Reposted by Conor KellyTim Hsu @timhsu.net · 14/10/2026PSA: For anyone writing a recommendation for the NSF grad fellowship this year, recs are due on Fri Oct 16, 8pm Eastern, cleverly *before* the actual application deadline. This tidbit isn't on the NSFGRF front page anymore; it's buried inside the program solicitation: 37497
Reposted by Conor KellyKonrad Chudzik @konrad-chudzik.bsky.social · 30/06/2026My first PhD paper is out in Nucleic Acids Research! We describe "Ab-trapping" - an antibody artifact that distorts assays relying on antibody diffusion (microscopy, CUT&Tag, CUT&RUN). The revisions made the story much stronger. Check it out! doi.org/10.1093/nar/...doi.orgAntibody-trapping presents a widespread pitfall for microscopy and genomics in the nucleusAbstract. Chromatin has a complex 3D structure and diverse binding proteins that coordinate the genome’s most essential functions. Many microscopy and geno 36130
Reposted by Conor KellyWilliam DeWitt @wsdewitt.github.io · 27/06/2026Spectacular preprint led by @sydsat.bsky.social in @ohnolog.bsky.social lab, @uwgenome.bsky.social. Neutrophils precede gastrulation in killifish and rapidly patrol the yolk. (1/2)doi.orgEarly immune cell development precedes gastrulation in annual killifishDuring embryogenesis, cell types arise in a predictable order because developmental regulators act sequentially. But how evolutionary changes in morphogenesis reshape the signaling environments that a... 13815
Reposted by Conor KellyDevin Schweppe @dschweppe.bsky.social · 06/05/2026With a few days since it's been out @keribackus.bsky.social @oligopain.bsky.social and I wanted to highlight a few of our favorite aspects of POCA for photocatalytic proximity labeling of DNA, RNA or proteins. (1) POCA builds on standard in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence workflows. 11910
Reposted by Conor KellyKeri Backus @keribackus.bsky.social · 03/05/2026Super excited to launch POCAxOMAP with @dschweppe.bsky.social and @oligopain.bsky.social and led by Eli Biletch, Conor Herlihy and Lidan Li. If you’ve ever wanted to do proximity labeling on DNA, RNA, or protein without genetic engineering, look no further. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 18234
Reposted by Conor KellyDevin Schweppe @dschweppe.bsky.social · 07/04/2026The next iteration of O-MAP targeting genomic loci is now at eLife!! DNA O-MAP enables proximity labeling at specific DNA loci took a ton of work from many lab members and collaborators, so it's really exciting to wrap up this paper with @oligopain.bsky.social! elifesciences.org/articles/102...elifesciences.orgDNA O-MAP uncovers the molecular neighborhoods associated with specific genomic lociDNA O-MAP enables proximity labeling at specific genomic loci in fixed cells using programmable oligonucleotides, revealing locus-proximal proteomes and chromatin interactions without genetic modifica... 13212
Reposted by Conor KellyJenny Nathans @jennynathans.bsky.social · 13/02/2026Super happy to share our protocol for ENGRAM is out in Nature Protocols! This was fun to write with @chenomics.bsky.social @troymcdiarmid.bsky.social @jshendure.bsky.social. In it we describe how to record CRE identity, activity, and order in mammalian cells. 0116
Reposted by Conor KellyKeri Backus @keribackus.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Excited to share our new paper and lipid- and protein-directed photocatalytic labeling method (POCA) just out in @natchembio.nature.com. tinyurl.com/2kcxuvvv. Big congrats to first author Andrew Becker and the whole team for launching our lab into the wild world of singlet oxygen interactomics. 15020
Reposted by Conor KellyJob Dekker @jobdekker.bsky.social · 22/12/2025Exciting new paper out! @allanaschooley.bsky.social and Sergey Venev led this project that let to the discovery of two chromosome folding programs: one inherited via mitotic chromosomes and one mitotic inherited through the cytoplasm! www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comInterphase chromosome conformation is specified by distinct folding programmes inherited through mitotic chromosomes or the cytoplasm - Nature Cell BiologySchooley et al. find that mitotically bookmarked loci drive a transient chromosome folding state during G1 entry that is subsequently modulated by factors inherited through the cytoplasm. 17539
