Repeated duplications and losses shaped SMC complex evolution from archaeal ancestors to modern eukaryotes: Cell Reports https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)00626-6?rss=yes

Happy to share Asha Joseph and Inchara Adhikashreni's latest work from the lab, describing replisome speed variation in Caulobacter! www.cell.com/current-biol...

The biology and ecological impact of #phages in the mammalian gut are poorly understood. This Primer explores a @plosbiology.org study that provides a glimpse into the disruptive biology of the #Hankyphages, parasites of the ubiquitous Bacteroidaceae. 🧪 Primer: plos.io/3RukgtJ Paper: plos.io/41Rr22S

Glad to share the work of @yli18smc.bsky.social and co on Lamassu, a bacterial defense system related to Rad50/Mre11 (RM). While RM carefully trims DNA ends for repair, Lamassu chops up the host chromosome. Our study reveals how it is regulated to minimize damage, activating only during infection.

Happy to share the beautiful structure of a Wadjet SMC complex by @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social, with support from the DCI and @drhonsworth.bsky.social ! This is a type II Wadjet with unique characteristics including a tandem KITE subunit, distinct coiled coil architecture and a deviant hinge.

In @molecularmicro.bsky.social: two special issues on Prokaryotic Chromosome Organization. Many excellent contributions, including a vision article: 'Future directions of the Prokaryotic Chromosome Field', outcome of BioPhyChrom 2023 @biophychrom.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Cellular responses to RNA damage: Cell Such a great and timely review for a topic that remained under-explored for such a long time but has attracted a lot of attention in the last few years. The field is now moving in leaps and bounds. #RNAsky www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

OUT NOW: KorB is a DNA clamp which slides along DNA to mediate long-range gene silencing upon interaction with the clamp-locking KorA protein by Tung Le & co @johninnescentre.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Important paper from the Weber-Ban lab about the mechanism of activation of PafBC in the mycobacterial DNA damage response. Single-stranded DNA binding to the transcription factor PafBC triggers the mycobacterial DNA damage response | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

What happens to bacterial genomes when they're cloned into yeast? Do they transcribe, do they get silenced, do they get packaged away from the rest of the DNA? This cool study congrats to the Koszul lab team at Pasteur for this great work. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

When does a DNA polymerase degrade DNA? Read Akshaya’s work from the lab to find out more!

Fun work on the regulation of the bacterial SOS response to DNA damage. Led by the fantastic @adityakamat.bsky.social!

#MicroSky CTPases, the new kids on the block

New discovery from our #CDlab reported in Cell @cp-cell.bsky.social today: SMC motor proteins have a left-right ‘gearbox’ and can switch direction in DNA loop extrusion! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 1/

STC is back schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2... #MicroSky

This was an amazing collaboration, we had the luxury of years of great conversations with @wallaceucsf.bsky.social and his team, as well as our other @HFSP partners @anjbadri.bsky.social and Johan Paulsson. Thanks for telling the story here, Wallace!