🤌🏻 thanks Laura!

New transcription signals in SARS-CoV-2 reshape virus–host interactions Non-spike changes driving SARS-CoV-2 fitness remain undiscovered. This Primer comments on two PLOS Biology papers that show that evolutionary N gene mutations create a transcription-regulating sequenc...

SUPER COOL to have my recent paper highlighted by CoV transcription legends, Drs Isabel Sola & Sonia Zuñiga in a PLoS Bio Primer.

A much better read than the AI summary of the paper 💥

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Very cool to finally be able to see what is going in with SARS-CoV-2/sarbecoviruses in horseshoe bats!

I did some research to try and figure out when my death date would be if there had been no treatment for my cancer. I don't know why I assumed it would be some date in the future, but, in fact, I passed the middle of the "no treatment survival" bell curve more than a year ago. Thanks chemo.

RNA binding as an emerging regulatory dimension in the type I IFN response Iselin et al. explore how the type I IFN response regulates RNA-binding activity using RNA-interactome capture and extend the RIC protocol to assess the role of phosphorylation in this process. Focusi...

Proud of Louisa Iselin. Not the easiest PhD, covid, two supervisors (shabazlab.bsky.social) moving labs, but she pushed through and delivered a really solid piece of work on how interferon reshapes RNA-protein interactions post-translationally www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Thanks Joseph!

🧵6/6 - THANK YOU @plosbiology.org! 2 weeks before submission, a beautiful study was published (Mears 2025) which complemented our initial observations.

PlosBio saw this as reproducibility rather than scooping... whereas many other journals do not 😬

Science is hard, lets not make it harder 🔬

🧵5/6 - This work shows how, through mutations, viruses are studying us while we are studying them!

Thank you to all the coauthors, including @nogasharlin.bsky.social and @corcoranlab.bsky.social

🧵4/6 - By comparing viruses with the N* mutation against viruses without the mutation in a competition assay or "cage match", we find that N* gives SARS2 a replication advantage in human cells and in mice!

... However, in cells unable to from stress granules, N* not longer helps the virus 🤔

🧵3/6 - N* is a double-stranded RNA binding protein that blunts various human antiviral pathways.

Most interestingly, N* is VERY good at blocking #StressGranules and #RLBs, and it does so by sequestering double-stranded RNAs.

🧵2/6 - A neat mutation in SARS2 emerged (identified by Drs. Harriet Mears and David Bauer). This mutation enabled SARS2 to make a BRAND NEW PROTEIN; a truncated form of the N protein, called N*... but why?

Evolution of a truncated nucleocapsid protein enhances SARS-CoV-2 fitness by suppressing antiviral responses SARS-CoV-2 has evolved to optimize its replication fitness in the human host. This study shows that a nucleocapsid gene mutation enhances production of a truncated protein that boosts viral fitness in...

💥 Paper published 💥

Curious how #SARS2 has changed since jumping into humans? We were too!

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

🧵 🧵 🧵

Could targeting viruses be a new hope against neurodegenerative diseases? Current therapies for neurodegenerative diseases largely manage symptoms and only modestly slow progression. This Perspective highlights emerging evidence that vaccines and antivirals may lower…

Despite decades of intensive research, current approaches to treating #NeurodegenerativeDiseases only slow down the seemingly inevitable. Could recent data associating #vaccines with reduced risk of #dementia offer an unexpected beacon of hope?🧪 @sparrerlab.bsky.social

Endogenous retroviruses synthesize heterologous chimeric RNAs to reinforce human early embryo development Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) failure leads to developmental arrest and poses a clinical challenge to women’s fertility. We observed that human embryos arresting at the eight-cell ZGA stage exhibite...

Endogenous retroviruses synthesize heterologous chimeric RNAs to reinforce human early embryo development
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Schitt's Creek - Moira laughs without moving her mouth YouTube video by Raremedia

RIP Catherine O'Hara, I have never not laughed at this

This one might be even better @barrlab.bsky.social

Although using AI for science writing is spooky, I feel like now I’m allowed to write with more pizzazz (just to show im human)

Writing is thinking

"On the value of human-generated scientific writing in the age of large-language models."

