Our latest work on FANCD2-FANCI (D2-I), a complex that helps resolve DNA crosslinks and replication stress, is out!
We show D2-I acts as a sliding clamp on DNA, stalling at single-stranded gaps to identify and protect damage sites.
@lapassmore
@RuedaLab
A reminder that I'm looking for a PhD student and a postdoc to study DNA repair using structural biology and single-molecule imaging.
A wonderful department in a beautiful city and exciting projects ready to dive into!
Join us in this adventure in beautiful Aarhus! PhD and postdoc positions available! If you're passionate about DNA repair and structural biology, we have several exciting projects for you. Please contact me for more details, and please share with your colleagues!
After six fantastic years at
@MRC_LMB
, I'm returning to Denmark to join
@MolBiolAU
! Starting August 2024, we'll combine biochemistry, cryoEM, and single-molecule imaging to study how DNA damage is recognized and repaired.
Time to say goodbye to the
@MRC_LMB
. It’s been nothing short of a dream come true every single day for over six years. Thank you to everyone who makes the LMB such a magical place. I’ll cherish these memories forever.
Join us in this adventure in beautiful Aarhus! PhD and postdoc positions available! If you're passionate about DNA repair and structural biology, we have several exciting projects for you. Please contact me for more details, and please share with your colleagues!
Yesterday we had a wonderful time at
@TheCrick
and heard about the cool work in
@BoultonLab
and
@RuedaLab
labs. An impressive building and a fantastic dinner! Looking forward to the next one. 🧬
#SpeakersCIB4FUTURE
We introduce you to Pablo Alcón (
@palconh
), postdoc at
@MRC_LMB
, where he works at Passmore Lab applying an integrative struct biology approach based on cryoEM to study the molecular mechanisms underlying
#DNArepair
, with interest in
#Fanconi
Anemia.
Un ejemplo a seguir como científico. José María me dio la oportunidad de aprender en su laboratorio, y no es una exageración decir que eso me cambió la vida.
@RuedaLab
@artur_pol
@KorakRay
We used cryo-EM to determine D2-I structures in two states: sliding on dsDNA and stalled at ss-dsDNA junctions. The structures revealed that these DNAs are bound differently. A conserved basic helix (KR helix) in FANCD2 contacts the ss-dsDNA junction.
(5/8)
In our latest work we use
#CryoEM
to analyze polyethylene degrading proteins directly from native source🐛. Great collaboration with the groups of Federica Bertocchini (
@CIB_CSIC
) and Maria Solà (
@IBMB_CSIC
).
Brief summary below🧵👇
and full story here:
DNA constantly faces damage. The Fanconi Anaemia pathway, involving the D2-I complex, repairs interstrand crosslinks caused by agents like chemotherapy drugs and alcohol. But how does D2-I detect damage? And is it involved in different types of DNA repair?
(1/8)
This is so cool!
"The ToNV archival sample 35 was supplied as a crystal solution prepared by Kenneth M. Smith in the 1950s [...] Additional purification was not required."
Initially, it wasn’t clear how D2-I interacts with DNA, likely a very dynamic process. With
@RuedaLab
(
@artur_pol
and
@KorakRay
), we used single-molecule imaging to directly visualize D2-I on DNA. We observed D2-I binding and sliding along dsDNA!
(2/8)
@RuedaLab
@artur_pol
@KorakRay
We next tested how D2-I responds to obstacles that might be found on DNA. DNA-bound proteins or DNA loops cause D2-I to bounce off and keep sliding. But strikingly, D2-I stalls at ss-dsDNA junctions that flank ssDNA gaps.
(3/8)
🧬 Thrilled to share our latest research on Retrons—a new chapter in this fascinating field! 🌟In this
@MolecularCell
paper, we reveal how Retron-Eco1 defends against phages.
Check the 🧵below! (1/20)
@RuedaLab
@artur_pol
@KorakRay
We made mutations in the KR helix and these strongly affect stalling at ss-dsDNA junctions. With
@JulianSaleLab
and
@PKnipscheer
, we showed these mutations dramatically impact DNA repair in cells and Xenopus egg extracts.
(6/8)
@RuedaLab
@artur_pol
@KorakRay
These gaps appear in many types of DNA damage, potentially explaining D2-I's roles beyond crosslink repair.
If recognition of ss-dsDNA junctions is relevant in DNA repair, we reasoned that there would be a structural basis for this.
(4/8)
Our work on Pol II dephosphorylation and its connection to transcription regulation and mRNA 3' end processing by the Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factor (CPF) is now out in
@MolecularCell
!
New preprint! 🧬🖥️ With the
@FrogWalterLab
, we created a predictome of nucleosome acidic patch binders using AlphaFold. Our approach identified both known and novel acidic patch interactors, opening new avenues for chromatin research. Check it out:
(1/3)
El Ministerio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa ha ordenado la emisión de 7.000 monedas de colección con un valor de 10 euros con la imagen de la científica Margarita Salas 😍😍😍
Necesito esa moneda 💜
Soccer players have to master a range of dynamic skills, from turning and kicking to chasing a ball. How could robots do the same? ⚽
We trained our AI agents to demonstrate a range of agile behaviors using reinforcement learning.
Here’s how. 🧵
We believe this work provides important insights into how D2-I monitors DNA integrity, flags damage, and protects the genome, thus explaining its broader role in the DNA damage response.
(7/8)