These two reviews on centromeres and kinetochores in @natrevmcb.nature.com cap off @andrea-musacchio.bsky.social sabbatical at @stanfordbiochem.bsky.social from @valleefoundation.bsky.social. Long time in the making! Non-paywall versions rdcu.be/fxD9V, rdcu.be/fxEar

Structure and function of the centromere and inner kinetochore

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology - The kinetochore is a macromolecular complex that assembles on centromeric chromatin and connects spindle microtubules to the chromosome. This Review...

rdcu.be

🚨🚨NEW PREPRINT ALERT!🚨🚨Proud to present our recent study, out now on bioRxiv, in which we reveal an RNA-dependent positive feedback loop that drives malignant ribosome biogenesis and tumour growth (1/15). 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

The Thermo Fisher situation keeps getting worse. We've now collected 450+ problematic images presented as verification data in TF's antibody catalog. This includes: 🖌️ Dozens more images with duplications or painting 🖨️ Hundreds of blots that all share the same background (behold slideshow below)

There is still time to book your ticket for our 2nd Annual Centre for Epigenetics Conference 2026! To book your ticket and find out more information, please follow this link: eshop.qmul.ac.uk/conferences-... #epigenetics #conference #qmul

Today we celebrate our colleagues Colin Kleanthous and Rob Klose as they join the Fellowship of the Royal Society, one of the highest honours in the scientific world, in recognition of their impactful contributions to knowledge. Congratulations! 👏 👏 👏 Read more ⬇️

Congratulations to Colin Kleanthous and Rob Klose on joining the Fellowship of the Royal Society

The two scientists have been selected for outstanding contributions to their fields

bit.ly

We are looking for a new colleague to join us in Galway. The position is in Biochemistry and if research focus lines up we hope the successful person will join us in the Centre for Chromosome biology (chromosome.ie). Reach out if you are interested in applying! tinyurl.com/2jy4rj3r

Just returned from an incredible 3-day multi-lab retreat with the teams of Daniele Fachinetti, Nick @naltemose.bsky.social, and Dominika Gruszka in Pêra, Portugal. Sunshine😎, great company 🤗 and fantastic centromere and chromatin science 🔬! Thanks to all the teams for this wonderful gathering!

Don't be shy to take on a little two-week side project. These five months will be the most precious three years of your academic journey.

Do you want to move to Oxford and join our lab? There is a computational biologist position open atm to develop and implement tools to analyse TE expression in single cell long read data and more. Apply! #TEsky #UniversityofOxford #postdoc

Rebecca Berrens@rberrens.bsky.social · 5mo ago

We are looking for a Postdoc to join our lab at @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social. This is a dry-lab focused post on the computational analysis of long read single-cell sequencing data to understand the role of transposable elements (TEs) in early development. my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru... #TEsky

Single-molecule peptide sequencing through reverse translation of peptides into DNA | Nature Biotechnology https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-026-03061-z

Single-molecule peptide sequencing through reverse translation of peptides into DNA - Nature Biotechnology

Peptides are sequenced by converting each amino acid into amplifiable DNA barcodes.

nature.com

Our paper is now out in Nature: “Ancient co-option of LTR retrotransposons as yeast centromeres” www.nature.com/articles/s41... A short thread on how retrotransposons helped give rise to yeast point centromeres. 1/14

Ancient co-option of LTR retrotransposons as yeast centromeres - Nature

Evolutionarily related ‘proto-point’ centromeres providing resolution to the evolutionary origins of point centromeres are identified in yeast, and comparison shows they evolved in an ancestor with re...

nature.com

🚨 Want to do a #Phd using high-throughput mutagenesis and CRISPR screens to understand how gene body methylation impacts transcription in collaboration with Greg Kudla's group? Do apply, deadline in a week! www.findaphd.com/phds/project... Deadline 15th December 2025 #epigenetics Please share 🙏

An early Christmas present for those interested in chromatin and transcription! Fantastic work from @au-ho-yu.bsky.social and @aleksszczurek.bsky.social . Thanks to Inge and Michiel for their help. Please repost! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

SET1/MLL complexes control transcription independently of H3K4me3

Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) at gene promoters is thought to play a central role in gene transcription. H3K4 methylation is deposited by the SET1 (A/B) and MLL (1-4) multi-protein comp...

biorxiv.org

Some Friday reading...new review in Open Biology where we discuss how SWI/SNF maintains the chromatin environment around centromeres, building on recent work from ourselves and others. Lots of fun putting this together with @alison-harrod.bsky.social and @thedownslab.bsky.social!

