Today in
@science.org:
We are pleased to present our last work entitled:
"Concurrent L1 retrotransposition events promote reciprocal translocations in human tumorigenesis"
by Zumalave et al.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@science.org:
We are pleased to present our last work entitled:
"Concurrent L1 retrotransposition events promote reciprocal translocations in human tumorigenesis"
by Zumalave et al.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Concurrent L1 retrotransposition events promote reciprocal translocations in human tumorigenesis
LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposition generates somatic genomic variation in human cancer, but short-read sequencing has limited our understanding of its structural consequences and dynamics. Using long-read...
www.science.org
February 26, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Today in
@science.org:
We are pleased to present our last work entitled:
"Concurrent L1 retrotransposition events promote reciprocal translocations in human tumorigenesis"
by Zumalave et al.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@science.org:
We are pleased to present our last work entitled:
"Concurrent L1 retrotransposition events promote reciprocal translocations in human tumorigenesis"
by Zumalave et al.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Indeed, John Moran’s lab previously showed L1 can mediate BC200 retrotransposition in cell culture: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38850156/
Thus, BC200 is likely still an actively mobile element in humans and other primates.
Thus, BC200 is likely still an actively mobile element in humans and other primates.
September 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Indeed, John Moran’s lab previously showed L1 can mediate BC200 retrotransposition in cell culture: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38850156/
Thus, BC200 is likely still an actively mobile element in humans and other primates.
Thus, BC200 is likely still an actively mobile element in humans and other primates.
#TEsky The domesticated transposon protein L1TD1 associates with its ancestor L1 ORF1p to promote LINE-1 retrotransposition doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
The domesticated transposon protein L1TD1 associates with its ancestor L1 ORF1p to promote LINE-1 retrotransposition
DNA hypomethylation in human tumor cells results in the activation of the LINE-1-derived RNA-binding protein L1TD1 and its interactions with LINE-1 transposons.
doi.org
March 21, 2025 at 3:14 PM
#TEsky The domesticated transposon protein L1TD1 associates with its ancestor L1 ORF1p to promote LINE-1 retrotransposition doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Did you know that two jumping sequences (LINE-1 and Alu) make up nearly 30% of our genomes? Ever wonder how they jump into new genomic sites? We have some exciting discoveries to share new in @science.org on the structural mechanisms of LINE-1 retrotransposition (aka jumping 🧬➡️🧬) 🧪 #ScienceResearch
March 7, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Did you know that two jumping sequences (LINE-1 and Alu) make up nearly 30% of our genomes? Ever wonder how they jump into new genomic sites? We have some exciting discoveries to share new in @science.org on the structural mechanisms of LINE-1 retrotransposition (aka jumping 🧬➡️🧬) 🧪 #ScienceResearch
This was exciting because Alu jumps in humans, and MCV is a poxvirus that infects humans. Plus one of the MCV insertions bear the hallmarks of L1-mediated retrotransposition. Looked like we had found the first instance of Alu jumping onto a human virus. Well, not quite but it gets better...
September 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM
This was exciting because Alu jumps in humans, and MCV is a poxvirus that infects humans. Plus one of the MCV insertions bear the hallmarks of L1-mediated retrotransposition. Looked like we had found the first instance of Alu jumping onto a human virus. Well, not quite but it gets better...
Massively parallel jumping assay (MPJA) enables to test the jumping potential of thousands of transposons. Analysis of >160,000 Alu haplotypes identified transposition-asssociated domains. Amazing work by Navneet Matharu, Jingjing Zhao, Martin Kircher and many others.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Massively parallel jumping assay decodes Alu retrotransposition activity - Nature Communications
Here, the authors develop a high-throughput assay to measure the jumping potential of thousands of transposons in parallel.
www.nature.com
May 9, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Massively parallel jumping assay (MPJA) enables to test the jumping potential of thousands of transposons. Analysis of >160,000 Alu haplotypes identified transposition-asssociated domains. Amazing work by Navneet Matharu, Jingjing Zhao, Martin Kircher and many others.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I'm excited to share our work providing the first complete mechanistic picture of how R2 proteins nick the second strand, out today in @pnas.org! ✂️🧬
This step in retrotransposition has long been mysterious, but crucial for understanding R2's.
Check it out: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A thread 🧵:
This step in retrotransposition has long been mysterious, but crucial for understanding R2's.
Check it out: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A thread 🧵:
August 11, 2026 at 6:08 PM
I'm excited to share our work providing the first complete mechanistic picture of how R2 proteins nick the second strand, out today in @pnas.org! ✂️🧬
This step in retrotransposition has long been mysterious, but crucial for understanding R2's.
Check it out: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A thread 🧵:
This step in retrotransposition has long been mysterious, but crucial for understanding R2's.
