lif...
www.biorxiv.org
July 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
First preprint from the Nemudryi Lab! 🍾
In this work, we link antiviral immunity in bacteria and humans by showing that homologs of human Schlafen nucleases protect bacteria from phages.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In this work, we link antiviral immunity in bacteria and humans by showing that homologs of human Schlafen nucleases protect bacteria from phages.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Our latest paper is out: rdcu.be/ev6Ym — one of my favorite projects. It began about 8 years ago when Nobel laureate Torsten Wiesel asked me: what transcription factors regulate new genes? I had no idea then. Now we have some answers.
Gene regulatory networks and essential transcription factors for de novo-originated genes
Nature Ecology & Evolution - A combination of computational methods applied to single-cell RNA sequencing data and genetic experiments shows that a small number of transcription factors are...
rdcu.be
July 15, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Our latest paper is out: rdcu.be/ev6Ym — one of my favorite projects. It began about 8 years ago when Nobel laureate Torsten Wiesel asked me: what transcription factors regulate new genes? I had no idea then. Now we have some answers.
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Pls. share widely
Calling all transposon fans & lovers of genetic innovation
MOBILE GENOME welcomes you in Heidelberg, Nov. 4–7 2025
→ Vibrant & friendly community
→ Cutting-edge talks from mechanisms to physiology
→ Plenty of surprises (TEs never stop innovating)
submit abstract by July 29
Calling all transposon fans & lovers of genetic innovation
MOBILE GENOME welcomes you in Heidelberg, Nov. 4–7 2025
→ Vibrant & friendly community
→ Cutting-edge talks from mechanisms to physiology
→ Plenty of surprises (TEs never stop innovating)
submit abstract by July 29
⏰ Abstract deadline for 'The mobile genome' is 29 July!
👉 https://s.embl.org/mge25-01-bl
Join us 4–7 Nov 2025 at EMBL Heidelberg (or online) to explore the impact of TEs across biology. 🧬🔍
⭐🧑🏼🔬 24 talks + 15 flash talks from posters – don't miss out!
#EMBOMobileGenome
👉 https://s.embl.org/mge25-01-bl
Join us 4–7 Nov 2025 at EMBL Heidelberg (or online) to explore the impact of TEs across biology. 🧬🔍
⭐🧑🏼🔬 24 talks + 15 flash talks from posters – don't miss out!
#EMBOMobileGenome
July 16, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Pls. share widely
Calling all transposon fans & lovers of genetic innovation
MOBILE GENOME welcomes you in Heidelberg, Nov. 4–7 2025
→ Vibrant & friendly community
→ Cutting-edge talks from mechanisms to physiology
→ Plenty of surprises (TEs never stop innovating)
submit abstract by July 29
Calling all transposon fans & lovers of genetic innovation
MOBILE GENOME welcomes you in Heidelberg, Nov. 4–7 2025
→ Vibrant & friendly community
→ Cutting-edge talks from mechanisms to physiology
→ Plenty of surprises (TEs never stop innovating)
submit abstract by July 29
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Connaissez-vous l'histoire des gènes sauteurs ?🧬
Dans cette vidéo, Gaël Cristofari, chercheur ( #UniCA, @cnrs.fr, @inserm.fr) explique de manière claire et illustrée comment ces gènes se déplacent et quel rôle essentiel ils jouent dans notre génétique.
➡️https://youtu.be/twtOhB-TPJk?feature=shared
Dans cette vidéo, Gaël Cristofari, chercheur ( #UniCA, @cnrs.fr, @inserm.fr) explique de manière claire et illustrée comment ces gènes se déplacent et quel rôle essentiel ils jouent dans notre génétique.
➡️https://youtu.be/twtOhB-TPJk?feature=shared
White Board #1 : L'histoire des gènes sauteurs
YouTube video by Université Côte d'Azur
youtu.be
July 9, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Connaissez-vous l'histoire des gènes sauteurs ?🧬
Dans cette vidéo, Gaël Cristofari, chercheur ( #UniCA, @cnrs.fr, @inserm.fr) explique de manière claire et illustrée comment ces gènes se déplacent et quel rôle essentiel ils jouent dans notre génétique.
➡️https://youtu.be/twtOhB-TPJk?feature=shared
Dans cette vidéo, Gaël Cristofari, chercheur ( #UniCA, @cnrs.fr, @inserm.fr) explique de manière claire et illustrée comment ces gènes se déplacent et quel rôle essentiel ils jouent dans notre génétique.
