Lillie Bell
@lilliebell.bsky.social
BIF PhD Student @ Clausen Lab, IMP Vienna using structural biology and biochemistry to study the ubiquitin machinery
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Very happy to share our collaborative project on FAM118 proteins - noncanonical sirtuins that form filaments and process NAD in human and other vertebrate cells.
Filament formation and NAD processing by noncanonical human FAM118 sirtuins
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology - Baretić and Missoury et al. identify vertebrate proteins FAM118B and FAM118A as sirtuins similar to bacterial antiphage enzymes and show that...
rdcu.be
November 17, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Very happy to share our collaborative project on FAM118 proteins - noncanonical sirtuins that form filaments and process NAD in human and other vertebrate cells.
Reposted by Lillie Bell
📢 Open Call! The Max Perutz Labs invite applications for a Full Professorship in Integrative Structure Biology with a focus on in situ structural biology using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and related methods. More details ➡️ tinyurl.com/brswbymu
October 31, 2025 at 9:24 AM
📢 Open Call! The Max Perutz Labs invite applications for a Full Professorship in Integrative Structure Biology with a focus on in situ structural biology using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and related methods. More details ➡️ tinyurl.com/brswbymu
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Split-site ubiquitination gives ZNFX1 new power in RNA defense @cellcellpress.bsky.social
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Split-site ubiquitination gives ZNFX1 new power in RNA defense
Recent work by Grabarczyk et al. uncovers the molecular mechanism by which ZNFX1,
an interferon-stimulated gene, employs a novel split-site E3 ligase domain structure
to ubiquitinate both protein lysi...
www.cell.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Split-site ubiquitination gives ZNFX1 new power in RNA defense @cellcellpress.bsky.social
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Happy #PortfolioDay! I'm a bloke who traded investigating nematodes & RNAs for making Art all day every day #NoMoreLabCoatsJustPaintCoats
October 16, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Happy #PortfolioDay! I'm a bloke who traded investigating nematodes & RNAs for making Art all day every day #NoMoreLabCoatsJustPaintCoats
Reposted by Lillie Bell
If you, or anyone you know, is looking for a PhD position, I have no doubt that Ulrich's lab is a fantastic choice! I'm tempted to do a second PhD in this lab.
Thrilled to share that I’ll be joining @imbmainz.bsky.social in February 2026 to start my own group!
We will explore new mechanisms in eukaryotic gene expression, leveraging ‘evolutionary play’ to uncover how regulation, repurposing, and hijacking shape RNA biology.
PhD positions available!
We will explore new mechanisms in eukaryotic gene expression, leveraging ‘evolutionary play’ to uncover how regulation, repurposing, and hijacking shape RNA biology.
PhD positions available!
October 13, 2025 at 5:07 AM
If you, or anyone you know, is looking for a PhD position, I have no doubt that Ulrich's lab is a fantastic choice! I'm tempted to do a second PhD in this lab.
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Glad to share the final version of our story about the UBR4 complex, an E4 ligase protein quality control hub @science.org. Now with more cryo-EM structures and a deeper dive into substrate recognition, especially escaped mitochondrial proteins @clausenlab.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
August 28, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Glad to share the final version of our story about the UBR4 complex, an E4 ligase protein quality control hub @science.org. Now with more cryo-EM structures and a deeper dive into substrate recognition, especially escaped mitochondrial proteins @clausenlab.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Scientists uncovered how the immune protein ZNFX1 enables cells to walk the fine line between fighting infection & avoiding autoimmune damage. ZNFX1 can ubiquitinate & compact host & viral RNA into molecular condensates, extending ubiquitin biology to RNA itself. More: www.imp.ac.at/news/article...
