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Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
doi.org/10.1101/2025.1…
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
doi.org/10.1101/2025.1…
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One year to the day since defending my PhD thesis, I'm thrilled to share that our latest work is now published in @Nature! It's been an incredible journey exploring the DRT family, with many unexpected discoveries and never a dull moment.
1/5 Telomerase has long been linked to chromosome maintenance in eukaryotes. Now, we show that telomerase-like activity is also present in bacteria, shedding new light on its ancient origins.
Excited to share that our work on DRT10 is now out in @Nature!
nature.com/articles/s4158…
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Collectively, our findings suggest that telomerase-like activity emerged in an ancient bacterial ancestor, and was co-opted in early organisms with linear genomes to set the stage for the evolution of modern eukaryotes.
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Many thanks to all co-authors for their collective efforts in bringing this story to fruition! And a special thanks to @shsternberg for continually fostering a spirit of curiosity, creativity, and rigor in all aspects of our work.
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Stephen Tang retweeted
1/16 New pre-print from the Sternberg Lab!
We uncover how temperate phages can use RNA-guided transcription factors to remodel the flagellar composition of their bacterial host and enhance their fitness. Find the preprint and full story here: tinyurl.com/mshwjd77
We uncover how temperate phages can use RNA-guided transcription factors to remodel the flagellar composition of their bacterial host and enhance their fitness. Find the preprint and full story here: tinyurl.com/mshwjd77
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Stephen Tang retweeted
This work is now published with @ScienceAdvances with some new and exciting results. Please check out:
science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
Vertebrate retrotransposons are the future of gene therapy. But how do they insert their genes? 🔥🔥
Thrilled to present part 2 of my postdoctoral work with @NogalesLab @CollinsRNPLab @berkeleyMCB where we investigate this using #CryoEM and transgene insertion in 🧪 and cells!
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Stephen Tang retweeted
Thrilled to share the latest work from my PhD in the @BizarMd group! This has been a dream MD/PhD project, culminating in data that has already enabled access to precision therapy for a patient. Tweetorial below:
Excited to share a new paper: tinyurl.com/49u5e6by @CellCellPress: a framework to accelerate variant classification, diagnosis & treatment of immune disorders & genetic disorders more broadly. Led by superstar, juggernaut & future dermatologist @zwalsh96
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Stephen Tang retweeted
New pre-print(s) from the Sternberg Lab in collaboration with @LeifuChangLab! We uncover an unprecedented molecular mechanism of CRISPR-Cas12f-like proteins, which drive RNA-guided transcription independently of canonical promoter motifs.
Full story here: tinyurl.com/mr3fd493
Full story here: tinyurl.com/mr3fd493
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Excited to share our newest paper, online today @Nature! We report the discovery of a highly unusual mechanism of antiviral immunity through the synthesis of long, homopolymeric DNA.
nature.com/articles/s4158…
nature.com/articles/s4158…
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Check out the thread from our preprint for more details!
x.com/stephentang23/…
x.com/stephentang23/…
The sequel to our DRT2 story is here, and this one is once again full of surprises! This time around, the @SternbergLab teamed up with the @WiedenheftLab to study how DRT9 reverse transcriptases provide antiviral immunity. Here’s what we found: biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
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Stephen Tang retweeted
Today in @ScienceMagazine we report the development of a laboratory-evolved CRISPR-associated transposase (evoCAST) that supports therapeutically relevant levels of RNA-programmable gene insertion in human cells, a collaboration with @SternbergLab.
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drive.google.com/file/d/1I-UbCR…
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drive.google.com/file/d/1I-UbCR…
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The sequel to our DRT2 story is here, and this one is once again full of surprises! This time around, the @SternbergLab teamed up with the @WiedenheftLab to study how DRT9 reverse transcriptases provide antiviral immunity. Here’s what we found: biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
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In summary, DRT9 RTs and ncRNAs assemble into a hexameric complex and perform protein-primed DNA homopolymer synthesis to defend against viruses. Phage defense is truly a molecular biology sandbox, and unexpected mechanisms are the norm – not the exception.
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