Reposted by Conor KellyJob Dekker @jobdekker.bsky.social · 17/12/2025A major output of the 4D Nucleome project appeared today. This is the joint effort of many scientists working together and (publicly) sharing data and results for several years. We hope this is of interest to many genome biologists! www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comAn integrated view of the structure and function of the human 4D nucleome - NatureThe 4D Nucleome Project demonstrates the use of genomic assays and computational methods to measure genome folding and then predict genomic structure from DNA sequence, facilitatin... 211055
Reposted by Conor KellyNature Biotechnology @natbiotech.nature.com · 03/12/2025Mapping single-cell diploid chromatin fiber architectures using DAF-seq - @uwgenome.bsky.social @uwdeptmedicine.bsky.social go.nature.com/4rFTAHygo.nature.comMapping single-cell diploid chromatin fiber architectures using DAF-seq - Nature BiotechnologySingle-molecule chromatin fiber sequencing exposes single-cell-level heterogeneity in the chromatin architecture of individual regulatory elements. 03312
Reposted by Conor KellyMichael MacCoss @maccoss.bsky.social · 06/11/2025Fantastic project led by @bo-wen.bsky.social. Excited to see the future uses of AI and transfer learning in proteomics. #massspec #proteomics www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comCarafe enables high quality in silico spectral library generation for data-independent acquisition proteomics - Nature CommunicationsAccurate spectral libraries are essential for analyzing data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics data. Here, the authors present Carafe, which trains on DIA data to build experiment-specific spec... 03810
Reposted by Conor KellyErica D. Pratt @pratted.bsky.social · 26/09/2025Announcing such a major change to NSF GRFP this late in the cycle is incredibly cruel. 2nd yr students (mine included) have been working so hard on their proposals despite ongoing uncertainty. They are driven and passionate about being outstanding scientists and helping those coming up behind them. 716377
Reposted by Conor KellyEd Chuong @edchuong.bsky.social · 17/07/2025Are you bravely deciding to do a postdoc in the US? And also interested in some combination of genomics, immunology, and transposons? If so, consider applying to my lab at the BioFrontiers Institute in Boulder, Colorado! jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta... 🧪🧬 #TESky #interferosky 15436
Reposted by Conor KellyDave Shechner @shechnerlab.bsky.social · 30/06/2025Hello! Ever wonder what's "talking to" your favorite transcript, but were too scared to ask? In our review in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social, @mardakheh.bsky.social and I highlight new RNA-focused tools for discovering RNA interactions across organizational scales. Checkit! tinyurl.com/ydn6e3ac 311648
Reposted by Conor KellyDr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe @aaberhe.com · 13/06/2025Today, NSF added another 500 GRFP awardees, bringing this year’s total to 1500 www.research.gov/grfp/Awardee... 019552
Reposted by Conor KellyCedric Feschotte @cedricfeschotte.bsky.social · 30/04/2025💥🥳 At long last, our latest paper is out! Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/npnas.orgGag proteins encoded by endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development | PNASTransposable elements (TEs) make up the bulk of eukaryotic genomes and examples abound of TE-derived sequences repurposed for organismal function. ... 14259108
Reposted by Conor KellyKonrad Chudzik @konrad-chudzik.bsky.social · 14/04/2025🚨 Preprint alert 🚨 Excited to share our work on "Ab-trapping," an antibody artifact causing misleading peripheral ("rim") staining in imaging & genomics (IF, CUT&Tag, CUT&RUN). Antibodies fail to penetrate structures, accumulating at the periphery. A 🧵👇 doi.org/10.1101/2025...doi.orgAb-trapping - a peripheral staining artifact in antibody-based microscopy and genomicsAntibodies (Ab) are essential for detecting specific epitopes in microscopy and genomics, but can produce artifacts leading to erroneous interpretations. Here, we characterize a novel artifact, Ab-tra... 26741
