Huge effort from the Lab into the mechanics of the mysterious #ubiquitin like protein FAT10 – taking structural snapshots of FAT10 activation by UBA6 and transfer onto UBE2Z plus really interesting insights into InsP6 regulating FAT10 conjugation pathways: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

PhIX-MS is out in Molecular Cell! Rapid in situ photo-crosslinking traps transient proteasome interactions before purification; crosslinking MS, cryo-EM and AlphaFold tell us where they bind. Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.mo... Preview: doi.org/10.1016/j.mo...

Extremely happy to see that my latest work on understanding how ARISC-RAP80 recognises and cleaves ubiquitin chains is now published @natcomms.nature.com Check it out if you are interested in #DUBs, #DNA repair, or #cryo-EM: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Mechanism of K63-linked polyubiquitin recognition and cleavage by the BRCA1-A complex - Nature Communications

How the BRCA1-A complex finds and removes ubiquitin signals at DNA breaks remains unknown. Here the authors show that ARISC–RAP80 binds K63-linked ubiquitin chains through multiple subunits and non-ca...

nature.com

Mechanism of K63-linked polyubiquitin recognition and cleavage by the BRCA1-A complex https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.05.730395v1

Congratulations to IUBMB EC Member for Publications James Murphy on his election as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. www.royalsociety.org.nz/who-we-are/o...

#OpenBind announces its first data drop marking a major milestone for AI‑Enabled #DrugDiscovery! It’s the first initiative to generate open, AI‑ready datasets for protein–drug complexes, produced continuously & at industrial scale to enable the next generation of #AI models. https://loom.ly/eIrsqqg

The number of grant applications is rising sharply. Our capacity for their evaluation isn’t. ERC President Maria Leptin explains why stricter resubmission limits are being introduced for 2027 calls and what they mean for applicants. 🔗 link.europa.eu/xF7kjc

ERC President explains stricter application measures amid rising demand for funding

The text of an open letter sent by ERC President Maria Leptin to ERC panel members, grantees and other stakeholders on 16 April 2026.

link.europa.eu

We are so proud of all our Biochemical Society 2027 Award winners. Visit our website to find out more about all of the deserving recipients #BiochemAwards 🧪 https://ow.ly/mZ6O50YIGo8

Big congratulations to Elton @zeqiraj.bsky.social for his Biochemical Society Sustained Excellence Award!! 🎉 Thanks to everyone who supported the nomination! @astburycentre.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social

Biochemical Society@biochemsoc.bsky.social · 6mo ago

From redefining our understanding of ubiquitin regulation to developing bespoke reagents and tools, the Biochemical Society Award for Sustained Excellence is presented to Elton Zeqiraj Elton's work showcases long-term commitment to translating mechanistic insights into biomedical innovation.

Utilising in situ structural biology to uncover fundamental mechanisms of cytoskeletal regulation, we're excited to present Helen Foster with an Early Career Research Award in 2027! Helen's research on immune cell cytoskeletal remodeling could open new frontiers in molecular immunology.

Congrats to the @biochemsoc.bsky.social 2027 Award winners, including @helenfoster.bsky.social who has won an Early Career Research Award. Helen was a PhD student in Andrew Carter’s group in the LMB’s Structural Studies Division, and is now a Group Leader at the University of Leeds. #LMBalumni

Biochemical Society@biochemsoc.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Utilising in situ structural biology to uncover fundamental mechanisms of cytoskeletal regulation, we're excited to present Helen Foster with an Early Career Research Award in 2027! Helen's research on immune cell cytoskeletal remodeling could open new frontiers in molecular immunology.

AlphaFold database now includes 1.7 million 'homodimers' - comprising two interacting strands of the same molecule go.nature.com/4cSmbnT

AlphaFold hits ‘next level’: the AI tool now includes protein pairing

The database of 200 million protein-structure predictions now includes homodimers, adding new biological relevance.

go.nature.com

You asked, we listened. Millions of AI-predicted protein complex structures are now available in the #AlphaFold Database. This spans homodimers from 20 of the most studied species, including humans, as well as the World Health Organization’s priority pathogens list. www.ebi.ac.uk/about/news/t...

Registration is now open for the EMBO Workshop "#Ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins in health and disease" in #Monopoli, Italy, 28 Sep–2 Oct 2026. Registration deadline: 31 May Abstract submission deadline: 15 Jun https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-ubiquitin #EMBOubiquitin #EMBOevents 🧪

Leeds researchers have secured two major Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards. The awards bring £3.4 million to support research exploring life at the molecular level and to deepen our understanding of disease. 🔗Full story: bit.ly/4oW3D99 @astburycentre.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social

Two more Wellcome Discovery Awards reinforce Leeds as leader in biological research

Some of Leeds’ top biological researchers have received two new Wellcome Discovery Awards, confirming the university’s status as a centre of excellence in biological research.

bit.ly

🎉 Congrats to the faculty's Dr Jonathan Machin who has been awarded the British Biophysical Society's 2026 Kendrew Doctoral Thesis Prize, for his outstanding research on outer membrane proteins. Read more here: britishbiophysics.org/awards/

BBS Awards

BBS Awards The BBS Kendrew Doctoral Thesis Prize was established in 2019 and will be awarded every two years for an outstanding PhD thesis in biophysics for which the principal work has been carried o...

britishbiophysics.org

SAVE THE DATE! The EMBO workshop "Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like proteins in Health and Disease" will be on September 2026. Exciting line up of talks and an amazing location! Organised by @kulathu.bsky.social, @merbllab.bsky.social, @simonapolo.bsky.social, Claudio Joazeiro. Registration open soon.