Check it out: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A thread 🧵:
The last talk before coffee break is @pascale_lesage talking about cell defense mechanisms to limit Ty1 retrotransposition and protect the yeast genome #GSTransposons
November 21, 2024 at 2:31 PM
The last talk before coffee break is @pascale_lesage talking about cell defense mechanisms to limit Ty1 retrotransposition and protect the yeast genome #GSTransposons
Every gel band in this paper was hand crafted from a PCR product with a drop of oil.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Adaptive Evolution of Genes Duplicated from the Drosophila pseudoobscura neo-X Chromosome
Drosophila X chromosomes are disproportionate sources of duplicated genes, and these duplications are usually the result of retrotransposition of X-linked genes to the autosomes. The excess duplicatio...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
September 27, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Every gel band in this paper was hand crafted from a PCR product with a drop of oil.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Excited to share our latest work, led by the incredible @automnenine.bsky.social (now an Ass. Prof. at Princeton)! We uncover key insights into the retrotransposition mechanisms of LINE-1 ORF2p, the enzyme responsible for writing a significant portion of our genome.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Structural mechanism of LINE-1 target-primed reverse transcription
Long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1) retrotransposons are the only active autonomous transposable elements in humans. They propagate by reverse transcribing their mRNA into new genomic locations by a ...
www.science.org
March 6, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Excited to share our latest work, led by the incredible @automnenine.bsky.social (now an Ass. Prof. at Princeton)! We uncover key insights into the retrotransposition mechanisms of LINE-1 ORF2p, the enzyme responsible for writing a significant portion of our genome.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Pan-cancer multi-omic model of LINE-1 activity reveals locus heterogeneity of retrotransposition efficiency
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rome Tx's TotalReCall: github.com/Rome-Tx/tota...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rome Tx's TotalReCall: github.com/Rome-Tx/tota...
Pan-cancer multi-omic model of LINE-1 activity reveals locus heterogeneity of retrotransposition efficiency - Nature Communications
LINE-1 activity was quantified in a large, pan-cancer dataset, finding locus-specific heterogeneity and new associations using a computational pipeline. A mathematical mediation model of p53...
www.nature.com
March 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Pan-cancer multi-omic model of LINE-1 activity reveals locus heterogeneity of retrotransposition efficiency
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rome Tx's TotalReCall: github.com/Rome-Tx/tota...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rome Tx's TotalReCall: github.com/Rome-Tx/tota...
Ridiculously good work by George on LINE-1 retrotransposition! Also the paper is an inspiring read - there's some really super biochem in it
Did you know that two jumping sequences (LINE-1 and Alu) make up nearly 30% of our genomes? Ever wonder how they jump into new genomic sites? We have some exciting discoveries to share new in @science.org on the structural mechanisms of LINE-1 retrotransposition (aka jumping 🧬➡️🧬) 🧪 #ScienceResearch
March 7, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Ridiculously good work by George on LINE-1 retrotransposition! Also the paper is an inspiring read - there's some really super biochem in it
#TEsky Functional analyses identify the L1 ORF2p Cryptic domain as a hub for intramolecular interfaces required for retrotransposition doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
Functional analyses identify the L1 ORF2p Cryptic domain as a hub for intramolecular interfaces required for retrotransposition
Abstract. Endonuclease (EN) and reverse transcriptase (RT) functions of Long Interspersed Element-1 (L1) ORF2p are required for DNA-nicking and complementa
doi.org
May 5, 2026 at 8:03 PM
#TEsky Functional analyses identify the L1 ORF2p Cryptic domain as a hub for intramolecular interfaces required for retrotransposition doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
A phylogenetic estimate of canine retrotransposition rates based on genome assembly comparisons https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.10.675418v1
September 16, 2025 at 5:35 PM
A phylogenetic estimate of canine retrotransposition rates based on genome assembly comparisons https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.10.675418v1
One of the more surprising parts was how the LINE-1 machinery (ORF2p) remodels the target DNA for retrotransposition - basically melting and breaking the DNA into two parts. We could even see this melting as heterogeneity during the #CryoEM data processing.
March 7, 2025 at 12:22 AM
One of the more surprising parts was how the LINE-1 machinery (ORF2p) remodels the target DNA for retrotransposition - basically melting and breaking the DNA into two parts. We could even see this melting as heterogeneity during the #CryoEM data processing.
The two paralogous proteins NRBP1 and NRBP2 exert opposing effects on the integrity of the LINE-1 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) machinery, thereby regulating LINE-1 retrotransposition.
A study by our SFB 1381 project B09, published in Nature communications: doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Congratulations!!
A study by our SFB 1381 project B09, published in Nature communications: doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Congratulations!!