Boundary issues: SWI/SNF shapes chromatin patterns in and around centromeres

Abstract. The SWI/SNF family of chromatin remodelling complexes, comprising BAF, PBAF and ncBAF, is known for their critical roles in regulating chromatin

royalsocietypublishing.org

Very proud to have our latest work now online in @natsmb.nature.com. A wonderful team effort across the centromere community, across @jansenlab.bsky.social @naltemose.bsky.social @dfachinetti.bsky.social and Giunta labs. Happy reading! 1/4 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Heterochromatin boundaries maintain centromere position, size and number - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology

Carty et al. identify the H3K9 methyltransferases that restrict the size and position of the centromere protein A chromatin domain, maintaining functional centromeres.

nature.com

A new and fascinating story from @bencarty.bsky.social and the group, with crucial help from the teams of @naltemose.bsky.social, Simona Giunta, and @dfachinetti.bsky.social. Many thanks to all for a fantastic collaboration. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Very happy to see our paper published online natcomms.nature.com. Thank you to @wellcometrust.bsky.social for funding this work during my time with @robklose.bsky.social and David Booth! Thanks also to collaborators @garcialabms.bsky.social @alexdemendoza.bsky.social and the other authors!

Chromatin profiling identifies putative dual roles for H3K27me3 in regulating cell type-specific genes and transposable elements in choanoflagellates

Nature Communications - Here, the authors investigate chromatin-based gene regulation in the closest relative of animal, choanoflagellates. They uncover a putative dual role for the histone...

rdcu.be

A fantastic review of the cell cycle control of centromeres from our lab. Lots learned and many open questions 40 years later!

Lars Jansen Lab@jansenlab.bsky.social · last yr.

The discovery of CENP-A, the centromere-specific histone H3 variant turns 40 years! Grant Rowley wrote a wonderful historical piece on the cell cycle control of this fascinating piece of chromatin! Check it out. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

I am looking for a new postdoc to join the lab. Interested in pluripotency, germ cells, and in investigating these in a genetically tractable cnidarian? Get in touch! We offer a long-term contract, excellent research environment, and a lovely city #Galway. www.urifranklab.org

Fresh of the press! rdcu.be/egmY0 We discovered key chromatin modifications that are heritably maintained through mitotic cell divisions in the absence of continued transcription. These hold a memory of past exposure to interferon-gamma, priming cells for future activation of gene expression.

Research @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk supported by the Wellcome Trust (UK) and NIH (USA) reveals essential new player in the process of deciding whether genes should be made or not. Great work @jesskelley.bsky.social @robklose.bsky.social @edimitrova.bsky.social 👏 bit.ly/202502-klose

Unlocking the Pause: A new player in gene transcription

A new work from the Klose lab published in the journal Molecular Cell

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Why is there only one centromere site? But megabases worth of satellite DNA per chromosome? Something surely keeps it in place! In our latest work, we investigate the role of heterochromatin in maintaining centromere position, size and number! A sky(?)torial.. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Heterochromatin boundaries maintain centromere position, size and number

Centromeres are chromosomal loci that ensure proper chromosome segregation by providing a platform for kinetochore assembly and spindle force transduction during cell division. Human centromeres are d...

biorxiv.org

@bencarty.bsky.social and the team did a fantastic job in a wonderful collaboration with @naltemose.bsky.social as well as Dani Fachinetti and Simona Giunta’s teams to help define the molecular basis for maintaining centromeric chromatin size and position. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...