Julius Brennecke
@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social
enthusiast of transposable elements, genetic conflicts, small RNAs, Drosophila, and funky germline biology
running a lab at IMBA, Vienna BioCenter
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research/julius-brennecke
running a lab at IMBA, Vienna BioCenter
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research/julius-brennecke
Pinned
PIWI clade Argonautes are essential for transposon silencing. Without them, animals are sterile due to massive transposon activity.
But how does piRNA-guided target interaction translate into silencing?
PhD student Júlia Portell Montserrat has an intriguing answer
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
But how does piRNA-guided target interaction translate into silencing?
PhD student Júlia Portell Montserrat has an intriguing answer
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Love RNA biology?
Join us to explore the piRNA pathway with structural and genetic approaches (see 👇👇).
PhD student/postdoc position co-supervised by Clemens Plaschka & myself.
DM or email us if you’d like to know more!
@vbcscitraining.bsky.social @imbavienna.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social
Join us to explore the piRNA pathway with structural and genetic approaches (see 👇👇).
PhD student/postdoc position co-supervised by Clemens Plaschka & myself.
DM or email us if you’d like to know more!
@vbcscitraining.bsky.social @imbavienna.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Now online! Thermodynamic principles link in vitro transcription factor affinities to single-molecule chromatin states in cells
Thermodynamic principles link in vitro transcription factor affinities to single-molecule chromatin states in cells
In vitro-derived insights into features that drive transcription factor binding to DNA, including motif-adjacent sequence, enable prediction of chromatin states and transcription factor occupancy in cells.
dlvr.it
November 26, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Now online! Thermodynamic principles link in vitro transcription factor affinities to single-molecule chromatin states in cells
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Every biologist knows the story of Fleming's chance discovery of penicillin. But is it true?
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
The Penicillin Myth
Competing theories seek to explain inconsistencies surrounding Alexander Fleming’s famed discovery.
press.asimov.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Every biologist knows the story of Fleming's chance discovery of penicillin. But is it true?
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
WE ARE RECRUITING PHD STUDENTS!!!
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
November 15, 2025 at 3:35 PM
WE ARE RECRUITING PHD STUDENTS!!!
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Some archaea—an ancient group of microorganisms—have an entirely novel genetic code, according to a new study in Science.
The findings expand our understanding of how alternative genetic codes evolve and hint at new molecular tools for biotechnology applications. https://scim.ag/4omApQ7
The findings expand our understanding of how alternative genetic codes evolve and hint at new molecular tools for biotechnology applications. https://scim.ag/4omApQ7
An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine
Multiple genetic codes developed during the evolution of eukaryotes and bacteria, yet no alternative genetic code is known for archaea. We used proteomics to confirm our prediction that certain archae...
scim.ag
November 25, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Some archaea—an ancient group of microorganisms—have an entirely novel genetic code, according to a new study in Science.
The findings expand our understanding of how alternative genetic codes evolve and hint at new molecular tools for biotechnology applications. https://scim.ag/4omApQ7
The findings expand our understanding of how alternative genetic codes evolve and hint at new molecular tools for biotechnology applications. https://scim.ag/4omApQ7
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
A new and fascinating story from @bencarty.bsky.social and the group, with crucial help from the teams of @naltemose.bsky.social, Simona Giunta, and @dfachinetti.bsky.social. Many thanks to all for a fantastic collaboration.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 25, 2025 at 12:16 PM
A new and fascinating story from @bencarty.bsky.social and the group, with crucial help from the teams of @naltemose.bsky.social, Simona Giunta, and @dfachinetti.bsky.social. Many thanks to all for a fantastic collaboration.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵
#protistsonsky 🧵
November 25, 2025 at 8:41 PM
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵
#protistsonsky 🧵
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
The Vienna BioCenter Summer School 2026 call is now open for talented undergrads, it's a great opportunity for students who are interested in graduate study in the life sciences. Georg Busslinger from CeMM is recruiting! Please share
https://training.vbc.ac.at/summer-school/
https://training.vbc.ac.at/summer-school/
November 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
The Vienna BioCenter Summer School 2026 call is now open for talented undergrads, it's a great opportunity for students who are interested in graduate study in the life sciences. Georg Busslinger from CeMM is recruiting! Please share
https://training.vbc.ac.at/summer-school/
https://training.vbc.ac.at/summer-school/
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
🪱 Selfish genes are everywhere and drive some of biology’s biggest innovations (CRISPR, antibody recombination, epigenetics). Yet almost no one asks the obvious question: how does a selfish gene begin? Our new manuscript uncovers how selfishness can emerge directly from the host genome.
