Ekta Mohanty
@ektamohanty.bsky.social
33 followers 52 following 1 posts
PhD Student at Blumenstiel’s lab, University of Kansas | Genome conflict and evolution | TEs | piRNAs | Drosophila🪰
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Reposted by Ekta Mohanty
If you're having a rough day, remember that in 1991 Tim Berners-Lee's paper for the World Wide Web was rejected and he was relegated to the poster session.
Reposted by Ekta Mohanty
Flamenco plasticity tunes somatic piRNAs, rewiring host isoforms and opening a route to heritable transposon spread https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.13.681963v1
Reposted by Ekta Mohanty
When transposons jump, genomes diverge - even in cultured cells.
I am happy to share our new preprint: a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Drosophila OSC cells, one of the key model systems in the piRNA field, especially for nuclear piRNA biology. 🧬🧵 (1/12)
Graphical abstract: The Drosophila OSC Genome as a resource for transposon and piRNA biology. The figure illustrates the workflow and key findings. Left: De novo genome assembly using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long reads and Hi-C data generates a phased assembly distinguishing unique (blue) and repetitive (orange) sequences. Dot plot comparison between OSC-r1.01 and dm6 reference genomes shows overall synteny with extensive structural variation. Middle: A freely accessible UCSC genome browser session displays multi-omics data tracks including gene models, transposon insertions, chromatin accessibility, transcription, small RNAs, and histone modifications. Right: New insights into flamenco piRNA cluster biology reveal >730 kb transcribed from a single promoter without major splicing. Tethering assays demonstrate long-range silencing effects across the locus, and genome browser tracks show coordinated regulation of piRNA production, transcription, and chromatin state. This resource enables comprehensive studies of transposon regulation and piRNA pathway function in a widely-used Drosophila cell line.
Reposted by Ekta Mohanty
"Talent and grit matter, but so do structure, transparency, and care." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4nCiPYg
An illustration of a person standing at the top of stairs that end, with text: To increase diversity in STEM, a foot in the door isn’t enough. We need better support.
Reposted by Ekta Mohanty
Hey fellow Drosophila researchers - if you haven't heard, the UMGC is offering ultra low-cost genome sequencing! See here to learn more: z.umn.edu/UMGC-MOSS #Dros25
University of Minnesota Genomics Center Model Organism Sequencing Service Flyer. $25 for a 30x Drosophila genome.
Just wrapped up an incredible few days at #Dros25. Full of brilliant science, amazing discussions, and the buzzing energy of fly people geeking out together.
Reposted by Ekta Mohanty
I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.

“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Ekta Mohanty
Almost 2000 Drosophila labs listed, searchable and sortable on this very useful page from @flybase.bsky.social
wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...