Finlay Slorach
@finlayslorach.bsky.social
PhD candidate in the Hornung Lab || Prev @Astrazeneca @GSK
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Wanting to do some paleovirology of your own? We recently published HI-FEVER, enabling users to run their own fast searches for endogenous viral elements.
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
HI-FEVER: a Nextflow pipeline for the high-throughput discovery and annotation of endogenous viral elements
AbstractSummary. Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) offer valuable insights into virus and host evolution, but their detection remains computationally and bi
academic.oup.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Wanting to do some paleovirology of your own? We recently published HI-FEVER, enabling users to run their own fast searches for endogenous viral elements.
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Our Perspective article on the emerging role of retroelements in brain function and disease is now out in this week's edition of @cp-neuron.bsky.social!
@alexwhiteley.bsky.social
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
@alexwhiteley.bsky.social
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Retrotransposons unplugged: Rewiring the nervous system and wreaking havoc
In this perspective, Whiteley and Shepherd describe emerging studies showing a role
for long terminal repeat retrotransposons and endogenous retroviruses in brain function
and disease. Historically ig...
www.cell.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Our Perspective article on the emerging role of retroelements in brain function and disease is now out in this week's edition of @cp-neuron.bsky.social!
@alexwhiteley.bsky.social
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
@alexwhiteley.bsky.social
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
When RNA Degradation 🤝 meets 🤝 Protein Degradation! tinyurl.com/E3TDMD In a collaboration of @bartellab.bsky.social and Schulman lab, we show that, in target-directed microRNA degradation (TDMD), 2-RNA-factors recruit an E3 ligase and induce the degradation of not only a protein but also RNA (1/5).
January 6, 2026 at 8:05 AM
When RNA Degradation 🤝 meets 🤝 Protein Degradation! tinyurl.com/E3TDMD In a collaboration of @bartellab.bsky.social and Schulman lab, we show that, in target-directed microRNA degradation (TDMD), 2-RNA-factors recruit an E3 ligase and induce the degradation of not only a protein but also RNA (1/5).
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
PtdIns(3,5)P2 Is an Endogenous Ligand of STING in Innate Immune Signaling https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.29.696917v1
December 30, 2025 at 5:45 AM
PtdIns(3,5)P2 Is an Endogenous Ligand of STING in Innate Immune Signaling https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.29.696917v1
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Ötzi and a 45,000-year-old Siberian were both infected with a cancer-causing strain of HPV.
This is fascinating, and a reminder that we have a vaccine that *prevents cancer* and everyone eligible should get it.
This is fascinating, and a reminder that we have a vaccine that *prevents cancer* and everyone eligible should get it.
Two ancient humans, including famed ‘Iceman,’ had cancer-causing virus
Findings from ancient DNA may shed light on HPV’s history in our species
www.science.org
December 24, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Ötzi and a 45,000-year-old Siberian were both infected with a cancer-causing strain of HPV.
This is fascinating, and a reminder that we have a vaccine that *prevents cancer* and everyone eligible should get it.
This is fascinating, and a reminder that we have a vaccine that *prevents cancer* and everyone eligible should get it.
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Single-cell landscape of immune cells in multiple autoimmune diseases @cp-iscience.bsky.social
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
December 21, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Single-cell landscape of immune cells in multiple autoimmune diseases @cp-iscience.bsky.social
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
After coarsening, micro-domains made up aggregated monocytes form on soft matrix (but not stiff matrix).
This phase separation is due to a Turing-like combination of local activation of cell-cell adhesion and global inhibition
More here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This phase separation is due to a Turing-like combination of local activation of cell-cell adhesion and global inhibition
More here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 21, 2025 at 5:49 PM
After coarsening, micro-domains made up aggregated monocytes form on soft matrix (but not stiff matrix).
This phase separation is due to a Turing-like combination of local activation of cell-cell adhesion and global inhibition
More here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This phase separation is due to a Turing-like combination of local activation of cell-cell adhesion and global inhibition
More here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Plant pathogens use secreted effectors to trick plant cells into providing sugary treats @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org/doi/10.1126/...
preview by @kvitkophd.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org/doi/10.1126/...
preview by @kvitkophd.bsky.social
December 18, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Plant pathogens use secreted effectors to trick plant cells into providing sugary treats @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org/doi/10.1126/...
preview by @kvitkophd.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org/doi/10.1126/...
preview by @kvitkophd.bsky.social
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Glomerular endothelial cells facilitate NAD+ depletion to drive CD103+ T cell differentiation, presenting a cellular mechanism underlying pathogenesis of lupus nephritis @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Glomerular endothelial cells eliminate nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to instruct CD103+ T cells in human lupus nephritis | PNAS
Lupus nephritis (LN), which is characterized by the accumulation of DNA-containing
immune complexes (ICs), is the leading cause of death in patient...
www.pnas.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Glomerular endothelial cells facilitate NAD+ depletion to drive CD103+ T cell differentiation, presenting a cellular mechanism underlying pathogenesis of lupus nephritis @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Organelles harbour pH gradients https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.694065v1
December 16, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Organelles harbour pH gradients https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.694065v1
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The vault associates with membranes in situ
The eukaryotic vault particle is a giant ribonucleoprotein complex that assembles into an iconic barrel-like cage. Its cellular function has remained elusive despite extensive characterization. Using ...
www.biorxiv.org
December 16, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Review @cp-trendsimmuno.bsky.social
Neuronal inflammasomes: balancing immunity, neuroinflammation, and homeostasis
www.cell.com/trends/immun...
Neuronal inflammasomes: balancing immunity, neuroinflammation, and homeostasis
www.cell.com/trends/immun...
