Honsworth
@drhonsworth.bsky.social
🇬🇧🇭🇰 🧑🏻🔬 in 🇨🇭
Into bacterial immunity and DNA (anti-)maintenance
Proud Cantabrigian
CEO, Honsworth Tours
Bünzli
Passionate about 🥩📷🧬🧳⚽️😴🏔🍷❄️
Personal acc
Into bacterial immunity and DNA (anti-)maintenance
Proud Cantabrigian
CEO, Honsworth Tours
Bünzli
Passionate about 🥩📷🧬🧳⚽️😴🏔🍷❄️
Personal acc
Pinned
Honsworth
@drhonsworth.bsky.social
· Mar 18
Very pleased to share our new story on SMC complexes, a great team effort from @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social, @taschner.bsky.social in the GruberLab and James of @dnatopologylab.bsky.social We find that SMC hinge domains are ssDNA gates to facilitate obstacle bypass during DNA loop extrusion!
Glad to see this out after a rather interesting review/publication process!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The SMC Hinge is a Selective Gate for Obstacle Bypass - Nature Communications
SMC complexes are ring-shaped motors that fold DNA by extruding loops, but how they navigate large DNA obstacles is unclear. Here, Liu et al., show that SMC complexes bypass obstacles by threading obs...
www.nature.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Glad to see this out after a rather interesting review/publication process!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The mountain season is back!
June 23, 2025 at 9:25 AM
The mountain season is back!
Reposted by Honsworth
Here’s a before & after view after the village of Batten in Switzerland was destroyed by a glacial collapse.
Fortunately, the town had been evacuated long before disaster struck.
Climate change likely had a role in this.
Fortunately, the town had been evacuated long before disaster struck.
Climate change likely had a role in this.
May 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Here’s a before & after view after the village of Batten in Switzerland was destroyed by a glacial collapse.
Fortunately, the town had been evacuated long before disaster struck.
Climate change likely had a role in this.
Fortunately, the town had been evacuated long before disaster struck.
Climate change likely had a role in this.
Reposted by Honsworth
Exciting news!! Our latest paper is out in Nat. Microbiol. @natmicrobiol.nature.com
We show that a sub-lineage of 7th pandemic V. cholerae has acquired mobile genetic elements packed with phage defense systems—rendering it multi-phage resistant 😳 ..... 1/3
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We show that a sub-lineage of 7th pandemic V. cholerae has acquired mobile genetic elements packed with phage defense systems—rendering it multi-phage resistant 😳 ..... 1/3
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
West African–South American pandemic Vibrio cholerae encodes multiple distinct phage defence systems - Nature Microbiology
The West African–South American lineage of Vibrio cholerae contains multiple distinct anti-phage defence systems that provide resistance to various phage families, including vibriophage ICP1, a key pr...
www.nature.com
May 22, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Exciting news!! Our latest paper is out in Nat. Microbiol. @natmicrobiol.nature.com
We show that a sub-lineage of 7th pandemic V. cholerae has acquired mobile genetic elements packed with phage defense systems—rendering it multi-phage resistant 😳 ..... 1/3
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We show that a sub-lineage of 7th pandemic V. cholerae has acquired mobile genetic elements packed with phage defense systems—rendering it multi-phage resistant 😳 ..... 1/3
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Honsworth
Join the Blokesch lab (@EPFL) as a postdoc in Molecular Microbiology 🤩
Study Vibrio cholerae defense systems (phage/plasmid) in a dynamic, collaborative environment in Lausanne close to Lake Geneva in 🇨🇭!
Please visit my lab's webpage for details about the position and how to formally apply.
Study Vibrio cholerae defense systems (phage/plasmid) in a dynamic, collaborative environment in Lausanne close to Lake Geneva in 🇨🇭!
Please visit my lab's webpage for details about the position and how to formally apply.
April 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Join the Blokesch lab (@EPFL) as a postdoc in Molecular Microbiology 🤩
Study Vibrio cholerae defense systems (phage/plasmid) in a dynamic, collaborative environment in Lausanne close to Lake Geneva in 🇨🇭!
Please visit my lab's webpage for details about the position and how to formally apply.
Study Vibrio cholerae defense systems (phage/plasmid) in a dynamic, collaborative environment in Lausanne close to Lake Geneva in 🇨🇭!
Please visit my lab's webpage for details about the position and how to formally apply.
Back from the 2025 EMBO Workshop on the Bacterial Immune System in Paris. Full of awesome and inspiring (and at times crazy) science from many bright scientists! Looking forward to more collaborations that will be forged from the meeting. Thanks to the organisers (ps the cheese and wine were great).
April 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Back from the 2025 EMBO Workshop on the Bacterial Immune System in Paris. Full of awesome and inspiring (and at times crazy) science from many bright scientists! Looking forward to more collaborations that will be forged from the meeting. Thanks to the organisers (ps the cheese and wine were great).
Reposted by Honsworth
Earnshaw, Goloborodko, Dekker & Mirny labs are excited to present our latest work, "Rules of engagement for condensins and cohesins guide mitotic chromosome formation" - now accepted!!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A short clip describing the key results:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmvO...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A short clip describing the key results:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmvO...
Rules of Engagement
YouTube video by Johan Gibcus
www.youtube.com
April 11, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Earnshaw, Goloborodko, Dekker & Mirny labs are excited to present our latest work, "Rules of engagement for condensins and cohesins guide mitotic chromosome formation" - now accepted!!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A short clip describing the key results:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmvO...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A short clip describing the key results:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmvO...
