Benjamin Towbin
@betowbin.bsky.social
Developmental biologist at @unibern.bsky.social studying #growth #starvation #aging using #microscopy #genetics #Celegans www.towbinlab.org
Last few days to submit an abstract for this - a wonderful opportunity to get some experience in the art of the chalk talk!
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · 3mo agoTwo more weeks to submit an abstract for ***Theory across Biology***. Great speakers, no distractions, only the best ideas in their purest form. What's not to like?
One more weeks to submit an abstract for ***Theory across Biology***!
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · 4mo agoJoin us at the LS2 #Theory #across #Biology chalk talk symposium! 12 June 2026 in Bern, CH. @lifesciswitzerland.bsky.social No movies that fail, no Mac to PC issues. Only the best ideas and exchange across biology from evolution and ecology to physics of life. meetings.ls2.ch/theory-acros...
Fantastic mentor, interesting question, great city. Go for it!
Daphne Cabianca@daphne-cabianca.bsky.social · 3mo agoMy lab is looking for a PhD student 🔥 Starting date: flexible - end of 2026/beginning of 2027 👉 Are you interested in understanding how diet, metabolism and the environment shape cell and organismal function through chromatin and nuclear organisation? Read more 👇
My lab is looking for a PhD student 🔥 Starting date: flexible - end of 2026/beginning of 2027 👉 Are you interested in understanding how diet, metabolism and the environment shape cell and organismal function through chromatin and nuclear organisation? Read more 👇
Two more weeks to submit an abstract for ***Theory across Biology***. Great speakers, no distractions, only the best ideas in their purest form. What's not to like?
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · 4mo agoJoin us at the LS2 #Theory #across #Biology chalk talk symposium! 12 June 2026 in Bern, CH. @lifesciswitzerland.bsky.social No movies that fail, no Mac to PC issues. Only the best ideas and exchange across biology from evolution and ecology to physics of life. meetings.ls2.ch/theory-acros...
New paper alert: Our latest shows how maternal diet impacts ribosome levels and early growth intergenerationally in #Celegans Led by Sigma Pradhan and in collab with @nstroustrup.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... @plosbiology.org @izb-unibern.bsky.social @unibe.ch
Dietary restriction shapes intergenerational ribosome abundance and early growth of Caenorhabditis elegans offspring
Cells adjust their proteome to environmental conditions, but it remains unclear whether the proteome can be transmitted from parents to offspring. This study analyses the intergenerational effects of dietary restriction in C. elegans and shows that maternal mTORC1 activity governs the transfer of ribosomes, thereby modulating early growth and development.
journals.plos.org
Check out our work on maternal effects of diet on progeny growth and ribosomes! Thanks also to Elif Cenik for insightful Primer discussing our paper. dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
Maternal regulation of translation capacity across generations
Animals must continually adjust their proteome to match environmental conditions, but it is unclear whether the proteome can be propagated from parent to offspring. This Primer explores a recent study...
dx.plos.org
PLOS Biology@plosbiology.org · 4mo agoCan changes in the #proteome be transmitted from parents to offspring? @betowbin.bsky.social &co study #intergenerational effects of #DietaryRestriction in #Celegans, showing that maternal mTORC1 governs transfer of #ribosomes, so modulating growth & development @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4tMpQJe
A new study by #unibern shows: The nutritional conditions of a #nematode mother influence the growth of her #offspring. If she receives less food, she equips her offspring with fewer #ribosomes, causing them to grow more slowly at first. mediarelations.unibe.ch/media_release…
Eine neue Studie der #unibern zeigt: Die Ernährungsbedingungen einer #Fadenwurm-Mutter beeinflussen das Wachstum ihrer #Nachkommen. Bekommt sie weniger Nahrung, stattet sie ihre Nachkommen mit weniger #Ribosomen aus, wodurch diese anfangs langsamer wachsen. mediarelations.unibe.ch/medienmitteil…
How do wealthy parents help their offspring? By giving them ribosomes! Optimal ribosome provisioning is key to fast development in unpredictable environments. The fastest path to ribosomal wealth in nematodes is a maternal inheritance. Happy we could play a small part in this fascinating work.
