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 - ThreadSky

automnenine.bsky.social • 57 days ago

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

Comments

automnenine.bsky.social•57 days ago

These elements jump by a "copy-and-paste" mechanism where the LINE-1 encoded machinery reverse transcribes its LINE-1 mRNA (a copy) into a new target DNA site (paste). We captured the complex just at the point of reverse transcription and solved structures by #CryoEM.

automnenine.bsky.social•57 days ago

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.

automnenine.bsky.social•57 days ago

There much more... like structures with cellular proteins (PCNA and PABPC1), but you can read all about this here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads8412

Huge thanks to @kellythd-nguyen.bsky.social , @HongmiaoHu, and @JeromeBoulanger and our friends at @mrclmb.bsky.social! So fun to solve this together.

automnenine.bsky.social•57 days ago

... there is much left to uncover - I'll be continuing this work in my own lab in @princetonmolbio.bsky.social department at Princeton University. So if LINE-1 or cryo-EM interest you, reach out because I'm recruiting at all levels. https://ghanim.lab.princeton.edu/join-lab

(& #RNAsky #TEsky of course)

nancycraig777.bsky.social•56 days ago

Lovely work!!!!

gulbruth.bsky.social•57 days ago

This is really great, next time I'm asked why so many LINEs are truncated and therefore hard to work with from a bioinformatic or evolutionary perspective I have solid protein-level explanation.