➡️https://youtu.be/twtOhB-TPJk?feature=shared
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
📢Preprint out!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
July 13, 2025 at 7:49 AM
📢Preprint out!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Vertebrate retrotransposons are the future of gene therapy. But how do they insert their genes? 🔥🔥
Thrilled to share our new work now published with Kathy Collins, @nogaleslab.bsky.social @berkeleymcb.bsky.social where we investigate this with #cryoEM & biochemistry in 🧪 and cells! #RNAsky #TEsky
Thrilled to share our new work now published with Kathy Collins, @nogaleslab.bsky.social @berkeleymcb.bsky.social where we investigate this with #cryoEM & biochemistry in 🧪 and cells! #RNAsky #TEsky
June 23, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Vertebrate retrotransposons are the future of gene therapy. But how do they insert their genes? 🔥🔥
Thrilled to share our new work now published with Kathy Collins, @nogaleslab.bsky.social @berkeleymcb.bsky.social where we investigate this with #cryoEM & biochemistry in 🧪 and cells! #RNAsky #TEsky
Thrilled to share our new work now published with Kathy Collins, @nogaleslab.bsky.social @berkeleymcb.bsky.social where we investigate this with #cryoEM & biochemistry in 🧪 and cells! #RNAsky #TEsky
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
🚨New paper!
A prophage-encoded sRNA limits lytic phage infection in adherent-invasive E. coli.
Huge thanks to members of the Round Lab, @duerkoplab.bsky.social, Wiedenheft Lab, and phage legend Sherwood Casjens.
#microsky 🦠🧫🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A prophage-encoded sRNA limits lytic phage infection in adherent-invasive E. coli.
Huge thanks to members of the Round Lab, @duerkoplab.bsky.social, Wiedenheft Lab, and phage legend Sherwood Casjens.
#microsky 🦠🧫🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
May 7, 2025 at 1:39 PM
🚨New paper!
A prophage-encoded sRNA limits lytic phage infection in adherent-invasive E. coli.
Huge thanks to members of the Round Lab, @duerkoplab.bsky.social, Wiedenheft Lab, and phage legend Sherwood Casjens.
#microsky 🦠🧫🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A prophage-encoded sRNA limits lytic phage infection in adherent-invasive E. coli.
Huge thanks to members of the Round Lab, @duerkoplab.bsky.social, Wiedenheft Lab, and phage legend Sherwood Casjens.
#microsky 🦠🧫🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
In @elife.bsky.social: Effective population size does not explain long-term variation in genome size and transposable element content in animals doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
This is the revised version of our manuscript, which will become the final published version !
This is the revised version of our manuscript, which will become the final published version !
Effective population size does not explain long-term variation in genome size and transposable element content in animals
doi.org
June 19, 2025 at 8:17 AM
In @elife.bsky.social: Effective population size does not explain long-term variation in genome size and transposable element content in animals doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
This is the revised version of our manuscript, which will become the final published version !
This is the revised version of our manuscript, which will become the final published version !
New preprint from the Wiedenheft lab!
We used #cryoEM to show how a type I-F #CRISPR integrase captures, delivers, and integrates foreign DNA.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We used #cryoEM to show how a type I-F #CRISPR integrase captures, delivers, and integrates foreign DNA.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
June 18, 2025 at 1:21 AM
New preprint from the Wiedenheft lab!
We used #cryoEM to show how a type I-F #CRISPR integrase captures, delivers, and integrates foreign DNA.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We used #cryoEM to show how a type I-F #CRISPR integrase captures, delivers, and integrates foreign DNA.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
1/10 New pre-print(s) from the Sternberg Lab in collaboration with Leifu Chang's Lab! We uncover the unprecedented molecular mechanism of CRISPR-Cas12f-like proteins, which drive RNA-guided transcription independently of canonical promoter motifs.
Full story here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Full story here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
June 11, 2025 at 4:03 PM
1/10 New pre-print(s) from the Sternberg Lab in collaboration with Leifu Chang's Lab! We uncover the unprecedented molecular mechanism of CRISPR-Cas12f-like proteins, which drive RNA-guided transcription independently of canonical promoter motifs.
Full story here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Full story here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
HMMER is the bedrock of genomic annotation globally, and now its funding is terminated for no reason.
@cryptogenomicon.bsky.social is now on bsky:
@cryptogenomicon.bsky.social is now on bsky:
NIH funding supporting the HMMER and Infernal software projects has been terminated. NIH states that our work, as well as all other federally funded research at Harvard, is of no benefit to the US.
May 28, 2025 at 4:25 PM
HMMER is the bedrock of genomic annotation globally, and now its funding is terminated for no reason.
@cryptogenomicon.bsky.social is now on bsky:
@cryptogenomicon.bsky.social is now on bsky:
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
1/10 Today in @science.org in collaboration with
the Liu group we report the development of a laboratory-evolved CRISPR-associated transposase (evoCAST) that supports therapeutically relevant levels of RNA-programmable gene insertion in human cells. drive.google.com/file/d/1I-Ub...
the Liu group we report the development of a laboratory-evolved CRISPR-associated transposase (evoCAST) that supports therapeutically relevant levels of RNA-programmable gene insertion in human cells. drive.google.com/file/d/1I-Ub...