Reposted by Honsworth
And here it is, the completed BASEL collection finally published as early access in @plosbiology.org - see the thread for more details. 🤗🧬🎣
April 8, 2025 at 4:59 AM
And here it is, the completed BASEL collection finally published as early access in @plosbiology.org - see the thread for more details. 🤗🧬🎣
Reposted by Honsworth
Structural basis for Lamassu-based antiviral immunity and its evolution from DNA repair machinery https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.02.646746v1
April 2, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Structural basis for Lamassu-based antiviral immunity and its evolution from DNA repair machinery https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.02.646746v1
Reposted by Honsworth
How do SMC complexes capture DNA? 🧪
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
March 31, 2025 at 2:40 PM
How do SMC complexes capture DNA? 🧪
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
Absolutely lucked out with this shot of the #partialsolareclipse with snowflakes - during a winter hike in Valais when I got a notif from a London-based friend, in effect "look up". Did not expect this at all - was snowing/overcast the whole morning and still snowing when the shot was taken!
March 29, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Absolutely lucked out with this shot of the #partialsolareclipse with snowflakes - during a winter hike in Valais when I got a notif from a London-based friend, in effect "look up". Did not expect this at all - was snowing/overcast the whole morning and still snowing when the shot was taken!
Reposted by Honsworth
Yet another preprint from the lab—this one is personal. During my PhD, I ended up working on the cohesin SMC hinge, showing its role in sister chromatid cohesion and proposing it as a DNA entry gate in the SMC ring. But the details have remained mysterious and controversial.
March 18, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Yet another preprint from the lab—this one is personal. During my PhD, I ended up working on the cohesin SMC hinge, showing its role in sister chromatid cohesion and proposing it as a DNA entry gate in the SMC ring. But the details have remained mysterious and controversial.
Reposted by Honsworth
Happy to share our latest work. Wadjet-I SMC hinges are gates allowing selective bypass of obstacles connected through ssDNA BUT are dispensable for extrusion of naked DNA.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
March 18, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Happy to share our latest work. Wadjet-I SMC hinges are gates allowing selective bypass of obstacles connected through ssDNA BUT are dispensable for extrusion of naked DNA.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Very pleased to share our new story on SMC complexes, a great team effort from @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social, @taschner.bsky.social in the GruberLab and James of @dnatopologylab.bsky.social We find that SMC hinge domains are ssDNA gates to facilitate obstacle bypass during DNA loop extrusion!
March 18, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Very pleased to share our new story on SMC complexes, a great team effort from @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social, @taschner.bsky.social in the GruberLab and James of @dnatopologylab.bsky.social We find that SMC hinge domains are ssDNA gates to facilitate obstacle bypass during DNA loop extrusion!
Reposted by Honsworth
The SMC Hinge is a Selective Gate for Obstacle Bypass https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.17.643644v1
March 18, 2025 at 5:20 AM
The SMC Hinge is a Selective Gate for Obstacle Bypass https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.17.643644v1
Reposted by Honsworth
Glad to share the work of @yli18smc.bsky.social and co on Lamassu, a bacterial defense system related to Rad50/Mre11 (RM). While RM carefully trims DNA ends for repair, Lamassu chops up the host chromosome. Our study reveals how it is regulated to minimize damage, activating only during infection.
March 16, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Glad to share the work of @yli18smc.bsky.social and co on Lamassu, a bacterial defense system related to Rad50/Mre11 (RM). While RM carefully trims DNA ends for repair, Lamassu chops up the host chromosome. Our study reveals how it is regulated to minimize damage, activating only during infection.
Reposted by Honsworth
Structure and Activation Mechanism of a Lamassu Phage Defence System https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.14.643221v1
March 16, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Structure and Activation Mechanism of a Lamassu Phage Defence System https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.14.643221v1
Happy to be part of this fantastic collaboration between the Gruber, Blokesch and Szczelkun Labs to elucidate the activation mechanism of the Lamassu defence system, all spearheaded by the brilliant @yli18smc.bsky.social with her beautiful structures! Teamwork makes the dream work!
Glad to share the work of @yli18smc.bsky.social and co on Lamassu, a bacterial defense system related to Rad50/Mre11 (RM). While RM carefully trims DNA ends for repair, Lamassu chops up the host chromosome. Our study reveals how it is regulated to minimize damage, activating only during infection.
March 16, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Happy to be part of this fantastic collaboration between the Gruber, Blokesch and Szczelkun Labs to elucidate the activation mechanism of the Lamassu defence system, all spearheaded by the brilliant @yli18smc.bsky.social with her beautiful structures! Teamwork makes the dream work!
Happy to have helped out with this!
Happy to share the beautiful structure of a Wadjet SMC complex by @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social, with support from the DCI and @drhonsworth.bsky.social ! This is a type II Wadjet with unique characteristics including a tandem KITE subunit, distinct coiled coil architecture and a deviant hinge.
March 11, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Happy to have helped out with this!
Reposted by Honsworth
First preprint 📢 on bsky: New work on the Wadjet defence system by @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social & @drhonsworth.bsky.social revealing beautiful & exciting structures of JET on plasmid DNA. With loop extrusion, obstacles, DNA bending, kinking, cleavage 🦠🧫 🧪
t.co/RaO7IO3zDk
With help from @DCI_Lausanne
t.co/RaO7IO3zDk
With help from @DCI_Lausanne
November 4, 2023 at 7:39 AM
First preprint 📢 on bsky: New work on the Wadjet defence system by @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social & @drhonsworth.bsky.social revealing beautiful & exciting structures of JET on plasmid DNA. With loop extrusion, obstacles, DNA bending, kinking, cleavage 🦠🧫 🧪
t.co/RaO7IO3zDk
With help from @DCI_Lausanne
t.co/RaO7IO3zDk
With help from @DCI_Lausanne