Finally - the 🧵! So, the piRNA pathway defends the animal germline from transposons. But most of what we know comes from narrow developmental windows like late oogenesis, where it's easiest to study. We asked if the pathway is the same across development. It is not! /+

Peter Andersen@germline.bsky.social · 5d ago

We watched piRNAs and transposons across development, saw them dance tightly and wrote a paper about it. It's so cool to see it online and we will make a thread about it all very soon. Stay tuned :-)

We watched piRNAs and transposons across development, saw them dance tightly and wrote a paper about it. It's so cool to see it online and we will make a thread about it all very soon. Stay tuned :-)

bioRxiv Genetics@biorxiv-genetic.bsky.social · 5d ago

A developmental switch in the piRNA pathway ensures stage-specific transposon silencing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747770v1

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this exciting project revealing that CIP2A tetramerization via its C-terminus is required for DNA repair in mitosis.

@marcelvanvugt.bsky.social · last wk.

Very pleased to share this new study: In a truly collaborative effort with the lab of Pim Huis in 't Veld @huis.bsky.social, we combined biochemistry with cell biological and genomic approaches to uncover how CIP2A works in mitotic DNA repair. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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 · 3mo ago

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

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

The labs of Julius Brennecke and Clemens Plaschka reveal a molecular decision point that determines whether RNA molecules are exported for use or targeted for destruction. Now published in Nature: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Unis rufen zu Demos gegen Kürzungen auf‼️ Die Unis befürchten Einsparungen von einer Mrd. Euro im #Budget. Rektorensprecherin Brigitte Hütter sprach bei einer Pressekonferenz von einem "Supergau" für Unis, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Rektor Schütze sprach von enormen Schaden für die Reputation. ⤵️

Budget - Unis rufen zu Demos gegen Kürzungen auf

Rektor Schütze:

univie.ac.at

Thrilled to see my main PhD work out on bioRxiv! Huge thanks to @arburga.bsky.social and my wonderful labmates, collaborators, colleagues and friends @imbavienna.bsky.social @viennabiocenter.bsky.social for a detailed breakdown see below 👇

Alejandro Burga@arburga.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🧬 New research from the Burga lab! We took a closer look at a rogue selfish protein and caught evolution in the act of turning something old into something radically new 💡 (a.k.a. neofunctionalization) @imbavienna.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Curious? Here’s a breakdown:

Join us at our special anniversary Symposium on RNA biology at the @vbcscitraining.bsky.social campus! We promise 3 days of interesting science, discussions and hopefully new ideas and learnings for everyone - plus a symposium dinner at the Vienna city hall!

IMP@impvienna.bsky.social · 4mo ago

📣 Registration is open for the 20th Microsymposium on RNA Biology! Join in at the Vienna BioCenter for three days of cutting-edge science, discussion & networking. 📅 17-19 June 2026 🧬 Poster abstract deadline: 19 May Info & registration: www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/seminar...

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 · 4mo 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...

The work of my colleague Baptiste Rafanel is now published.

The EMBO Journal@embojournal.org · 4mo 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...

Five years after a short rotation in the Peters lab, I’m happy to see this cool story spearheaded by Gordana Wutz finally published.

IMP@impvienna.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🧬 Inside the cell nucleus, two meters of DNA are folded into shape by cohesin—a protein complex that forms DNA loops. But how is this process controlled? Our Peters’ lab and collaborators have discovered how cells put the brakes on DNA loop formation: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Our latest publication is now out at Genome Biology! link.springer.com/article/10.1... We uncover a unique association between a H3K27me3 reader complex and active transcription. A thread with our key findings: (1/8) #TEsky #Polycomb #transcription #smallRNAs

A H3K27me3 reader complex couples H3K27me3 accumulation to nascent transcription of transposable elements in Paramecium - Genome Biology

Background The ability to deposit histone H3K27-trimethyl (me3) marks is essential for transcriptional repression by Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). This is largely attributed to Polycomb repres...

link.springer.com

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!

A consortium of group leaders from IMP, IMBA (Vienna BioCenter) and ISTA has been awarded an FWF Emerging Fields grant to study how germ cells safeguard and pass on genetic information across generations.

as always, beautiful mechanistic dissection by @86dominik.bsky.social @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social lab, taking advantage of genetics and genomics to get decisive insights into piRNAs! surprising how instructive U content is for piRNA biogenesis, but it makes total sense, the system is very clever! 🪰

Dominik Handler@86dominik.bsky.social · 7mo 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)

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 · 7mo 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)

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)

bioRxiv Molecular Biology@biorxiv-molbio.bsky.social · 7mo ago

A Naïve RNA Sampling Core Enables Adaptive piRNA Specificity Against Transposable Elements https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.07.704324v1

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...

@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...

Happy to see our study out! We define the sequence determinants for miRNA-target interactions in flies and provide a foundation for improving computational prediction of miRNA-mediated regulation in Drosophila. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #miRNA, @natcomms.nature.com, @rti-umasschan.bsky.social

I’m happy to share the main result of my PhD, which you can find on bioRxiv www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6.... If you are interested in learning about a new way to perform DNA-PAINT multiplexing, which we call Combi-PAINT, or if you are interested in the study of mRNA conformation, keep reading! 1/10

The @zeitlingerlab.bsky.social is pleased to announce @sergio-gma91.bsky.social’s preprint “High-resolution binding data of TFIID and cofactors show promoter-specific differences in vivo” (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...). TLDR; TFIID behaves differently depending on promoter type. More below:

High-resolution binding data of TFIID and cofactors show promoter-specific differences in vivo

TFIID is instrumental in recognizing promoter sequences and initiating transcription, yet a cohesive understanding of how this complex interacts with and functions at different promoter types in vivo ...

biorxiv.org

Do transcriptional activators work on any promoter? Our data says no. 🙅‍♂️ Despite driving ~2/3 of mammalian genes, CpG island (CGI) promoters have remained a puzzle. We identified >50 activators that are exclusively compatible with this promoter class. 🧬

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 · 9mo 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.

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.

bioRxivpreprint@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 9mo ago

RNA decay via the nuclear exosome is essential for piwi-mediated transposon silencing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.16.694471v1

I am happy to share that my postdoctoral work in the @gerlichlab.bsky.social at @imbavienna.bsky.social is finally out 🎉! Our study reveals how cohesin guides focused and accurate homology search. Read more 👉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Follow along for key insights and updates! 🧵

Cohesin guides homology search during DNA repair using loops and sister chromatid linkages

Accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is essential for genome stability, and defective repair underlies diseases such as cancer. Homologous recombination uses an intact homologous sequenc...

science.org

🪱 Selfish genes are everywhere and drive some of biology’s biggest innovations (CRISPR, antibody recombination, epigenetics). Yet almost no one asks the obvious question: how does a selfish gene begin? Our new manuscript uncovers how selfishness can emerge directly from the host genome.

Congrats to Dr. @julsportell.bsky.social on her PhD! Her journey as a joint student (Brennecke/Our Lab) led to key insights into gene silencing. Paper: www.cell.com/molecular-ce.... Journey: www.viennabiocenter.org/about/news/t.... CP.

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/