Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evo of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social loved talking w/ Jennifer Gerton from @stowersinstitute.bsky.social about her super cool @nature.com paper on #Robertsonian chromosomes + unpublished work!
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
graphical abstract for "Developmental determinants of male bias in medulloblastoma" preprint. We propose that boys are more likely to develop Group 3/4 medulloblastoma more vulnerable cells-of-origin are available for transformation. Specifically, GC_UBC progenitors in the developing cerebellum are more abundant in male murine embryos, as a result of testosterone exposure and the XY genotype.
New preprint alert! I'm excited to share our latest preprint where we investigate the underlying developmental causes of the male bias in the pediatric brain tumor Group 3/4 medulloblastoma. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
That should be NO-NO, since both their teams lost today. Men’s game was a replay of the Dean Dome game where they blew a big lead, went behind on a 3 with 0.4 sec left.
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evo of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social had a great talk w/ @katiebillmyre.bsky.social from @universityofga.bsky.social about her 2019 PNAS paper on SC and recombination + cool unpublished work
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
interested in working on sex differences during development and in tumor initiation! come join our lab via the MSCA MasterClass
Its that time of year…that’s the pine pollen in the air lit up by my bike light this am. Weather is beautiful for working outside but you can watch the pollen accumulate on surfaces (e.g, laptops) in real time.
A “fun” twist this time is that both Patrick and I were attending from #dros26 in Chicago…though we still haven’t run into each other in person.
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social geeked out about #BChromosomes w/ Patrick Ferree from @scrippscollege.bsky.social about his @plosbiology.org paper on female meiotic drag in Nasonia: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social , Corbin Jones & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social loved talking to Jeremy Searle from Cornell about his review on #Robertsonian translocations doi.org/10.1159/0005... & exciting unpublished work! Amazing cytogenetics.
Some friends and I wrote a review with @biologists.bsky.social !! Together with Esther Becker and Simone Mayer, we explore the state of the cerebellum organoid field and offer practical guidance on getting this model system started in your own lab. journals.biologists.com/dmm/article/...
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social had a great chat w/ Kent Golic @uofubiology.bsky.social about his lab's #GENETICS paper on #Drosophila ring chromosomes:
doi.org/10.1093/gene...
Congratulations to Dr. Carolyn Turcotte, who defended her PhD yesterday! Her most recent amazing accomplishment was getting four over-scheduled committee members (e.g., 2 dept chairs) to be able to meet a day after getting iced out of her originally schedule time.
Our @jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social had a great talk w/ Steve Perlman from U of Victoria @uvic.ca about his lab’s @pnas.org paper on male and female X chromosome drive in D. testacea
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
MRI of brain showing gliosis where tissue was removed from the right temporal lobe.
In personal good news, my new brain surgeon says the gliosis (white area on right) from my surgery in 2006 looks the same as it did on my last MRI in 2013. He'll keep me on the anti-seizure med I started in May (the one that made me mean 20 yrs ago) but reduce the daytime dosage.
In the category of good news amidst a sea of bad, the T32 that supports UNC's Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology was renewed! July 1 started our 51st year of continuous support from NIGMS that has funded students & driven changes that improve training & outcomes.
Dr. Nila Pazhayam in her doctoral gown and hood, accompanied by her advisor Jeff Sekelsky
Dr. Nila Pazhayam, PhD! Nila authored a review and 2 research papers, was on T32, had an F31, mentored undergrads, and more. Fun fact: Since Nila did a straight-to-MS degree (no BS) before her PhD, if she were to apply for a job in India that requires a BS she would be deemed unqualified.
Photo of Sekelsky lab Biology majors graduating with Honors in 2025.
Congratulations to Nina Wozniak, Ilan Socolovsky_Hull, and Josh Ponder, who all earned Honors in Biology for research they did in the Sekelsky lab! (Also to Sasha Sagar; her degree is Neuroscience so a different venue.)
@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social Corbin Jones, & I give huge thanks to Frank McNally, Christoph Haag, Andy Kern, Bengt Hansson, @takashiakeralab.bsky.social & @scienceleah.bsky.social for being guests in our #Meiosis, Recombination, & Evolution of Sex class at UNC. A pic from our final session w/ students
ACTION ITEM-----ACTION ITEM
Implementation of Schedule F
This is what a lot of us have been worried about.
This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.
BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...
1/n
Congratulations T$ - well-deserved and long overdue!
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social loved talking w/ @scienceleah.bsky.social about her lab's @plos.org Genetics paper on a unique chromosome segregation mechanism in holocentric moths. doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social loved talking w/ @takashiakeralab.bsky.social about his lab's @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social on meiotic cohesin errors & sterility in hybrid mice. doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reprint of LV Morgan's "A closed X chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster" (1933)
Reprint of LV Morgan's "Non-cross-cross inheritance in Drosophila melanogaster" (1922)
Enjoyed reading this history of a great Drosophila geneticist. Among my prized possessions are original reprints (not an oxymoron) of LV Morgan's compound X and ring X papers, a gift from Scott Hawley, who got Parker's collection, who got Cooper's collection, who got Bridges collection...
Photo of Nila Pazhayam next to screen showing her slide of the summary of the results of her research.
Congratulations to Nila Pazhayam for a successful defense of her PhD dissertation! Her research provided important insights into how crossovers are kept away from the centromere.
doi.org/10.1093/gene...
doi.org/10.1093/gene...
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social loved talking w/ Bengt Hansson from @lund-university.bsky.social about his lab's #G3journal paper on bird male-biased CO patterning + new work: doi.org/10.1093/g3jo...
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social , Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social loved talking with Any Kern @uoregon.bsky.social about his lab’s @currentbiology.bsky.social paper on octopus ZZ, ZO sex chromosome system: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Poster for defense seminar of Nila Pazhayam, March 7, 10 am EST, on campus and by zoom.
It's happening on March 7: Nila's PhD defense!
(We know this conflicts with #standupforscience2025, but this was scheduled months ago.)
The Biology Dept @uncchapelhill.bsky.social is searching for a Teaching Assistant Professor or Teaching Associate Professor. We're a vibrant community with fantastic colleagues and students. Apply and tell all your friends too! Here's the job posting link:
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/297...
Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social,Corbin Jones, & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class at UNC loved talking w/ Christoph Haag @cnrs.bsky.social about his lab’s @journal-evo.bsky.social paper on recombination and asexuality in #Daphnia plus some unpublished work: doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Feeling very lost today with the news of the passing of my undergrad advisor Scott Hawley. He had a huge impact on the field and on me personally. He was the first person to see me as a scientist and gave me the confidence to apply to grad school. I am so grateful to be a part of his legacy.