ZNFX1 compacts and tags RNA to keep immunity in check
Tim Clausen’s lab at the IMP and collaborators have uncovered how the ancient immune protein ZNFX1 enables cells to walk the fine line between fighting infection and avoiding autoimmune damage. The te...
www.imp.ac.at
August 28, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Scientists uncovered how the immune protein ZNFX1 enables cells to walk the fine line between fighting infection & avoiding autoimmune damage. ZNFX1 can ubiquitinate & compact host & viral RNA into molecular condensates, extending ubiquitin biology to RNA itself. More: www.imp.ac.at/news/article...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Happy to share our work on the structure and function of the unusual E3 ligase ZNFX1 @cp-cell.bsky.social. It uses a nucleic acid-activated transthiolation mechanism, ubiquitinating and clustering RNA to protect cells in an immune response. @clausenlab.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
A split-site E3 ligase mechanism enables ZNFX1 to ubiquitinate and cluster single-stranded RNA into ubiquitin-coated nucleoprotein particles
Grabarczyk et al. show the structure and mechanism of a non-canonical ubiquitin ligase,
which is activated through nucleic-acid-induced oligomerization and is critical for
cell survival during immune ...
www.cell.com
August 27, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Happy to share our work on the structure and function of the unusual E3 ligase ZNFX1 @cp-cell.bsky.social. It uses a nucleic acid-activated transthiolation mechanism, ubiquitinating and clustering RNA to protect cells in an immune response. @clausenlab.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
And it's out!
I'm thrilled to share our new paper (Adriaenssens et al., Nat Cell Biol 2025).
This paper describes a new mechanism for the initiation of autophagosome biogenesis.
We found that this WIPI-ATG13-driven pathway is preferentially used by a group of transmembrane autophagy receptors.
I'm thrilled to share our new paper (Adriaenssens et al., Nat Cell Biol 2025).
This paper describes a new mechanism for the initiation of autophagosome biogenesis.
We found that this WIPI-ATG13-driven pathway is preferentially used by a group of transmembrane autophagy receptors.
July 25, 2025 at 9:43 AM
And it's out!
I'm thrilled to share our new paper (Adriaenssens et al., Nat Cell Biol 2025).
This paper describes a new mechanism for the initiation of autophagosome biogenesis.
We found that this WIPI-ATG13-driven pathway is preferentially used by a group of transmembrane autophagy receptors.
I'm thrilled to share our new paper (Adriaenssens et al., Nat Cell Biol 2025).
This paper describes a new mechanism for the initiation of autophagosome biogenesis.
We found that this WIPI-ATG13-driven pathway is preferentially used by a group of transmembrane autophagy receptors.
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Exciting and rare opportunity to join the @maxperutzlabs.bsky.social and the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social as a Full Professor!
www.nature.com/naturecareer...
www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Full Professorship in Molecular Mechanisms of Disease - Vienna BioCenter, Austria job with Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna | 12841053
Join theMax Perutz Labs as Full Professor to unravel disease mechanisms—from metabolism and stress to RNA regulation, epigenetics, and immunity.
www.nature.com
July 2, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Exciting and rare opportunity to join the @maxperutzlabs.bsky.social and the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social as a Full Professor!
www.nature.com/naturecareer...
www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
The E3 ligase Parkin ubiquitinates many proteins. Koszela, Walden (@hw1o9.bsky.social) et al. @uofglasgow.bsky.social identify and biochemically validate a direct Parkin interaction with a substrate, Miro1. rupress.org/jcb/article/...
June 27, 2025 at 8:10 PM
The E3 ligase Parkin ubiquitinates many proteins. Koszela, Walden (@hw1o9.bsky.social) et al. @uofglasgow.bsky.social identify and biochemically validate a direct Parkin interaction with a substrate, Miro1. rupress.org/jcb/article/...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
This is wild!
Engineering E. coli bacteria to turn plastic waste into paracetamol (Tylenol)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Engineering E. coli bacteria to turn plastic waste into paracetamol (Tylenol)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
June 23, 2025 at 6:55 PM
This is wild!
Engineering E. coli bacteria to turn plastic waste into paracetamol (Tylenol)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Engineering E. coli bacteria to turn plastic waste into paracetamol (Tylenol)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
The NAMPT enzyme employs a switch that directly senses AMP/ATP and regulates cellular responses to energy stress
The NAMPT enzyme employs a switch that directly senses AMP/ATP and regulates cellular responses to energy stress
Zu et al. reveal that AMP binds and inhibits NAMPT, the rate-limiting enzyme in NAD+ biosynthesis from nicotinamide, during energy stress. NAMPT functions as a metabolic sensor linking cellular energy status to NAD+ regulation, suggesting NAMPT activation as a potential therapeutic strategy in energy-deficient conditions such as ischemic stroke.
dlvr.it
June 21, 2025 at 3:19 PM
The NAMPT enzyme employs a switch that directly senses AMP/ATP and regulates cellular responses to energy stress
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Great to see this out. A story that spanned continents, cities and budget codes…
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Big thanks to all the teams involved!
