In-situ glial cell-surface proteomics identifies pro-longevity factors in Drosophila. Marques et al. Elife. 2026 Aug 18;14:RP109422. doi: 10.7554/eLife.109422.
Perrimon Lab
@perrimonlab.bsky.social
Dr. Norbert Perrimon's lab at Harvard Medical School researches functional genomics, cell circuitry, and tissue homeostasis in Drosophila melanogaster. https://perrimon.med.harvard.edu/
A pro-apoptotic selection strategy enables CRISPR screening in mosquitoes and identifies Lachesin as a chikungunya virus entry factor Anja C. M. de Bruin et al. bioRxiv 2026.07.31.742019; doi: doi.org/10.64898/202...
Lachesin is a mosquito receptor for multiple arthritogenic alphaviruses Plung et al. bioRxiv 2026.07.28.741058; doi: doi.org/10.64898/202...
Lachesin is a mosquito receptor for multiple arthritogenic alphaviruses
Arthritogenic alphaviruses cause acute febrile illnesses associated with rash and arthritis when they are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Among these, chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted primarily through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, causes explosive outbreaks involving hundreds of thousands to millions of cases, with recent re-emergence in several global regions. While several cellular receptors that mediate alphavirus entry into mammalian cells have been identified, their mosquito counterparts remained unknown, largely due to a lack of functional genomics tools for these invertebrate species. Here, we established a CRISPR-based genetic screening platform in Aedes albopictus cells and used it to identify Lachesin, a conserved invertebrate cell adhesion molecule, as a receptor for CHIKV and multiple related alphaviruses including Semliki Forest virus (SFV), o'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV), Mayaro virus (MAYV), and Ross River virus (RRV). Lachesin depletion using RNA interference, anti-Lachesin antibody treatment, and soluble forms of Lachesin blocked CHIKV and SFV E2-E1 glycoprotein-mediated infection of mosquito cells. We show that alphavirus E2-E1 glycoproteins bind the first immunoglobulin domain of Lachesin, facilitating attachment and internalization of virus-like particles. Orthologs from divergent mosquito genera, but not from arachnids or other arthropods, also serve as alphavirus receptors, suggesting that cellular receptor binding is not the main obstacle to arthritogenic alphavirus vector host expansion. Our findings enhance understanding of the mechanisms of alphavirus emergence and vector competence and could aid in the development of broadly active, entry-targeted therapeutics against multiple alphaviruses that threaten public health. ### Competing Interest Statement A provisional patent has been filed by some of the co-authors based on findings reported in the manuscript. National Institutes of Health, https://ror.org/01cwqze88, AI182377, T32AI700245, T32GM008313, T32GM144273, R24AI120942, P41GM132087 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation International Human Frontier Science Program Organization, RGP011/2023
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Hu, Y., Comjean, A., Gao, C., Veal, A., Yamamoto, S., Mohr, S.E. and Perrimon, N. (2026) DIOPT: the DRSC Integrative Ortholog Prediction Tool, 2026 update. Genetics. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyag194. PMID: 42504133
New paper: Lipid metabolism of hepatocyte-like cells supports intestinal tumor growth in Drosophila. Huang K, Miao T, Chen Y, Dantas E, Sanford J, Asara JM, Moon SJ, Hu Y, Wang K, Han M, Goncalves M, Perrimon N. Nat Commun. 2026 Jul 3. doi: 10.1038 s41467-026-75074-w.
New paper: Streptomyces produce a diphtheria toxin-like exotoxin that targets insects. Xu et al.Nat Microbiol. 2026 Apr 30. doi: 10.1038/s41564-026-02315-5. Online ahead of print. PMID: 42062574
New paper: Bosch, J. A. et al. (2026) Multi-omic mapping of Drosophila protein secretomes reveals tissue-specific origins and inter-organ trafficking. Nat Commun. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-71763-8. PMID: 42009678
Miao, T., Liu, Y., Qadiri, M., Dasseux, A., Asara, J. M., Hu, Y., Sun, X., Pliego-Alcántara, LDC., Dibble, C. and Perrimon, N. (2026) Renal coenzyme A (CoA) production from Vitamin B5 fuels stem cell proliferation and tumor growth. Nat Commun. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-71716-1.
Han. M., Xia, B., Kim, A-R., Filine, E., Stoneburner, E., Miao, T., Liu, Y., Zirin, J. and Perrimon, N. (2026) Phage display-mediated immuno-PCR to detect low-abundance secreted proteins in Drosophila. PNAS. 14;123(15):e2531777123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2531777123. PMID: 41941621
Petsakou, A., Filine. E., Li, M., Zheng, A., and Perrimon, N. (2026) Tumor-induced orexigenic imbalance lowers protein appetite and drives early organ wasting symptoms. Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70074-2. PMID: 41792134
Cholinergic signaling modulates intestinal pathophysiology in a drosophila model of cystic fibrosis. Lane EA, Petsakou A, Liu Y, Chen W, Qadiri M, Hu Y, Perrimon N. PLoS Genet. 2026 Feb 17;22(2):e1012048. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1012048. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41701793
Ewen-Campen, B., Chen, W., Tattikota, S. G., Liu, Y., Hu, Y. and Perrimon, N. (2026) The Drosophila proventriculus lacks stem cells but compensates for age-related cell loss via endoreplication-mediated cell growth. bioRxiv 2025.06.27.662004; Nat Com. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-68876-5. PMID: 41593082
Moon, Hu, Dzieciatkowska, Kim, Asara, D'Alessandro and Perrimon (2026) Modeling tissue-specific Drosophila metabolism identifies high sugar diet-induced metabolic dysregulation in muscle at reaction and pathway levels. Nat Comm. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-68395-3.