November 24, 2025 at 1:03 PM
🪱 Selfish genes are everywhere and drive some of biology’s biggest innovations (CRISPR, antibody recombination, epigenetics). Yet almost no one asks the obvious question: how does a selfish gene begin? Our new manuscript uncovers how selfishness can emerge directly from the host genome.
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
1/5
🚨🚨 preprint alert! 🚨🚨
I wish to introduce CARDIB, not the singer, but the protein.
CARDIB=CARD Inhibitory Binding protein.
In our new work we discover this antiviral protein that is found in all Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals 🪸) but not in other animals.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🚨🚨 preprint alert! 🚨🚨
I wish to introduce CARDIB, not the singer, but the protein.
CARDIB=CARD Inhibitory Binding protein.
In our new work we discover this antiviral protein that is found in all Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals 🪸) but not in other animals.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
An ancient anthozoan protein reveals an alternative evolutionary path of antiviral signaling
How antiviral immunity first arose in animals is a central question in evolutionary biology. Using the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, we identify CARDIB, a previously uncharacterized gene located...
www.biorxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 12:06 PM
1/5
🚨🚨 preprint alert! 🚨🚨
I wish to introduce CARDIB, not the singer, but the protein.
CARDIB=CARD Inhibitory Binding protein.
In our new work we discover this antiviral protein that is found in all Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals 🪸) but not in other animals.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🚨🚨 preprint alert! 🚨🚨
I wish to introduce CARDIB, not the singer, but the protein.
CARDIB=CARD Inhibitory Binding protein.
In our new work we discover this antiviral protein that is found in all Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals 🪸) but not in other animals.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Do you have an exciting new chromatin/transcription story that you'd like to share with the #FN community?
Fill out this form to be considered for a talk in our Jan-June 2026 schedule! forms.gle/TBi38UgYxPAB...
Please repost and share!
Fill out this form to be considered for a talk in our Jan-June 2026 schedule! forms.gle/TBi38UgYxPAB...
Please repost and share!
Application to speak in the Fragile Nucleosome series
Thank you for your interest in our seminar series!
We use a variety of different session formats but, in general, trainees can plan for a ~15 min talk + 5min Q/A and PIs can plan for a ~25min talk +...
forms.gle
November 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Do you have an exciting new chromatin/transcription story that you'd like to share with the #FN community?
Fill out this form to be considered for a talk in our Jan-June 2026 schedule! forms.gle/TBi38UgYxPAB...
Please repost and share!
Fill out this form to be considered for a talk in our Jan-June 2026 schedule! forms.gle/TBi38UgYxPAB...
Please repost and share!
Professor Fromm is a key figure in this field, combining deep knowledge on microRNAs, a passion for developmental and evolutionary biology, and a fun personality.
conclusion: this promises to be a fun workshop!!
conclusion: this promises to be a fun workshop!!
#FREECOURSE-announcement
Want to learn about microRNA annotation and differential expression analyses? Within the Oslo Bioinformatics week 2025, we will be teaching a two-day course on the 9th and 10th of December at the University of Oslo. 1/2
Want to learn about microRNA annotation and differential expression analyses? Within the Oslo Bioinformatics week 2025, we will be teaching a two-day course on the 9th and 10th of December at the University of Oslo. 1/2
November 25, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Professor Fromm is a key figure in this field, combining deep knowledge on microRNAs, a passion for developmental and evolutionary biology, and a fun personality.
conclusion: this promises to be a fun workshop!!
conclusion: this promises to be a fun workshop!!
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Fantastic institute, do apply if you are looking for a PhD!
Our annual PhD call is closing at the end of this week on 30 November. If you're interested in carrying out world-class scientific research in Barcelona, you still have a few days left to submit your application! www.crg.eu/en/content/t...