May 15, 2025 at 10:49 PM
1/10 Today in @science.org in collaboration with
the Liu group we report the development of a laboratory-evolved CRISPR-associated transposase (evoCAST) that supports therapeutically relevant levels of RNA-programmable gene insertion in human cells. drive.google.com/file/d/1I-Ub...
the Liu group we report the development of a laboratory-evolved CRISPR-associated transposase (evoCAST) that supports therapeutically relevant levels of RNA-programmable gene insertion in human cells. drive.google.com/file/d/1I-Ub...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
💥🥳 At long last, our latest paper is out!
Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social
A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/n
Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social
A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/n
Gag proteins encoded by endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development | PNAS
Transposable elements (TEs) make up the bulk of eukaryotic genomes and examples abound
of TE-derived sequences repurposed for organismal function. ...
www.pnas.org
April 30, 2025 at 10:45 AM
💥🥳 At long last, our latest paper is out!
Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social
A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/n
Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social
A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/n
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Barbara McClintock proposed – over 40 years ago – that transposable element activity could be a response to stress, and I think that we are still only beginning to understand how right she was.
April 28, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Barbara McClintock proposed – over 40 years ago – that transposable element activity could be a response to stress, and I think that we are still only beginning to understand how right she was.
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
I have exhorted others to share positive news even in these uncertain times for US science.
I am really excited that @tamanash.bsky.social’s first paper on the remarkable evolutionary gymnastics of dual-host viruses (even in single codons) is now online.
Follow along here 🧪🧵
I am really excited that @tamanash.bsky.social’s first paper on the remarkable evolutionary gymnastics of dual-host viruses (even in single codons) is now online.
Follow along here 🧪🧵
Our study exploring the evolutionary mechanism of alphavirus opal codon retention is now online! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A conserved opal termination codon optimizes a temperature-dependent trade-off between protein production and processing in alphaviruses
Alphaviruses optimize viral polymerase production and polyprotein processing at distinct temperatures via a premature stop codon.
www.science.org
April 18, 2025 at 11:11 PM
I have exhorted others to share positive news even in these uncertain times for US science.
I am really excited that @tamanash.bsky.social’s first paper on the remarkable evolutionary gymnastics of dual-host viruses (even in single codons) is now online.
Follow along here 🧪🧵
I am really excited that @tamanash.bsky.social’s first paper on the remarkable evolutionary gymnastics of dual-host viruses (even in single codons) is now online.
Follow along here 🧪🧵
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Our study exploring the evolutionary mechanism of alphavirus opal codon retention is now online! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A conserved opal termination codon optimizes a temperature-dependent trade-off between protein production and processing in alphaviruses
Alphaviruses optimize viral polymerase production and polyprotein processing at distinct temperatures via a premature stop codon.
www.science.org
April 18, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Our study exploring the evolutionary mechanism of alphavirus opal codon retention is now online! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Very excited with @tobybarilbio.bsky.social to share this preprint about his latest work on TEs!
We knew that TEs were very pretty active in this global fungal pathogen of wheat.
Now with nearly 2000 Illumina genomes available, we could finally ask questions about historic TE activation waves.
We knew that TEs were very pretty active in this global fungal pathogen of wheat.
Now with nearly 2000 Illumina genomes available, we could finally ask questions about historic TE activation waves.
April 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Very excited with @tobybarilbio.bsky.social to share this preprint about his latest work on TEs!
We knew that TEs were very pretty active in this global fungal pathogen of wheat.
Now with nearly 2000 Illumina genomes available, we could finally ask questions about historic TE activation waves.
We knew that TEs were very pretty active in this global fungal pathogen of wheat.
Now with nearly 2000 Illumina genomes available, we could finally ask questions about historic TE activation waves.
Reposted by henriqueswill.bsky.social
Hello BlueSky! Inaugural post here from the Sternberg Lab. We're excited to share our latest work, in which we teamed up with the @WiedenheftLab to study how DRT9 reverse transcriptases provide antiviral immunity. Here’s what we found: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Protein-primed DNA homopolymer synthesis by an antiviral reverse transcriptase
Bacteria defend themselves from viral predation using diverse immune systems, many of which sense and target foreign DNA for degradation. Defense-associated reverse transcriptase (DRT) systems provide...
www.biorxiv.org
March 26, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Hello BlueSky! Inaugural post here from the Sternberg Lab. We're excited to share our latest work, in which we teamed up with the @WiedenheftLab to study how DRT9 reverse transcriptases provide antiviral immunity. Here’s what we found: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...