www.cell.com/molecular-ce... I'm happy to see our work published! If you are interested in transposons, transcriptional regulation and Pol III come and check it out 👀 🧫 🧬

ChAHP silences SINE retrotransposons by inhibiting TFIIIB recruitment

SINEs are short transposable elements that make up large fractions of mammalian genomes. Known to be transcribed by RNA polymerase III, their regulation has remained largely unexplored. Schnabl-Baumga...

cell.com

Super cool to see the result of our collaborative work with @heick.bsky.social 's lab finally out! Shaped through many discussions with @abugai.bsky.social, @lorenzoana.bsky.social & @max2max.bsky.social, @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social & Clemens, trying to decipher LENG8's secrets!

Plaschka lab@plaschkalab.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Now published! We investigated how polyadenylated RNAs are targeted for decay in the human nucleus. www.nature.com/articles/s41... (1/5)

a small attempt to capture this enormous loss and what Greg meant and means to so many. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Gregory J. Hannon (1964–2026)

Gregory J. Hannon passed away in April 2026 at the age of 61. A towering figure in modern molecular biology, Greg influenced remarkably diverse areas of science. His work reshaped our understanding of...

cell.com

Check out our latest research, just published in Nature @nature.com @molbiolau.bsky.social @au.dk Molecular basis of polyadenylated RNA fate determination in the nucleus www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Molecular basis of polyadenylated RNA fate determination in the nucleus - Nature

Biochemical, structural and cell biological analyses reveal that UAP56 (DDX39B) assembles with a TREX-2–like module that redirects non-functional polyadenylated RNAs from export to degradati...

nature.com

For 40 years the 8-nt ‘Kozak Sequence’ was thought to mark sites of translation initiation. In a new study, we revise this model by identifying an ~80-nt sequence—the extended Translation Initiation Sequence (eTIS)— that guides ribosomes to correct start sites. 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

We should all think twice before providing personal feedback on scientific presentations. For example, criticizing an accent is pointless. If you had difficulty understanding a presentation, suggest that the speaker slow down; don't point out their origin.

I'm super happy to finally see the paper published ! Check out the full story here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

The EMBO Journal@embojournal.org · 3mo ago

Retrovirus insertions in host transcripts trigger de novo piRNA immunity: Kirsten-André Senti, @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social et al investigate the 20th-century invasion of D. melanogaster by iERV Tirant to reveal piRNA-pathway evolution in response to new threats link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Bridging the gap between biochemistry and developmental biology, we are excited to announce Laura Lorenzo Orts as a recipient of an Early Career Research Award in 2027! Laura's new lab focusses on understanding the mechanisms that activate mRNAs during early development.

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

Germ cells have their own versions of core transcription factors and fertility depends on them. We're hiring a PhD student to figure out how! 📢 Fly genetics + proteomics + genomics. Fully funded. Aarhus University 🇩🇰 Deadline May 1 👇 Please share with anyone who might be interested!

Excited host @hohmannulrich.bsky.social from @imbmainz.bsky.social, along with @manuelkaulich.bsky.social Date: 07.04.2026 Time: 15:00 Venue: Haus 22 Seminar Room 1. (S22-1) Title: ‘Mechanistic insights into nuclear mRNA export and degradation’ @goetheuni.bsky.social @cpi-exstra.bsky.social

New method paper from Alberto Caregnato and former PhD student @hohmannulrich.bsky.social. A tailored crystallisation screen for plant receptor kinase ectodomains, with examples from our lab and from @cellsensing.bsky.social. Check it out: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

There has never been a better time to study functional and mechanistic biology at the organismal (!) level than now in the age of AlphaFold and CRISPR.

Science Magazine@science.org · 5mo ago

An analysis of published papers on eight widely studied “model” organisms suggests work on them is fading, but not everyone is worried. https://scim.ag/3PaOvIs

The demystification of piRNA clusters if you wonder how cells generate piRNAs specifically against transposons & you are looking for a weekend read check out @86dominik.bsky.social's opus magna (or Dominik's great thread) a shared project with the one and only Rippei Hayashi, lab alumnus & friend

Dominik Handler@86dominik.bsky.social · 6mo ago

How does the piRNA pathway solve the self vs. non-self problem? 🧬 Since piRNAs come from single-stranded RNA, how does the cell choose the right ones? For years, "piRNA clusters" were seen as THE privileged source. But are they really special and earmarked for biogenesis? (1/19)

Do you want to understand how RNA #splicing decisions are made? We‘ve got a PhD position open for you (see 👇👇)!! Please share #RNAsky and RT! tinyurl.com/4ztu9cb9

Ulrich’s research will help advance our understanding of RNA biology & gene regulation, as well as how these mechanisms might be altered during viral infections & other diseases. @hohmannulrich.bsky.social comes from the @impvienna.bsky.social / @imbavienna.bsky.social www.imb.de/about-imb/ne...