November 25, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Fantastic institute, do apply if you are looking for a PhD!
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
We are pleased to announce a new preprint by @mlweilert.bsky.social: “Widespread low-affinity motifs enhance chromatin accessibility and regulatory potential in mESCs” (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...). See summary and longer recap below:
(TLDR; low-affinity motifs matter as pioneers!)
(TLDR; low-affinity motifs matter as pioneers!)
Widespread low-affinity motifs enhance chromatin accessibility and regulatory potential in mESCs
Low-affinity transcription factor (TF) motifs are an important element of the cis-regulatory code, yet they are notoriously difficult to map and mechanistically incompletely understood, limiting our a...
www.biorxiv.org
November 19, 2025 at 8:57 PM
We are pleased to announce a new preprint by @mlweilert.bsky.social: “Widespread low-affinity motifs enhance chromatin accessibility and regulatory potential in mESCs” (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...). See summary and longer recap below:
(TLDR; low-affinity motifs matter as pioneers!)
(TLDR; low-affinity motifs matter as pioneers!)
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Happy to share that my PhD project is finally published!🪱✨
Selfish genes are found across the tree of life. They can disrupt inheritance patterns and at the same time act as units for molecular innovation. Here we tried to answer one big question: how do selfish genes emerge in the first place?
Selfish genes are found across the tree of life. They can disrupt inheritance patterns and at the same time act as units for molecular innovation. Here we tried to answer one big question: how do selfish genes emerge in the first place?
Recurrent evolution of selfishness from an essential tRNA synthetase in Caenorhabditis tropicalis 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Recurrent evolution of selfishness from an essential tRNA synthetase in Caenorhabditis tropicalis - Nature Ecology & Evolution
In Caenorhabditis tropicalis, three toxin–antidote elements arose via gene duplication from the essential tRNA-synthetase subunit FARS-3. The ancestral antidote probably acquired affinity for FARS-3, ...
www.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Happy to share that my PhD project is finally published!🪱✨
Selfish genes are found across the tree of life. They can disrupt inheritance patterns and at the same time act as units for molecular innovation. Here we tried to answer one big question: how do selfish genes emerge in the first place?
Selfish genes are found across the tree of life. They can disrupt inheritance patterns and at the same time act as units for molecular innovation. Here we tried to answer one big question: how do selfish genes emerge in the first place?
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Still posting cytoskeleton videos, it seems. Actin this time.
Sample: Lifeact-eGFP in HeLa cells.
Modality: Airyscan confocal
Timestamp is mm:ss and the scale bar is 5 µm.
Sample: Lifeact-eGFP in HeLa cells.
Modality: Airyscan confocal
Timestamp is mm:ss and the scale bar is 5 µm.
November 23, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Still posting cytoskeleton videos, it seems. Actin this time.
Sample: Lifeact-eGFP in HeLa cells.
Modality: Airyscan confocal
Timestamp is mm:ss and the scale bar is 5 µm.
Sample: Lifeact-eGFP in HeLa cells.
Modality: Airyscan confocal
Timestamp is mm:ss and the scale bar is 5 µm.
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
We (Nordborg & Weigel labs) need input on the next generation of genome browsers & data download modes for the #Arabidopsis #1001GenomesPlus project. We have now a curated collection of over 500 long read genomes.
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Next generation of 1001 Genomes Plus browser and data download
Please indicate all features you would like to see in a browser that displays features of completely sequenced Arabidopsis thaliana genomes
docs.google.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:49 PM
We (Nordborg & Weigel labs) need input on the next generation of genome browsers & data download modes for the #Arabidopsis #1001GenomesPlus project. We have now a curated collection of over 500 long read genomes.
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Latest work out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social
We find the fly development gene bicoid is much older than previously thought (~20 million yrs older!) 🪰🧬
To pinpoint its origins we tackled the Diptera phylogeny, providing some resolution (many open questions remain).
🔗 tinyurl.com/2vyuevpy
We find the fly development gene bicoid is much older than previously thought (~20 million yrs older!) 🪰🧬
To pinpoint its origins we tackled the Diptera phylogeny, providing some resolution (many open questions remain).