@clausenlab.bsky.social @e3chembio.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Big thanks to all the teams involved!
@clausenlab.bsky.social @e3chembio.bsky.social
ATP functions as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern to activate the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF213 - Nature Communications
RNF213 is an E3 ligase with ATPase activity. Here, the authors show that RNF213 is activated by ATP binding and senses cellular energy states, and reveal a transthiolation mechanism induced by immune ...
www.nature.com
May 13, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Great to see this out. A story that spanned continents, cities and budget codes…
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Big thanks to all the teams involved!
@clausenlab.bsky.social @e3chembio.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Big thanks to all the teams involved!
@clausenlab.bsky.social @e3chembio.bsky.social
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Solène’s 4.5 years of postdoctoral work in our lab (she started just before the corona pandemic) has now been published. A heroic effort that revealed -at the single molecule level- that ATP drives the dissociation of an ECF transporter complex under turnover conditions. See rdcu.be/elTKc
Single-molecule visualization of ATP-induced dynamics of the subunit composition of an ECF transporter complex under turnover conditions
Nature Communications - The association and dissociation dynamics of the ECF transporter complex for vitamin B12 are visualized by single-molecule FRET, highlighting the original transport...
rdcu.be
May 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Solène’s 4.5 years of postdoctoral work in our lab (she started just before the corona pandemic) has now been published. A heroic effort that revealed -at the single molecule level- that ATP drives the dissociation of an ECF transporter complex under turnover conditions. See rdcu.be/elTKc
Reposted by Lillie Bell
You want to start tomography? Solve structures inside cells? Reach Nyquist 😳 ? @phaips.vd.st and I have a website for you! tomoguide.github.io
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
May 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
You want to start tomography? Solve structures inside cells? Reach Nyquist 😳 ? @phaips.vd.st and I have a website for you! tomoguide.github.io
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
Reposted by Lillie Bell
#TeamTomo is going to be all over chromatin structure and organization in the next years. Beautiful efforts like this are only the beginning! 🧪🧶🧬🔬
Excited to share our preprint on the molecular architecture of heterochromatin in human cells 🧬🔬w/ @jpkreysing.bsky.social, @johannesbetz.bsky.social,
@marinalusic.bsky.social, Turoňová lab, @hummerlab.bsky.social @becklab.bsky.social @mpibp.bsky.social
🔗 Preprint here tinyurl.com/3a74uanv
@marinalusic.bsky.social, Turoňová lab, @hummerlab.bsky.social @becklab.bsky.social @mpibp.bsky.social
🔗 Preprint here tinyurl.com/3a74uanv
April 12, 2025 at 4:30 AM
#TeamTomo is going to be all over chromatin structure and organization in the next years. Beautiful efforts like this are only the beginning! 🧪🧶🧬🔬
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Very happy to share the work from my PhD is out today in @naturesmb.bsky.social !
Check it out here if you're interested in molecular glues, cryo-EM, deubiquitylating enzymes or immune signalling: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check it out here if you're interested in molecular glues, cryo-EM, deubiquitylating enzymes or immune signalling: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Molecular glues that inhibit deubiquitylase activity and inflammatory signaling - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
The BRCC36 isopeptidase complex (BRISC) is a deubiquitylase that stabilizes interferon receptors, driving inflammation. We discovered ‘BRISC molecular glue’ inhibitors (BLUEs) that selectively inactiv...
www.nature.com
March 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Very happy to share the work from my PhD is out today in @naturesmb.bsky.social !
