Thank you so much Jane!!

Photo of the team - Lianne Lansink, Htay Mon Aye, Leon Walther, Joana Faria

A molecular shredder at the source: an endonuclease fine-tunes expression of virulence genes in T. brucei. Painting gifted to the Faria Lab by Dr Laura Jeacock.

(1/7) A new study from the Faria Lab in Nature Microbiology identifies a novel mechanism of spatially regulated RNA decay used to fine-tune the expression of virulence genes in T. brucei parasites. @fariatrypslab.bsky.social @ybri-uoy.bsky.social

Very happy to have contributed some confirmatory experiments to Jaclyn Smith and Monica Mugnier's excellent paper - out now @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
@rmc9z.bsky.social

Thank you so much to everyone who made it to #BSP2026 in beautiful, sunny Glasgow!!! (We asked the weather to behave while everyone was around)! The @bspparasitology.bsky.social 2027 meeting will be in Cardiff! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves! Like Glasgow, People Make #Parasitology! 🥳🧬🧫🔬

🧑‍🔬 The program for the scientific session of the ParaFrap Next Generation in Parasitology Workshop is now available!

🎟️ A few places are still available to attend the session in Montpellier. Registration is free but mandatory.

👉 forms.gle/q1ZZJbqu87CD...

Thank you Alex!

Specialized RNA decay fine-tunes monogenic antigen expression in Trypanosoma brucei Nature Microbiology, Published online: 30 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02289-4To evade the immune system, Trypanosoma brucei relies on a specialized ‘expression site body’. Protein condensates within this nuclear compartment modulate expression of virulence genes via a targeted RNA decay mechanism.

Out Now! Specialized RNA decay fine-tunes monogenic antigen expression in Trypanosoma brucei #MicroSky

(7/7) If you want to hear about the messy reality and the "Aha!" moments behind the work, read our Behind the Paper story communities.springernature.com/posts/a-molecu… 
#Parasitology #RNAbiology

Specialized RNA decay fine-tunes monogenic antigen expression in Trypanosoma brucei - Nature Microbiology To evade the immune system, Trypanosoma brucei relies on a specialized ‘expression site body’. Protein condensates within this nuclear compartment modulate expression of virulence genes via a targeted...

(6/7) Congratulations to Lianne, Leon, Htay, and all the co-authors! It was a massive team effort to bring this together. 👏🔬 
Read the full study here: 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

(5/7) By compartmentalising a molecular "shredder" and spatially regulating its activity, the parasite bypasses the constraints of polycistronic organisation to fine-tune virulence genes, underscoring how nuclear architecture can shape gene expression. 🧬🛰️

(4/7) By tethering a nuclease to the site of synthesis, the parasite couples transcription to mRNA decay within the ESB. In simple terms, ESB2 and its interactors act as a filter, redacting specific transcripts at the source to prioritise the VSG coat. 🛡️🧪

(3/7) We combined in vitro biochemical assays with CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease-dead mutants. Purified ESB2 shows endonuclease activity; abrogating this activity in vivo restores ESAG levels without affecting distal VSG abundance. 🧬✂️

(2/7) The active VSG is transcribed in a unique subnuclear factory: the Expression Site Body (ESB). Using quantitative proteomics & super-res microscopy, we identified ESB2, a novel endonuclease localised exclusively within this compartment. 🔬✨

(1/7) How does T. brucei achieve a 140-fold stoichiometric excess of VSG mRNA over upstream ESAGs from a single polycistronic unit?
Our latest research in @natmicrobiol.nature.com reveals a mechanism of spatially regulated RNA decay to fine-tune expression of virulence genes

Proud to share the yeast telomerase structure, led by the talented @hongmiaohu.bsky.social in collaboration with the Wellinger and Chartrand labs. Discovered 37 years ago and took us nearly 7 years but totally worth the wait 😍.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFE4...

The work published in PNAS resulted from a multi-institutional collaboration between York-Imperial-Edinburgh-Oxford-Brookes

Trypanosomes express a single variant surface glycoprotein out of a vast genetic repertoire (>2000 genes)

How do parasites disguise themselves to evade our immune system? It’s all about gene selection.
The latest work from the Faria Lab in PNAS identifies a new master regulator: ESBX.
@fariatrypslab.bsky.social @pnas.org

In Talking to Parents About Vaccines, Pediatricians Navigate a Sea of Misinformation

"Over the last year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his associates have questioned the safety of childhood vaccines, made false statements about their effectiveness and rescinded recommendations for routine vaccination against a half-dozen diseases." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/h...

Thanks for having me @danbose.bsky.social, I had such a wonderful time! Lots of cool questions & great to hear about the exciting research on #condensates and #generegulation @sheffielduni.bsky.social!

Sequence and structure of protein binding sites in RNA impact biomolecular condensates www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02...

Newest collaborative paper out now on biorxiv - new genome and VSG arrangements in T. congolense, excellent work by Marija!

In the words of @scotomorph.bsky.social T. congolense ≠ T. brucei www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

@rmc9z.bsky.social @keithrmatthews.bsky.social

@fariatrypslab.bsky.social in a major collaborative effort with researchers from Imperial College, Oxford, Oxford Brookes, and Edinburgh, has identified a novel factor, ESBX, as the key coordinator between the activation and repression of surface antigen genes in trypanosomes.

Scientists reveal how sleeping sickness parasites control their surface coat Researchers have revealed how parasites hide thousands of antigens behind a single-colour coat and how disrupting this control could make the parasit...

New PNAS study identifies ESBX, a protein controlling which surface coat gene is active in sleeping sickness parasites - key to immune evasion.

@tiengwe-tryplab.bsky.social
@zephyris-science.bsky.social
@fariatrypslab.bsky.social

www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

Merci Philippe 😊

Nice multiple-team effort shedding some light on the intriguing expression site body (ESB), the key to antigenic variation in trypanosomes
@fariatrypslab.bsky.social @zephyris-science.bsky.social @tiengwe-tryplab.bsky.social with Jack Sunter and Keith Gull among others

A factor integrating transcription and repression of surface antigen genes in African trypanosomes pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41632842/

5/5 PS: More to come on the ever-growing ‘ESB molecular consortium’ and a new layer of post-transcriptional regulation through specialised RNA decay. Stay tuned for an update on our preprint!

A factor integrating transcription and repression of surface antigen genes in African trypanosomes | PNAS Antigenic variation in Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei) requires monoallelic expression of one variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) from one of the sub...

4/5 Science is better together. We hope these insights into ESBX open new doors for understanding immune evasion and fundamental principles of gene regulation.
Full paper here: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

3/5 After the loss of Prof. Gloria Rudenko @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social the UK scientific community stepped up. Guided by Prof. Keith Gull, multiple labs collaborated to cross the finish line. Pleasure to collaborate with Sunter, @zephyris-science.bsky.social & @tiengwe-tryplab.bsky.social Labs

2/5 Using trypanosomes as a model, we found that ESBX coordinates activation and repression of surface antigen genes. This "monoallelic expression" is a fundamental mystery in biology.

1/5 How do parasites "shape-shift" to evade our immune system? It’s all about gene selection. Our latest work in @pnas.org identifies a new key player: ESBX.
@york.ac.uk @ybri-uoy.bsky.social