🔗 tinyurl.com/2vyuevpy
Revised evolutionary relationships within Brachycera and the early origin of bicoid in flies
Mulhair et al. uncover a functional bicoid in non-cyclorrhaphan flies, pushing the
gene's origin back by ∼20 million years. Reassessing the Diptera phylogeny using the
largest dataset to date permits ...
www.cell.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Latest work out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social
We find the fly development gene bicoid is much older than previously thought (~20 million yrs older!) 🪰🧬
To pinpoint its origins we tackled the Diptera phylogeny, providing some resolution (many open questions remain).
🔗 tinyurl.com/2vyuevpy
We find the fly development gene bicoid is much older than previously thought (~20 million yrs older!) 🪰🧬
To pinpoint its origins we tackled the Diptera phylogeny, providing some resolution (many open questions remain).
🔗 tinyurl.com/2vyuevpy
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
As projected here www.nature.com/articles/s41... we are steadily moving toward a situation where are major town or city runs out of water
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
November 23, 2025 at 8:28 AM
As projected here www.nature.com/articles/s41... we are steadily moving toward a situation where are major town or city runs out of water
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
The scientific world would be a better place if reviews routinely reflected this degree of critical thinking and graphical excellence.
Thanks for putting this together @plaschkalab.bsky.social @rupertfaraway.bsky.social and @thezenklusen.bsky.social
Thanks for putting this together @plaschkalab.bsky.social @rupertfaraway.bsky.social and @thezenklusen.bsky.social
How does messenger RNA (mRNA) get out of the nucleus to become a protein? Eukaryotic mRNA is packaged, exported, and then translated in the cytoplasm. But how do these steps work? And what are open questions? Check out our new review for our take: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... (1/3)
November 24, 2025 at 9:54 AM
The scientific world would be a better place if reviews routinely reflected this degree of critical thinking and graphical excellence.
Thanks for putting this together @plaschkalab.bsky.social @rupertfaraway.bsky.social and @thezenklusen.bsky.social
Thanks for putting this together @plaschkalab.bsky.social @rupertfaraway.bsky.social and @thezenklusen.bsky.social
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
open postdoc call in our friendly neighborgroup with Esben Lorentzen. Higly recommed🌟:
www.au.dk/om/stillinge...
www.au.dk/om/stillinge...
Postdoctoral Position in Structural and mechanistic investigation of the ciliary trafficking machinery bound to cargo, Denmark - Ledig stilling på Aarhus Universitet
Ledig stilling ved Institut for Molekylærbiologi og Genetik - Proteinvidenskab, Aarhus Universitet
www.au.dk
November 24, 2025 at 8:13 AM
open postdoc call in our friendly neighborgroup with Esben Lorentzen. Higly recommed🌟:
www.au.dk/om/stillinge...
www.au.dk/om/stillinge...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Unpause! I'm super happy to now be able to share the published version of our paper at Science Advances showing that:
1) active histone mods occur independently of transcription
2) transcription coordinates histone deacetylation at active promoters
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1) active histone mods occur independently of transcription
2) transcription coordinates histone deacetylation at active promoters
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
RNA polymerase II coordinates histone deacetylation at active promoters
Transcription initiation limits histone acetylation and H2AZ incorporation at promoters.
www.science.org
February 12, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Unpause! I'm super happy to now be able to share the published version of our paper at Science Advances showing that:
1) active histone mods occur independently of transcription
2) transcription coordinates histone deacetylation at active promoters
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1) active histone mods occur independently of transcription
2) transcription coordinates histone deacetylation at active promoters
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics
From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Reposted by Julius Brennecke
Engineered chromatin readers track damaged chromatin dynamics in live cells and animals
->Nature | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
->Nature | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
Engineered chromatin readers track damaged chromatin dynamics in live cells and animals
All singleton BRCT domains from Mus musculus (Fig. 1a) were manually retrieved from Uniprot. Tandem BRCT domains, comprising two or more closely located BRCT domains linked by a variable linker region, were manually retrieved, and their association in tandem was...
www.nature.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:46 AM