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · 4mo agoNew paper alert: Our latest shows how maternal diet impacts ribosome levels and early growth intergenerationally in #Celegans Led by Sigma Pradhan and in collab with @nstroustrup.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... @plosbiology.org @izb-unibern.bsky.social @unibe.ch
New paper alert: Our latest shows how maternal diet impacts ribosome levels and early growth intergenerationally in #Celegans Led by Sigma Pradhan and in collab with @nstroustrup.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... @plosbiology.org @izb-unibern.bsky.social @unibe.ch
Dietary restriction shapes intergenerational ribosome abundance and early growth of Caenorhabditis elegans offspring
Cells adjust their proteome to environmental conditions, but it remains unclear whether the proteome can be transmitted from parents to offspring. This study analyses the intergenerational effects of dietary restriction in C. elegans and shows that maternal mTORC1 activity governs the transfer of ribosomes, thereby modulating early growth and development.
journals.plos.org
Join us at the LS2 #Theory #across #Biology chalk talk symposium! 12 June 2026 in Bern, CH. @lifesciswitzerland.bsky.social No movies that fail, no Mac to PC issues. Only the best ideas and exchange across biology from evolution and ecology to physics of life. meetings.ls2.ch/theory-acros...
Tenure-track Assistant Professorship in #Quantitative #Cell #Biology at the ICB @unibern. Apply until 17 October. Combination of theory/computation and experiments particularly encouraged. Please repost! www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Assistant Professor with tenure-track for Quantitative Cell Biology (80-100%) - Bern, Canton of Bern (CH) job with University of Bern, Institute of Cell Biology | 12844963
Assistant Professor with tenure-track for Quantitative Cell Biology (80-100%) at the University of Bern, Switzerland.
nature.com
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · 12mo agoExciting opportunity for TT-Ass #Professorship in Quantitative Cell Biology @unibe.ch @izb-unibern.bsky.social! Applicants combining experimental and computational approaches/theory are particularly encouraged. Great colleagues, environment, infrastructure. What's not to like? tinyurl.com/42f3p863
Exciting opportunity for TT-Ass #Professorship in Quantitative Cell Biology @unibe.ch @izb-unibern.bsky.social! Applicants combining experimental and computational approaches/theory are particularly encouraged. Great colleagues, environment, infrastructure. What's not to like? tinyurl.com/42f3p863
Assistant Professor with tenure-track for Quantitative Cell Biology (80-100%) - Bern, Switzerland job with University of Bern, Institute of Cell Biology | 12840798
Assistant Professor with tenure-track for Quantitative Cell Biology (80-100%) at the University of Bern, Switzerland.
tinyurl.com
Last chance to submit an abstract for the LS2 Systems Biology Symposium! Extended deadline: Sunday, 27.4. ✅Present your work in interactive talk sessions! ✅Get feedback from your peers! ✅Find the collaborator that solves all your problems! Submit now & rest on the weekend!
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · last yr.🚨 Join us for the LS2 Swiss #Systems #Biology Symposium in Bern! ❌ to talk marathons ✔️ to new connections and interactions ➡️Mini parallel sessions with Q&A during the talks. Keynotes by @ehannezo.bsky.social @leeat-keren.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5hf485ee @lifesciswitzerland.bsky.social
Warm memories of a defining time... So sad to have missed this. אין כמו אורי!
Uri Alon@urialonlab.bsky.social · last yr.Sweet moment in life, our 25th lab anniversary. In a circle, we looked at each other, a group of people with shared values and a soft approach, who want each other to succeed and be happy. (1/2)
Last chance to submit an abstract for the LS2 Systems Biology Symposium! Extended deadline: Sunday, 27.4. ✅Present your work in interactive talk sessions! ✅Get feedback from your peers! ✅Find the collaborator that solves all your problems! Submit now & rest on the weekend!