Reposted by Conor KellyUW Genome Sciences @uwgenome.bsky.social · 09/04/2025Congratulations to Abby McGee and Val Browning on being awarded NSF Fellowships, and to Matt Chaw, Marazzano Colon, Bria Metzger, Rachel Powell, and Catherine Sniezek on receiving honorable mention! 0142
Reposted by Conor KellyDr. David Miller 🏳️🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · 31/03/2025🧪 NSF GRFP update! New graduate NSF fellowships will likely be announced this week for the GRFP (see bottom of 🧵 for why). First off, I'm *very* glad to hear of those going forward, given the otherwise bleak year so far for graduate training. Some observations... 1/12 312650
Reposted by Conor KellySarah Marzi @sj-marzi.bsky.social · 27/03/2025We're so thrilled to finally share with you the published version of our CUT&Tag optimization and benchmarking paper "CUT&Tag recovers up to half of ENCODE ChIP-seq histone acetylation peaks" - out in @naturecomms.bsky.social today: www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comCUT&Tag recovers up to half of ENCODE ChIP-seq histone acetylation peaks - Nature CommunicationsCleavage Under Targets & Tagmentation is a rapidly expanding technique, but thorough evaluation and benchmarking against established ChIP-seq datasets are required. This study shows that CUT&T... 48130
Reposted by Conor KellyPedro Rocha @pedroprocha.bsky.social · 26/02/2025Here is the peer-reviewed version of our study showing how some TAD borders are essential for gene regulation and development. Loss of a single CTCF motif is sufficient to cause embryonic lethality. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.comDeletion of a single CTCF motif at the boundary of a chromatin domain with three FGF genes disrupts gene expression and embryonic developmentChromatin domains delimited by CTCF can restrict the range of enhancer action. However, disruption of some domain boundaries results in mild gene dysr… 813340
Reposted by Conor KellyDr. David Miller 🏳️🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · 22/02/2025😡 F'ing ridiculous. After updating its FAQ yesterday, NSF refused to directly answer a simple question: "Will the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) continue to award fellowships in 2025?" GRFPs are a lifeline that support 2,000+ graduate students/year. www.nsf.gov/executive-or... 511341
Reposted by Conor KellyKazuhiro Maeshima @kazu-maeshima.bsky.social · 20/02/2025Our new review on how the #chromatin domain is formed in the cell is now available @Curr Opin Struct Biol.📄✨ We critically discuss the domain formation mechanism from a physical perspective, including #phase-separation and #condensation. 📥 Free-download link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1keGn,LqAr... 07435
Reposted by Conor KellyDi Jiang @dijiang319.bsky.social · 16/02/2025@science.org RNA polymerase II at histone genes predicts outcome in human cancer 🧬💊 @fredhutch.bsky.social @hhmi.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgRNA polymerase II at histone genes predicts outcome in human cancerGenome-wide hypertranscription is common in human cancer and predicts poor prognosis. To understand how hypertranscription might drive cancer, we applied our formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE)–cl... 44825
Reposted by Conor KellyUW Genome Sciences @uwgenome.bsky.social · 22/01/2025Hello Bluesky from UW Genome Sciences! We're happy to join other members of our department over here bsky.app/starter-pack... .bsky.app 0166
Reposted by Conor KellyMarlies Oomen @marliesoomen.bsky.social · 20/01/2025Very excited to share our paper on Gene and Transposable Element expression in mammalian preimplantation development, online today! www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... A short thread to highlight some of our findings 🧵 711351
