Jess
@jumpinggenomes.bsky.social
Mitos, plastids, endosymbiosis, gene transfer, origins of life, tRNAs and all things wonky in mol. evolution 🧬 Postdoc in McCutcheon lab. HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow
Whats the minimum number of tRNA genes necessary to decode 20 amino acids? Surprise, its less than 20! Super excited to share this work where we demonstrate that the bidirectional expression of some mitochondrial genes gives rise to two different tRNAs, capable of decoding different amino acids🪞tRNA
June 10, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Whats the minimum number of tRNA genes necessary to decode 20 amino acids? Surprise, its less than 20! Super excited to share this work where we demonstrate that the bidirectional expression of some mitochondrial genes gives rise to two different tRNAs, capable of decoding different amino acids🪞tRNA
Reposted by Jess
Perhaps... how life started?!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...
www.science.org
February 13, 2026 at 5:46 AM
Perhaps... how life started?!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Jess
Our new paper in @natcomms.nature.com is now online-early!
We describe independent evolution of bacterial genomes of only ~50–52 kb — the smallest known outside cellular organelles — revealing striking convergence toward minimal gene sets.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
We describe independent evolution of bacterial genomes of only ~50–52 kb — the smallest known outside cellular organelles — revealing striking convergence toward minimal gene sets.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
February 11, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Our new paper in @natcomms.nature.com is now online-early!
We describe independent evolution of bacterial genomes of only ~50–52 kb — the smallest known outside cellular organelles — revealing striking convergence toward minimal gene sets.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
We describe independent evolution of bacterial genomes of only ~50–52 kb — the smallest known outside cellular organelles — revealing striking convergence toward minimal gene sets.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Reposted by Jess
Great collaboration with the Sanchez-Puerta lab and colleagues! @lfceriotti.bsky.social @organelledchaos.bsky.social @jumpinggenomes.bsky.social @chusteckisci.bsky.social @achristensenphd.bsky.social (and others not on bsky)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reshaping Organellar Translation and tRNA Metabolism: The Consequences of Photosynthesis Loss and Massive Horizontal Gene Transfer
The transition to holoparasitism in plants precipitates the loss of photosynthesis, fundamentally altering the selective landscape acting on organellar genomes. These changes raise questions about the...
www.biorxiv.org
January 13, 2026 at 4:45 AM
Great collaboration with the Sanchez-Puerta lab and colleagues! @lfceriotti.bsky.social @organelledchaos.bsky.social @jumpinggenomes.bsky.social @chusteckisci.bsky.social @achristensenphd.bsky.social (and others not on bsky)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Jess
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins and their changing roles in different organisms across evolution
Nature Reviews Neuroscience - Recent studies have shed further light on the evolutionary origins of chemical synapses, In this Review, Colgren and Burkhardt explore how ancient proteins were...
rdcu.be
October 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
Reposted by Jess
Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website.
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
Sloan Lab
Welcome! Our research focuses on the evolutionary process at the molecular level. In particular, we investigate how a mixture of natural selection and non-adaptive forces create and maintain the amazi...
sites.google.com
July 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website.
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
Reposted by Jess
You want to start tomography? Solve structures inside cells? Reach Nyquist 😳 ? @phaips.vd.st and I have a website for you! tomoguide.github.io
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
May 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
You want to start tomography? Solve structures inside cells? Reach Nyquist 😳 ? @phaips.vd.st and I have a website for you! tomoguide.github.io
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
You'll find a tutorial on how to reconstruct tomograms, pick particles and do subtomogram averaging, using different software!
Hope it will be useful !
Reposted by Jess
I'm thrilled to share that our story is now out in Science Advances! 🎉 We use quantitative imaging to map the mito central dogma, define translation hubs in the mitochondrial matrix, and show that they're replaced by Mitochondrial Stress Bodies (MSB) when mtRNA processing is perturbed 1/4
Spatial analysis of mitochondrial gene expression reveals dynamic translation hubs and remodeling in stress | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Spatial analysis of mitochondrial gene expression reveals dynamic translation hubs and remodeling in stress
Quantitative imaging of the mitochondrial central dogma identifies translation hubs that are suppressed during stress.
www.science.org
April 18, 2025 at 10:56 PM
I'm thrilled to share that our story is now out in Science Advances! 🎉 We use quantitative imaging to map the mito central dogma, define translation hubs in the mitochondrial matrix, and show that they're replaced by Mitochondrial Stress Bodies (MSB) when mtRNA processing is perturbed 1/4
The nested endosymbiont system of the citrus mealybug. Outer bacteria labeled in green (lipid stain), the inner bacteria in blue (DNA). These endosymbionts are normally tightly packed into eukaryotic cells but with osmotic shock, you can “pop” them out. Pink cell is a host cell with mitos in magenta
April 14, 2025 at 5:09 AM
The nested endosymbiont system of the citrus mealybug. Outer bacteria labeled in green (lipid stain), the inner bacteria in blue (DNA). These endosymbionts are normally tightly packed into eukaryotic cells but with osmotic shock, you can “pop” them out. Pink cell is a host cell with mitos in magenta
Reposted by Jess
The final version of our work on the in-cell architecture of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is now online in @science.org 🎉
You can find the full story here www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@verenaresch.bsky.social did a wonderful job on the cover and animation, she really brought it to life 👩🎨
You can find the full story here www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@verenaresch.bsky.social did a wonderful job on the cover and animation, she really brought it to life 👩🎨
In a new Science study, cryo–electron tomography captures the in-cell architecture of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, illuminating how the coordinated action of molecular machines drives life’s fundamental energy conversion.
Learn more in this week's issue: scim.ag/3FA3Ygq
Learn more in this week's issue: scim.ag/3FA3Ygq
March 20, 2025 at 6:20 PM
The final version of our work on the in-cell architecture of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is now online in @science.org 🎉
You can find the full story here www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@verenaresch.bsky.social did a wonderful job on the cover and animation, she really brought it to life 👩🎨
You can find the full story here www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@verenaresch.bsky.social did a wonderful job on the cover and animation, she really brought it to life 👩🎨
Reposted by Jess
REVIEW: Expansion of the MutS gene family in plants (Daniel B Sloan, Amanda K Broz, Shady A Kuster, Viraj Muthye, Alejandro Peñafiel-Ayala, Jennifer R Marron, Dennis V Lavrov, Luis G Brieba) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae277
December 20, 2024 at 12:59 PM
REVIEW: Expansion of the MutS gene family in plants (Daniel B Sloan, Amanda K Broz, Shady A Kuster, Viraj Muthye, Alejandro Peñafiel-Ayala, Jennifer R Marron, Dennis V Lavrov, Luis G Brieba) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae277
Reposted by Jess
Did you know that orchids have a big chunk of fungal mtDNA stuck in their own mitochondrial genomes?? In this new preprint, we found that fungal-derived tRNAs are functional in the orchid mitochondria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/4
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/4
November 21, 2024 at 8:37 PM
Did you know that orchids have a big chunk of fungal mtDNA stuck in their own mitochondrial genomes?? In this new preprint, we found that fungal-derived tRNAs are functional in the orchid mitochondria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/4
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/4