Trypanosoma congolense Variant Surface Glycoprotein gene expression occurs in the absence of monoallelic transcription control www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.31.741978v1

Restricted expression site use and extreme genome diversification drives trypanosome antigenic variation in chronic bovine infections www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.31.741217v1

The IFT-A complex plays a major role in the assembly of anterograde intraflagellar transport trains www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.03.736119v1

Genome-wide mapping of DNA G-quadruplexes in Trypanosoma brucei chromatin reveals enrichment in coding regions and transcription start sites pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42376815/

Initiation codon context governs translation-coupled mRNA decay and coordinated expression in the human parasite Leishmania www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735800v1

Detecting DNA methylation patterns suggestive of variable escape from X-chromosome inactivation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.15.732395v1

Our #Trypanosoma cruzi single-cell atlas paper is now available online! Great work by Ross Laidlaw and Marta Garcia Sanchez, and excellent collaboration with Thomas Otto! rdcu.be/flOWR @ddu-dundee.bsky.social, @dundeeuni.bsky.social #single-cell, #Chagas, #atlas, #trypanosome, #scRNA-seq 🧪🔬

Trypanosoma cruzi cell atlas as a single-cell resource for understanding parasite population heterogeneity and differentiation pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42185256/

Big thanks to Markus Engstler for highlighting our work recently published in @natmicrobiol.nature.com

Trends in Parasitology@cp-trendsparasitol.bsky.social · 3mo ago

RNA decay sharpens antigenic variation in trypanosomes

(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...

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

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.

go.nature.com

(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...

Cryo-EM structure of yeast telomerase

YouTube video by MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

youtube.com

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology@mrclmb.ac.uk · 4mo ago

Led by Investigator Scientist @hongmiaohu.bsky.social, @kellythd-nguyen.bsky.social’s group in the LMB’s Structural Studies Division have produced the first ever structure of telomerase from yeast. Read more here: mrclmb.ac.uk/news-events/... #LMBResearch #cryoEM 🧪

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

"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...

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

nytimes.com

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!

Dan Bose@danbose.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Fantastic to welcome @fariatrypslab.bsky.social for our @mcb-sheffield.bsky.social seminar today. So much cool work on #condensates and #generegulation, and can't get over how awesome #trypanosomes are!

Sequence and structure of protein binding sites in RNA impact biomolecular condensates https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.24.707737v1

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.

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...

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...

imperial.ac.uk

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

Faria Tryps Lab@fariatrypslab.bsky.social · 6mo ago

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...

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

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

We’re hiring a PDRA and a technician! If you’re passionate about #parasites #genomes #condensates then this project is for you! Help us decode the role of nuclear architecture in gene expression regulation in #Leishmania alongside the @mottramlab.bsky.social @york.ac.uk @ybri-uoy.bsky.social

ICYMI Out Now! A phage protein screen identifies triggers of the bacterial innate immune system #MicroSky

A phage protein screen identifies triggers of the bacterial innate immune system

Nature Microbiology, Published online: 16 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-025-02239-6A library of 400 phage protein-coding genes is used to find a trove of antiphage systems, revealing systems that target tail fibre and major capsid proteins.

go.nature.com

Check out our latest study on the PfRIPR protein, essential for the malaria parasite to get inside our blood cells. We show how antibodies block the function of PfRIPR by preventing its flexible hinges from bending, or by stopping it from compacting as part of its mechanism.

If you assume GPI insertion signals = surface destination, trypanosomes disagree. Tom’s work shows GPI-anchored protein sorting occurs independently of GPI insertion signals, hinting at alternative sorting logic at the parasite surface. tinyurl.com/gpi-anchor #MembraneBiology #CellSurface

Sorting of GPI-anchored proteins at the trypanosome surface is independent of GPI insertion signals

The segregation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) to distinct domains on the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells is importan…

tinyurl.com