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

ER protein CLCC1 promotes nuclear envelope fusion in herpesviral and host processes - Nature Communications Herpesvirales utilize a unique nuclear egress route for capsid export. Here the authors show that herpesviruses exploit a cellular membrane protein, once thought to transport chloride, to facilitate membrane fusion and egress from the nucleus.

#Virology

Herpesviruses exploit a cellular membrane protein, once thought to transport chloride, to escape the nucleus by tapping into an ancient membrane fusion process

Review @natrevimmunol.nature.com @martint-babraham.bsky.social @babrahaminst.bsky.social
RNA-binding proteins and ribonucleoproteins as determinants of immunity
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

N1-Methylpseudouridine directly modulates translation dynamics Nature - N1-Methylpseudouridine enhances the translation of synthetic mRNAs, independently of innate immunity.

Our new paper is out in Nature 🎉. We show that m1Ψ in mRNA vaccines doesn’t just quiet immunity, it also directly enhance translation by reshaping ribosome dynamics in a sequence-dependent way 🧬
Full paper : rdcu.be/eY5gx

MPXV Clade IIb virus infection in mice leads to prolonged viral replication, macrophage infiltration, and decreased spermatogenesis in the testes Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV) and has prompted two recent global health emergencies. Clade IIb MPXV, a recently recognized subclade, has been associated with oral and g...

Very happy to share my latest preprint on clade IIb MPXV. After infection in a mouse model, the virus had highest titre in the testes with delayed clearance. This led to significant destruction in the testes and reduced sperm - what are the longterm implications? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Christmas present to me! I won first place in the LCI/CMF Striking Image Competition! Thanks to the LCI and CMF teams!

Two ancient humans, including famed ‘Iceman,’ had cancer-causing virus Findings from ancient DNA may shed light on HPV’s history in our species

Two ancient humans, including famed ‘Iceman,’ had cancer-causing virus www.science.org/content/arti...

Recombination between strains fuels pervasive adaptive evolution among human gut commensal bacteria, and strongly implicate host diet and lifestyle as critical selection pressures @nature.com @nanditagarud.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Announcing the 2026 edition of the EMBO workshop on RNA localization and local translation! This meeting will be held June 30 - July 4 near Porto, Portugal. Come for exciting updates in the field from both established investigators and trainees. See the link below for details!

Cohesin guides homology search during DNA repair using loops and sister chromatid linkages Accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is essential for genome stability, and defective repair underlies diseases such as cancer. Homologous recombination uses an intact homologous sequenc...

I am happy to share that my postdoctoral work in the @gerlichlab.bsky.social at @imbavienna.bsky.social is finally out 🎉!
Our study reveals how cohesin guides focused and accurate homology search.
Read more 👉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Follow along for key insights and updates! 🧵

mRNA circularization is crucial for initiating codon-usage-dependent translation, whereas viral RNAs bypass this mechanism by blocking circularization, allowing efficient translation despite poor codon usage @nature.com #LiuLab
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Energy transitions can happen faster than we think:

In 2000 almost 90% of Denmark's electricity was from fossil fuels.

In 2024 less than 10% of Danish electricity was from fossil fuels.

Live‐Cell RNA Imaging via Clickable TriPPPro Nucleotide Reporters The intracellular delivery of trans-cyclooctene and bicyclo[6.1.0]nonyne as sterically demanding groups for the inverse electron-demand Diels–Alder was achieved by the triphosphate prodrug (TriPPPro)....

Do you want to image RNA in living cells? Check out our new live-cell Click labeling approach. An amazing collaboration with the Meier Lab at UHH and the Wagenknecht Lab at KIT! doi.org/10.1002/anie...
Congratulations, especially to Doerte, Eileen, and Iven!
Thanks to DFG CRC1648