July 28, 2025 at 10:23 AM
The two paralogous proteins NRBP1 and NRBP2 exert opposing effects on the integrity of the LINE-1 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) machinery, thereby regulating LINE-1 retrotransposition.
A study by our SFB 1381 project B09, published in Nature communications: doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Congratulations!!
A study by our SFB 1381 project B09, published in Nature communications: doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Congratulations!!
How does the ORF1p perform its multiple functions to facilitate LINE1 retrotransposition? And what enables its ability to also facilitate replication of other retrotransposons? Find out in our newly published paper in Nucleic Acids Research doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
L1-ORF1p nucleoprotein can rapidly assume distinct conformations and simultaneously bind more than one nucleic acid
Abstract. LINE-1 (L1) is a parasitic retrotransposable DNA element, active in primates for the last 80–120 Myr. L1 has generated nearly one-third of the hu
doi.org
December 23, 2024 at 2:57 AM
How does the ORF1p perform its multiple functions to facilitate LINE1 retrotransposition? And what enables its ability to also facilitate replication of other retrotransposons? Find out in our newly published paper in Nucleic Acids Research doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
Check out our pre-print: We show that L1 insertion intermediates can recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements, highlighting the risk of L1 retrotransposition generating substrates for aberrant recombination and genome instability.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
L1 insertion intermediates recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements
LINE-1 retrotransposition is common in human cancers and rearrangements at insertion sites can contribute to cancer-driving oncogene amplifications and promote genome instability. However, the mechani...
www.biorxiv.org
September 19, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Check out our pre-print: We show that L1 insertion intermediates can recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements, highlighting the risk of L1 retrotransposition generating substrates for aberrant recombination and genome instability.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
New paper published! Structural features of somatic and germline retrotransposition events in humans. Congrats Päivi et al!👏 @coeintg.bsky.social
mobilednajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
mobilednajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Structural features of somatic and germline retrotransposition events in humans - Mobile DNA
Background Transposons are DNA sequences able to move or copy themselves to other genomic locations leading to insertional mutagenesis. Although transposon-derived sequences account for half of the hu...
mobilednajournal.biomedcentral.com
April 23, 2025 at 11:10 AM
New paper published! Structural features of somatic and germline retrotransposition events in humans. Congrats Päivi et al!👏 @coeintg.bsky.social
mobilednajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
mobilednajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Identification of a minimal Alu domain required for retrotransposition https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.12.16.628748v1
December 17, 2024 at 5:18 AM
Identification of a minimal Alu domain required for retrotransposition https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.12.16.628748v1
Check out our published work:
We show that L1 insertion intermediates can recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements, highlighting the risk of L1 retrotransposition causing genomic instability.
@kathleenhburns.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We show that L1 insertion intermediates can recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements, highlighting the risk of L1 retrotransposition causing genomic instability.
@kathleenhburns.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
LINE-1 insertion intermediates recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements - Nature Communications
LINE-1 retrotransposition is associated with genome instability in cancers, yet the mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, the authors combine recombination reporter assays with long-read sequenci...
www.nature.com
August 3, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Check out our published work:
We show that L1 insertion intermediates can recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements, highlighting the risk of L1 retrotransposition causing genomic instability.
@kathleenhburns.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We show that L1 insertion intermediates can recombine with one another or with DNA breaks to form genome rearrangements, highlighting the risk of L1 retrotransposition causing genomic instability.
@kathleenhburns.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Gene duplication and retrotransposition diversify the antiviral repertoire of macaque IFITM proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.11.731520v1
June 11, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Gene duplication and retrotransposition diversify the antiviral repertoire of macaque IFITM proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.11.731520v1
Our paper on the evolution of #opsin genes in #Lepidoptera is out in early access in MolBioEvol #evobio 👀🦋
academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
Opsin gene duplication in Lepidoptera: retrotransposition, sex linkage, and gene expression
Abstract. Colour vision in insects is determined by signalling cascades, central to which are opsin proteins, resulting in sensitivity to light at different wav
academic.oup.com
November 3, 2023 at 4:02 PM
Our paper on the evolution of #opsin genes in #Lepidoptera is out in early access in MolBioEvol #evobio 👀🦋
academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
LINE-1 retrotransposition is a recurrent cause of MET exon 14 skipping in cancer https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.19.706876v1
February 20, 2026 at 7:49 PM
LINE-1 retrotransposition is a recurrent cause of MET exon 14 skipping in cancer https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.19.706876v1
LINE-1 retrotransposition is a recurrent cause of MET exon 14 skipping in cancer https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.19.706876v1
February 20, 2026 at 7:49 PM
LINE-1 retrotransposition is a recurrent cause of MET exon 14 skipping in cancer https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.19.706876v1