December 13, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Review @cp-trendsimmuno.bsky.social
Neuronal inflammasomes: balancing immunity, neuroinflammation, and homeostasis
www.cell.com/trends/immun...
Neuronal inflammasomes: balancing immunity, neuroinflammation, and homeostasis
www.cell.com/trends/immun...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Double stranded RNA sensing is silenced during early embryonic development @natcomms.nature.com @edinburghup.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 11, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Double stranded RNA sensing is silenced during early embryonic development @natcomms.nature.com @edinburghup.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Transposable elements can insert into genes, disrupting protein-coding potential. Researchers discover a mode of RNA processing, ‘SOS splicing’, that provides a quick fix @nature.com @harvardmed.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 10, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Transposable elements can insert into genes, disrupting protein-coding potential. Researchers discover a mode of RNA processing, ‘SOS splicing’, that provides a quick fix @nature.com @harvardmed.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Phage-induced lysis may only be the beginning of something else. Great effort by Antonio (first and corresponding author) showing the occurrence of extracellular DNA synthesis and structuring!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
doi.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Phage-induced lysis may only be the beginning of something else. Great effort by Antonio (first and corresponding author) showing the occurrence of extracellular DNA synthesis and structuring!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
VAPB is a critical regulating factor in cGAS-STING–mediated innate immune responses
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
December 4, 2025 at 3:17 AM
VAPB is a critical regulating factor in cGAS-STING–mediated innate immune responses
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
ADAR1 editing is necessary for only a small subset of cytosolic dsRNAs to evade MDA5-mediated autoimmunity @natgenet.nature.com @stanforduniversity.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 3, 2025 at 8:47 PM
ADAR1 editing is necessary for only a small subset of cytosolic dsRNAs to evade MDA5-mediated autoimmunity @natgenet.nature.com @stanforduniversity.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
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 Finlay Slorach
Well it's #fridaypaperclub, so I have a very special one just for @odedrechavi.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Transposable elements are vectors of recurrent transgenerational epigenetic inheritance
DNA methylation loss at transposable elements (TEs) can affect neighboring genes and be epigenetically inherited in plants, yet the determinants and importance of this additional system of inheritance...
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Well it's #fridaypaperclub, so I have a very special one just for @odedrechavi.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Our nuclease-protease story is out! We explored a fascinating case of coevolution and modularity in prokaryotic immune systems: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Recurrent acquisition of nuclease-protease pairs in antiviral immunity
Antiviral immune systems diversify by integrating new genes into existing pathways, creating new mechanisms of viral resistance. We identified genes encoding a predicted nuclease paired with a trypsin...
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Our nuclease-protease story is out! We explored a fascinating case of coevolution and modularity in prokaryotic immune systems: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
📣New preprint from IGI's Justin Eyquem and Alex Marson📣 Site-specific genome engineering of primary human natural killer cells for programmable anti-tumor function. Read here: https://ow.ly/x5k950XoACz
November 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
📣New preprint from IGI's Justin Eyquem and Alex Marson📣 Site-specific genome engineering of primary human natural killer cells for programmable anti-tumor function. Read here: https://ow.ly/x5k950XoACz
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
New work from Tahirov x Lim collaboration! @qixianghe.bsky.social from my lab contributed the cryo-EM structures for this work. We are excited to help explain how anti-HSV drugs work and to guide their future development.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@unmc.bsky.social @uwbiochem.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@unmc.bsky.social @uwbiochem.bsky.social
Structural basis of herpesvirus helicase-primase inhibition by pritelivir and amenamevir
Structural studies of HSV-1 helicase-primase revealed how pritelivir and amenamevir bind and block its helicase activity.
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:14 AM
New work from Tahirov x Lim collaboration! @qixianghe.bsky.social from my lab contributed the cryo-EM structures for this work. We are excited to help explain how anti-HSV drugs work and to guide their future development.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@unmc.bsky.social @uwbiochem.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@unmc.bsky.social @uwbiochem.bsky.social
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
Short, noncoding YRNA can activate pathological variants of the innate sensor RIG-I, causing autoinflammation and #lupus nephritis in mouse models.
Learn more in #ScienceImmunology: https://scim.ag/43ewTiV
Learn more in #ScienceImmunology: https://scim.ag/43ewTiV
Local activation of mutant RIG-I by short noncoding Y-RNA in the kidney triggers lethal nephritis
Y-RNA activates RIG-I gain-of-function mutants in the kidney, causing lethal autoimmune diseases including lupus nephritis.
scim.ag
November 6, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Short, noncoding YRNA can activate pathological variants of the innate sensor RIG-I, causing autoinflammation and #lupus nephritis in mouse models.
Learn more in #ScienceImmunology: https://scim.ag/43ewTiV
Learn more in #ScienceImmunology: https://scim.ag/43ewTiV
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
A membrane-bound nuclease directly cleaves phage DNA during genome injection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.03.685801v1
November 3, 2025 at 4:16 PM
A membrane-bound nuclease directly cleaves phage DNA during genome injection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.03.685801v1
Reposted by Finlay Slorach
An authoritative review on phagosome immunobiology by David Underhill and Kai Li. Highly recommend for anyone interested in innate immunity, antigen presentation, infection and host defense.
@cedarssinai.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eNIFY
@cedarssinai.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eNIFY
Phagocytosis: a process that shapes immune responses to engulfed meals
Nature Reviews Immunology - In this Review, Li and Underhill discuss recent advances in understanding the process of phagocytosis. The authors highlight how phagocytosis is integral for innate...
rdcu.be
October 31, 2025 at 7:22 PM
An authoritative review on phagosome immunobiology by David Underhill and Kai Li. Highly recommend for anyone interested in innate immunity, antigen presentation, infection and host defense.
@cedarssinai.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eNIFY
@cedarssinai.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eNIFY