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · last yr.🚨 Join us for the LS2 Swiss #Systems #Biology Symposium in Bern! ❌ to talk marathons ✔️ to new connections and interactions ➡️Mini parallel sessions with Q&A during the talks. Keynotes by @ehannezo.bsky.social @leeat-keren.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5hf485ee @lifesciswitzerland.bsky.social
Our latest on aging, where we reveal an unexpected link between healthspan and equality of lifespans. By @y1fanyang.bsky.social , out now @naturecomms.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Compression of morbidity by interventions that steepen the survival curve - Nature Communications
Longevity research aims to extend lifespan and reduce sickspan in aging. Here, the authors show that only interventions that steepen survival curves can compress the sickspan relative to lifespan.
nature.com
📢Join us tomorrow, Friday, March 28th at 10:00, for an exciting talk by @olmedo-lab.bsky.social at the ICB! She’ll be presenting: "Maintenance of cell quiescence during starvation in C. elegans" Don’t miss this opportunity to dive into fascinating research! More info on our website: izb.unibe.ch
Congratulations to Jana Brunner on successfully defending her PhD this week! 🎉 Jana investigated the molecular mechanisms of developmental timing in the worm C. elegans 🪱
early career researchers: Do not miss this oportunity to present and discuss your work with an expert audience!
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · last yr.🚨 Join us for the LS2 Swiss #Systems #Biology Symposium in Bern! ❌ to talk marathons ✔️ to new connections and interactions ➡️Mini parallel sessions with Q&A during the talks. Keynotes by @ehannezo.bsky.social @leeat-keren.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5hf485ee @lifesciswitzerland.bsky.social
🚨 Join us for the LS2 Swiss #Systems #Biology Symposium in Bern! ❌ to talk marathons ✔️ to new connections and interactions ➡️Mini parallel sessions with Q&A during the talks. Keynotes by @ehannezo.bsky.social @leeat-keren.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5hf485ee @lifesciswitzerland.bsky.social
EFK-1/eEF2K in C. elegans enhances starvation resistance by preventing oxidative damage. Crucial for survival & linked to eEF2 phosphorylation. #BioResearch PMID:39966347, Nat Commun 2025, @NatureComms https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56766-1 #Medsky #Pharmsky #RNA 🧪
Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Kinase EFK-1/eEF2K promotes starvation resistance by preventing oxidative damage in C. elegans | Nature Communications
Cells and organisms frequently experience starvation. To survive, they mount an evolutionarily conserved stress response. A vital component in the mammalian starvation response is eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) kinase (eEF2K), which suppresses translation in starvation by phosphorylating and inactivating the translation elongation driver eEF2. C. elegans EFK-1/eEF2K phosphorylates EEF-2/eEF2 on a conserved residue and is required for starvation survival, but how it promotes survival remains unclear. Surprisingly, we found that eEF2 phosphorylation is unchanged in starved C. elegans and EFK-1’s kinase activity is dispensable for starvation survival, suggesting that efk-1 promotes survival via a noncanonical pathway. We show that efk-1 upregulates transcription of DNA repair pathways, nucleotide excision repair (NER) and base excision repair (BER), to promote starvation survival. Furthermore, efk-1 suppresses oxygen consumption and ROS production in starvation to prevent oxidative
doi.org
Job opening in my research group!! Please share. I'm looking for a lab technician to join my small team investigating how chromatin structure regulates gene expression in C. elegans. www.fmi.ch/education-ca...
Friedrich Miescher Institute, open position
Friedrich Miescher Institute, open position
fmi.ch
Very interesting! I wonder if ribosome heterogeneity us also seen here (i.e. some but not all ribosome variants are affected) or a really global effect. cc @odedrechavi.bsky.social
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · last yr.🚨New preprint alert!!! We show using #Celegans that mothers control the #ribosome levels of their offspring depending on their diet. Pioneered by fantastic Sigma Pradhan (not yet on 🟦). #worms biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... 🧵
Check out the new preprint from the Towbin Lab!
Benjamin Towbin@betowbin.bsky.social · last yr.🚨New preprint alert!!! We show using #Celegans that mothers control the #ribosome levels of their offspring depending on their diet. Pioneered by fantastic Sigma Pradhan (not yet on 🟦). #worms biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... 🧵
🚨New preprint alert!!! We show using #Celegans that mothers control the #ribosome levels of their offspring depending on their diet. Pioneered by fantastic Sigma Pradhan (not yet on 🟦). #worms biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... 🧵
Intergenerational control of ribosomes under dietary restriction
biorxiv.org