Marques et al. (2025) In-situ glial cell-surface proteomics identifies pro-longevity factors in Drosophila. eLife14:RP109422https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.109422.1
Lin, Deng, Gao, Tan, Zhong, Tan, Tan, Virshup, Bosch, Perrimon and Wang (2026) Microproteins Simba1 and Simba2 activate Wingless signaling during the reactivation of neural stem cells in Drosophila. Nat. Comm. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-66727-3. PMID: 41298547
Mameli, Samantsidis, Viswanatha, Kwon, Hall, Butnaru, Hu., Y., Mohr, Perrimon and Smith (2025) A genome-wide CRISPR screen in Anopheles mosquito cells identifies fitness and immune cell function-related genes. 16(1):10323. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-65304-y. PMID: 41285753
Huang, K. and Perrimon, N. (2025) Metabolic command centers in Drosophila: How the fat body and oenocytes orchestrate immunity, reproduction, and aging. Current Opinion in Insect Science. 101459. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2025.101459. PMID: 41218693
New paper: Phage display-mediated immuno-PCR to detect low-abundance secreted proteins in Drosophila Han, Xia, Ah-Ram Kim, Filine, Stoneburner, Miao, Liu, Zirin, Perrimon bioRxiv 2025.10.31.685841; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Phage display-mediated immuno-PCR to detect low-abundance secreted proteins in Drosophila
Circulating hormones, that mediate communications across organs to maintain physiological balance, are commonly detected and quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). However, whil...
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New paper: A Structure-Guided Kinase-Transcription Factor Interactome Atlas Reveals Docking Landscapes of the Kinome Kim, Huang, Johnson, Yaron-Barir, Keven Wang, Cantley, Hu, Perrimon bioRxiv 2025.10.10.681672; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
A Structure-Guided Kinase-Transcription Factor Interactome Atlas Reveals Docking Landscapes of the Kinome
Protein kinases orchestrate cellular processes through phosphorylation, yet the structural basis for their specific binding partner interactions remains largely unmapped. Here, we present a structure-...
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New paper: A family of lethal exotoxins defined by cell entry via the Attractin receptor Viswanatha, Lee, Robins, Mameli, Hu, Kim, Hashmi, Hiroshi , Prakash, Butnaru, Churchman, Mohr, Mekalanos, Perrimon doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
A family of lethal exotoxins defined by cell entry via the Attractin receptor
Although bacterial genomes encode numerous potential toxins, it is unclear how evolution drives the specificity of these important virulence factors. Using an insect CRISPR screen, we identified the t...
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New paper: Hepatic ceramide synthesis links systemic inflammation to organelle dysfunction in cancer Liu, Miao, Wang, Ezequiel, Kim, Zhang, Sun, Binari, Asara, Yanhui Hu, Goncalves, Janowitz, Perrimon doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Hepatic ceramide synthesis links systemic inflammation to organelle dysfunction in cancer
Paraneoplastic syndromes arise when tumor-derived cytokines reprogram distant organs. Although mediators such as Interleukin-6 have been implicated, how these signals impair host organ function remain...
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www.thecrimson.com/article/2025... Harvard Funding Cuts Endanger the Massive Fruit Fly Database That Powers Genetic Research
Harvard Funding Cuts Endanger the Massive Fruit Fly Database That Powers Genetic Research | News | The Harvard Crimson
FlyBase lost a multimillion dollar grant when the Trump administration cut off Harvard’s federal funding in May. Now the repository is laying off staff — and researchers worldwide are worried.
thecrimson.com
Renal Coenzyme A (CoA) Production Fuels Stem Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth Ting Miao, Ying Liu, Mujeeb Qadiri, John M. Asara, Yanhui Hu, Xiaomei Sun, Christian Dibble, Norbert Perrimon bioRxiv 2025.08.08.669325; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Renal Coenzyme A (CoA) Production Fuels Stem Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth
Coenzyme A (CoA), derived from Vitamin B5 (VB5), is essential for lipid metabolism, energy production, and cell proliferation. While the intracellular functions of CoA are well characterized, its tiss...
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A Genome-wide CRISPR Screen Reveals ZDHHC8-Dependent Gαq Palmitoylation as a Key Regulator of GPCR Signaling Muhammad Ahmad, Norbert Perrimon, Raghuvir Viswanatha, Ah-Ram Kim bioRxiv 2025.08.06.668953; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
A Genome-wide CRISPR Screen Reveals ZDHHC8-Dependent Gαq Palmitoylation as a Key Regulator of GPCR Signaling
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that couple to the Gαq signaling pathway control diverse physiological processes, yet the full complement of cellular regulators for this pathway remains unknown. H...
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Cheng, C., Liu, Y., Chen, Y., Li, J., Xu, W., Perrimon, N. and Song, W. (2025) The power of Drosophila in modeling cancer cachexia. Adv Exp Med Biol. 482:83-100. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-97035-1_5. PMID: 40745137
Intersecting experimental evolution and CRISPR screens to identify novel insecticide resistance loci Marconcini, Cruchet, Goswami, Viswanatha, Butnaru, De, Roselli, Hadjieconomou, Perrimon, Mohr, Benton bioRxiv 2025.07.23.666417; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Intersecting experimental evolution and CRISPR screens to identify novel insecticide resistance loci
Understanding the evolution of insect resistance to natural and artificial poisons is important both to appreciate the adaptation of species to toxic ecological niches and manage pest insects. While r...
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