ERC Plus Grants • No career limit, current ERCs are not eligible • Major challenge, transformative research • Up to 7 million euros, up to 7 years • 30 grants per year, 2 years, only once per lifetime • Same application format, plus vision statement • Deadline in September 2026, 2 stage evaluation

Pedro Beltrao@pedrobeltrao.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Webinar on the new ERC Plus Grants live starting now www.youtube.com/live/Dzkas7f...

📣 Fully funded PhD opportunity - CryoEM, Phage Biology & Structural Mechanisms University of Sheffield, UK | Start Oct 2026 We’re looking for a motivated student to uncover how bacteriophage proteins shut down drug-resistant Enterococcus bacteria.

Last few days to apply for this PhD project in our lab. Mix of biochemistry and structural biology, DNA replication and ubiquitin signalling. Get in touch if interested. Full application through official university portal. Deadline on 27th of November!

Aga Gambus@agagambus.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Fully-funded 4-years competitive PhD project in our lab (MIBTP-doctoral-training-programme. p97 unfoldase functions during DNA replication. Open to UK/international candidates. Please get in touch for informal enquiries. Deadline 27th of November. Please share. warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fa...

📆Save the date: 20-21 April 2026 #AstburyConvo26 is back with a bold new theme: Designing Biology. Expect cutting-edge talks and the chance to shape the future of molecular science. Register now: astburyconversation.leeds.ac.uk @astburycentre.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social

We have a fully funded studentship to start your PhD in October 2026! Work with me, Elton Zeqiraj and Joe Cockburn to find new ways to treat diseases with high levels of Hedgehog signalling. Fantastic training in cell and structural biology, genomic screening and biochemistry at the Uni of Leeds!

Stopping GLI transcription factors in their tracks: identifying regulators of proteolysis as therapeutic targets. at University of Leeds on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Stopping GLI transcription factors in their tracks: identifying regulators of proteolysis as therapeutic targets. at University of Leeds, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

Allosteric activation of a ubiquitin ligase by an internal kinase domain! Congratulations to our team member Thornton Fokkens for this fascinating discovery in a neglected disease area with strong therapeutic need. Many thanks to all our great collaborators! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A Leishmania virulence factor harnesses an allosteric kinase switch to regulate its ubiquitin ligase activity

Stringent control of ubiquitylation is a central requirement of signaling specificity in eukaryotes. Here, we discover a domain module integrating pro…

sciencedirect.com

We're looking for a new lecturer, here at the Department of Biochemistry in Dunedin, New Zealand. "Applications are invited in all areas of biochemistry, molecular genetics, and bioinformatics." otago.taleo.net/careersectio...

Peter Mace@petermace.bsky.social · last yr.

We're hiring! Come join us as a Lecture/Senior Lecturer in the fantastic supportive Biochemistry Department at the University of Otago. Dunedin is a super-liveable city, which just happens to have some of the best access to nature (and biking) in Aotearoa...... otago.taleo.net/careersectio...

Latest publication from the lab spearheaded by @shoreseashell.bsky.social & in collaboration with @zeqiraj.bsky.social is out. Using structural, biochemical & computational tools, this work sheds light on the mechanism of action of BAY-3827 in inhibiting #AMPK 1/3 www.science.org/doi/full/10....

Mechanism and cellular actions of the potent AMPK inhibitor BAY-3827

The mechanism and unique molecular/cellular features of the potent and selective AMPK inhibitor BAY-3827 are unraveled.

science.org

Delighted to share our work on cellular ubiquitination of drug-like compounds by HUWE1 - a surprising journey! Kudos to all contributors & first authors, Barbara Orth and Pavel Pohl. Sincere thanks to @ireserra.bsky.social ‬ #NatCommun for expertly guiding the winding publishing path. rdcu.be/eDzPk

Selective ubiquitination of drug-like small molecules by the ubiquitin ligase HUWE1

Nature Communications - Ubiquitination is a versatile modification system in eukaryotic cells. Here, the authors unveil that the ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 can modify drug-like small-molecule...

rdcu.be

Delighted to see Jon Machin's lovely OMP folding and assembly work on the front cover of JMB (doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2025.169346) and in this Faraday Discussion article (doi: 10.1039/d4fd00180). Congratulations on your great work Jonathan!

Happy to share that my first-author paper from my postdoc at Imperial @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social and The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk is now published in Cell Reports! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

MYC deregulation sensitizes cancer cells to N-myristoyltransferase inhibition

Human N-myristoyltransferases (NMTs) catalyze N-terminal protein N-myristoylation and are promising targets in cancer, with an emerging mechanistic ra…

sciencedirect.com

Exciting work led by @nano-chalmers.bsky.social delivered in collaboration with @georgerheath.bsky.social introducing a rationally designed DNA origami system for the multiplexed detection of miRNA in crude RNA extracts via nanopore sensing.

💫NEW: @buszczaklab.bsky.social @jun-wu-lab.bsky.social & co use human #brain #organoids to dissect patient AIRIM variants associated with neurodevelopmental features. A subset of variants impaired #ribosome production and protein synthesis, and delayed radial glial cell specification. bit.ly/4lvVBBP

A programmed decline in ribosome levels governs human early neurodevelopment - Nature Cell Biology

Ni, Wei, Vona and colleagues use human brain organoids to dissect patient AIRIM variants associated with neurodevelopmental features. A subset of variants impaired ribosome production and protein synt...

bit.ly