Reposted by Conor KellyAnders Sejr Hansen @andersshansen.bsky.social · 16/01/2025Excited to share James Jusuf's preprint: By integrating Micro-C with SuperRes Live-Imaging we can calibrate genomics&imaging to perform absolute quantification of looping (e.g. this loop is present 3%) We quantify mESC 36k loops: <loops> are generally rare (2.3%) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 615264
Reposted by Conor KellyZhixing Chen @zhixingchen2.bsky.social · 19/12/2024How proximal is proximity labeling❓ Using DNA nanorulers we found that TurboID/BioID are largely contact labeling, while APEX2 also bears a major contact labeling pathway in parallel with diffusive labeling. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Special thanks to @aliceyting.bsky.social for discussions 210443
Reposted by Conor KellyAkis (Argyris) Papantonis @akispapantonis.bsky.social · 14/12/2024This work just out in Science Advances by Tom Sexton’s lab (to which Mariano Barbieri from our lab contributed modeling data) is a thorough demonstration of how extrusion- and transcription-centric interactions are predominantly antagonistic. Must read! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgTranscription processes compete with loop extrusion to homogenize promoter and enhancer dynamicsGene promoters and enhancers share the same constrained mobilities during transcription, opposing cohesin-mediated loop extrusion. 15012
Reposted by Conor KellyEd Chuong @edchuong.bsky.social · 12/12/2024I’m excited to share our latest study led by @giuliapasquesi.bsky.social out today in @cellpress.bsky.social , uncovering a new way transposons have been repurposed for human interferon signaling! Read on for a thread on cryptic splice variants, decoy receptors, and viruses (1/N) 👇🧵 #TESky 🧪cell.comRegulation of human interferon signaling by transposon exonizationTransposable element exonization can yield functional protein isoforms as seen for primate-specific IFNAR2. 1215774
Reposted by Conor KellyCarl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 25/11/2024Imagine a mouse in which all 10 billion cells keep a diary from fertilization. Imagine sentinel cells recording your experiences and sending out dispatches in the form of DNA. Here's a story I wrote about cell recorders 🧪 Gift link: nyti.ms/3Z3Mqzanyti.ms‘DNA Typewriters’ Can Record a Cell’s HistoryLabs around the world are trying to turn cells into autobiographers, tracking their own development from embryos to adults. 210933
Reposted by Conor KellyDave Shechner @shechnerlab.bsky.social · 21/11/2024It's my great pleasure to present the next big preprint from SheqLab! An exciting application of our O-MAP platform that I hope will transform the study of nuclear architecture. If you've ever wanted to dissect the subnuclear "neighborhood" around an individual locus, read on! (1/30) 1118576
Reposted by Conor KellyAlison Feder @alisonfeder.bsky.social · 08/11/2024I made a starter pack of folks affiliated with UW Genome Sciences (past and present) go.bsky.app/L8RAbiJ It's fairly sparse for now, so please let me know if you'd like to be added!go.bsky.appUW Genome SciencesJoin the conversation 42013
Reposted by Conor KellyThe Lewis Lab @peterlewislab.bsky.social · 19/11/2024"Dark TFs": new manuscript mapped 166 uncharacterized human transcription factors, finding half bind genomic "dark matter," often closed chromatin rich in transposable elements. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 320059
Reposted by Conor KellyBrian Beliveau @oligopain.bsky.social · 15/11/2024The pSABER paper is now online! pSABER is a new method for amplifying in situ hybridization signals This work was driven by Sahar Attar and co-led by Ram Akliesh ([at] podocytes on the other app) with help from @shechnerlab.bsky.social @dschweppe.bsky.social doi.org/10.1038/s415... 🧵 1/12doi.orgEfficient and highly amplified imaging of nucleic acid targets in cellular and histopathological samples with pSABER - Nature MethodspSABER combines the power of signal amplification by exchange reaction (SABER) with the deposition of fluorescent or colorimetric substrates by horseradish peroxidase to enable enhanced signals for in... 55418