Check it out here if you're interested in molecular glues, cryo-EM, deubiquitylating enzymes or immune signalling: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check it out here if you're interested in molecular glues, cryo-EM, deubiquitylating enzymes or immune signalling: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Excited to report our latest research on new “molecular glues” that specifically lock the BRCC36 isopeptidase complex (BRISC) in an autoinhibited state and reduce interferon signalling. This first-of-its-kind approach could reshape how we target large deubiquitylase (DUB) complexes.
rdcu.be/edRwF
rdcu.be/edRwF
March 17, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Excited to report our latest research on new “molecular glues” that specifically lock the BRCC36 isopeptidase complex (BRISC) in an autoinhibited state and reduce interferon signalling. This first-of-its-kind approach could reshape how we target large deubiquitylase (DUB) complexes.
rdcu.be/edRwF
rdcu.be/edRwF
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Thrilled to share the structure of dimerised human PINK1 docked to an endogenous translocase array on the mitochondrial surface, composed of two TOM complexes, bridged by a VDAC2 dimer! Published today in Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@wehi-research.bsky.social @komanderlab.bsky.social
@wehi-research.bsky.social @komanderlab.bsky.social
March 13, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Thrilled to share the structure of dimerised human PINK1 docked to an endogenous translocase array on the mitochondrial surface, composed of two TOM complexes, bridged by a VDAC2 dimer! Published today in Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@wehi-research.bsky.social @komanderlab.bsky.social
@wehi-research.bsky.social @komanderlab.bsky.social
Reposted by Lillie Bell
More than 2 decades ago the PINK1 protein was found to be linked to Parkinson's disease, but its structure and how it was activated was not known. Until @science.org today. A triumph for cryo-EM and structural biology, introducing new targets for drug intervention.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
March 13, 2025 at 11:19 PM
More than 2 decades ago the PINK1 protein was found to be linked to Parkinson's disease, but its structure and how it was activated was not known. Until @science.org today. A triumph for cryo-EM and structural biology, introducing new targets for drug intervention.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
We are very happy to welcome Yasin Dagas soon starting as a Heisenberg professor at COS. Yasin's topic is evolutionary cell biology focusing on autophagy in plants and beyond. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/research... @dfgpublic.bsky.social
December 3, 2024 at 8:00 AM
We are very happy to welcome Yasin Dagas soon starting as a Heisenberg professor at COS. Yasin's topic is evolutionary cell biology focusing on autophagy in plants and beyond. www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/research... @dfgpublic.bsky.social
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Been thinking about creating a collection of good protein structure figures, as inspiration for my own work.
#1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
March 3, 2024 at 8:37 AM
Been thinking about creating a collection of good protein structure figures, as inspiration for my own work.
#1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lillie Bell
🧪 Researchers at @irbbarcelona.org discover how #mitochondria drive #autophagy.
📰 Autophagy
✍️ Saška Ivanova, Isabel Gordaliza-Alaguero, Antonio Zorzano et al.
➡️ bit.ly/42Tc11q
📌 doi.org/10.1080/1554...
#IRBScience #Mitochondria #Scicomm
📰 Autophagy
✍️ Saška Ivanova, Isabel Gordaliza-Alaguero, Antonio Zorzano et al.
➡️ bit.ly/42Tc11q
📌 doi.org/10.1080/1554...
#IRBScience #Mitochondria #Scicomm
February 13, 2025 at 9:56 AM
🧪 Researchers at @irbbarcelona.org discover how #mitochondria drive #autophagy.
📰 Autophagy
✍️ Saška Ivanova, Isabel Gordaliza-Alaguero, Antonio Zorzano et al.
➡️ bit.ly/42Tc11q
📌 doi.org/10.1080/1554...
#IRBScience #Mitochondria #Scicomm
📰 Autophagy
✍️ Saška Ivanova, Isabel Gordaliza-Alaguero, Antonio Zorzano et al.
➡️ bit.ly/42Tc11q
📌 doi.org/10.1080/1554...
#IRBScience #Mitochondria #Scicomm
Reposted by Lillie Bell
Yeast #proteotoxic stress response: Intrinsically disordered protein Roq1 reprograms specificity of #ubiquitin ligase Ubr1 towards four distinct classes of substrates using its N-terminal arginine linked to a short hydrophobic motif
Sebastian Schuck and colleagues
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Sebastian Schuck and colleagues
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
February 10, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Yeast #proteotoxic stress response: Intrinsically disordered protein Roq1 reprograms specificity of #ubiquitin ligase Ubr1 towards four distinct classes of substrates using its N-terminal arginine linked to a short hydrophobic motif
Sebastian Schuck and colleagues
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Sebastian Schuck and colleagues
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....