Really excited to join IMB for this new scientific endeavour!

Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB)@imbmainz.bsky.social · 6mo ago

@lorenzoorts.bsky.social previously worked as a postdoctoral fellow at @impvienna.bsky.social in Austria. She will establish a new lab at IMB to investigate how mRNA translation is activated in the early embryo. Welcome to IMB Laura! 💐 Read more here: www.imb.de/about-imb/ne...

@lorenzoorts.bsky.social previously worked as a postdoctoral fellow at @impvienna.bsky.social in Austria. She will establish a new lab at IMB to investigate how mRNA translation is activated in the early embryo. Welcome to IMB Laura! 💐 Read more here: www.imb.de/about-imb/ne...

Very cool work! Reminiscent of how target engaged PIWI is selected from a vast pool of PIWI-piRNA complexes. Only target engaged PIWI is recognized by a GTSF1 protein and Maelstrom in the PIWI* complex. www.cell.com/molecular-ce... @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social @julsportell.bsky.social

Jakob Farnung@jakobfarnung.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Why does ZSWIM8 use such an intricate recognition mode? Trigger-bound AGO complexes are quite sparse in the cell compared to the thousands of other AGO complexes that shouldn’t be targeted by ZSWIM8. By recognizing RNA and protein conformation ZSWIM8 achieves exquisite selectivity. (3/5)

When RNA Degradation 🤝 meets 🤝 Protein Degradation! tinyurl.com/E3TDMD In a collaboration of @bartellab.bsky.social and Schulman lab, we show that, in target-directed microRNA degradation (TDMD), 2-RNA-factors recruit an E3 ligase and induce the degradation of not only a protein but also RNA (1/5).

Very happy to share my postdoc work (on preprint), where we try to understand a long-standing transcription-silencing paradox, and uncovered a hidden RNA decay arm of nuclear piRNA pathway, see detailed threads quoted from @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social

Julius Brennecke@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Intrigued by a long-standing conundrum in small RNA biology—how nuclear Argonaute proteins silence transposons when they *need* target transcription for their own recruitment—we studied the piRNA pathway. And found a hidden RNA-decay axis from Piwi to the RNA exosome.

Looking for a great first read for 2026? Look no further: Fantastic work spearheaded by my courageous colleague @changweiyu.bsky.social, with surprising findings not only for small RNA but also for exosome and gene expression aficionados

Julius Brennecke@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Intrigued by a long-standing conundrum in small RNA biology—how nuclear Argonaute proteins silence transposons when they *need* target transcription for their own recruitment—we studied the piRNA pathway. And found a hidden RNA-decay axis from Piwi to the RNA exosome.

As 2025 comes to an end, it’s time for me to say good bye to my postdoc home during the past 6 years – the Pauli lab @pauligroup.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social

How does messenger RNA (mRNA) get out of the nucleus to become a protein? Eukaryotic mRNA is packaged, exported, and then translated in the cytoplasm. But how do these steps work? And what are open questions? Check out our new review for our take: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... (1/3)

Messenger RNA is made in the nucleus before it is exported to the cytoplasm for translation. But how are only correctly made mRNAs chosen and remodeled in the nucleus for export? Our new paper investigates the nuclear events leading to human mRNA export. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/4)

Finally out in @nature.com! We uncovered a mechanistic framework for a general and conserved mRNA nuclear export pathway. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... 1/

Thrilled to share that I’ll be joining @imbmainz.bsky.social in February 2026 to start my own group! We will explore new mechanisms in eukaryotic gene expression, leveraging ‘evolutionary play’ to uncover how regulation, repurposing, and hijacking shape RNA biology. PhD positions available!

How are RNAs sorted for export vs. degradation in the nucleus? In collaboration with @heick.bsky.social’s lab we (@clemensplaschka.bsky.social and @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social labs) discovered a direct mechanistic link between the export and decay machineries: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... (1/x)

Molecular basis of polyadenylated RNA fate determination in the nucleus

Eukaryotic genomes generate a plethora of polyadenylated (pA+) RNAs[1][1],[2][2], that are packaged into ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs). To ensure faithful gene expression, functional pA+ RNPs, in...

biorxiv.org