Rupinder Kaur, PhD
@kaurr.bsky.social
540 followers 560 following 210 posts
#NewPI @UIC (Jan 2026) Studying Host-Symbiont-Virus Interactions in 🪰 and 🦟 #Wolbachia #Spermatogenesis #Embryogenesis #ChromatinBiology #Epigenetics #Microscopy She/her
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kaurr.bsky.social
Excited to share that I’ll be joining @uicbios.bsky.social as an Asst. Prof. in Jan 2026! My lab will explore the epi/genetic principles of host–microbe interactions, symbiosis, and vector biology. We’ll be hiring postdocs and techs—details and lab website coming soon!

bios.uic.edu/news-stories...
Meet the Faculty | Biological Sciences | University of Illinois Chicago
bios.uic.edu
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
embl.org
EMBL @embl.org · 8d
New research from EMBL Rome shows how paternal environment prior to conception can shape early embryo development.

These findings are a step toward understanding the mechanism of epigenetic inheritance, opening up new possibilities for disease prevention.
www.embl.org/news/science...
Fathers shape embryonic development through molecular ‘signatures’. Credits: Daniela Velasco/EMBL
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
stcmicrobeblog.bsky.social
absolutely wild, from the Small Molecules Considered (SMC) branch:
"...this work provides another piece in a complex biological puzzle aiming to understand the persistent and pervasive nature of 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘢 endosymbionts." (doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...)
#MicroSky #SymbioSky
kaurr.bsky.social
#Wolbachia has puzzled scientists with its power to rewire insect reproduction. What if I tell you that we found one of the keys Wolbachia use to rewire its host AND a small molecule inhibitor uses this key to mimic what this microbe has mastered for millions of years.

www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Beyond Wolbachia—Can a small molecule control insect reproduction?
Kaur et al. demonstrate reduced histone acetylation as a key mechanism underpinning Wolbachia’s paternal-effect embryonic lethality trait in Drosophila melanogaster. Recapitulation of this trait by in...
www.cell.com
kaurr.bsky.social
This project would not have been possible without @symbionticism.bsky.social and his unwavering support, my undergrad student Mahip Kalra for his relentless troubleshooting efforts that brought the chemical experiments to life, and the incredible Lab team for their timely help every step of the way!
kaurr.bsky.social
Why does it matter to mimic symbiotic traits?
👉 It develops symbiont-independent tool kit for insect population control
👉 It expands symbiont-based biocontrol approaches to species that cannot be stably infected with the bacterium
👉 Inspires ways to study how epigenetics shape host–symbiont biology
kaurr.bsky.social
Stay tuned for the full banger! Meanwhile, enjoy the commentary on our upcoming pub, where we show that #Wolbachia modify host reproduction via reduced histone acetylation—a fundamental epigenetic process that can be synthetically mimicked by a tiny molecule, even in the absence of Wolbachia!
kaurr.bsky.social
#Wolbachia has puzzled scientists with its power to rewire insect reproduction. What if I tell you that we found one of the keys Wolbachia use to rewire its host AND a small molecule inhibitor uses this key to mimic what this microbe has mastered for millions of years.

www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Beyond Wolbachia—Can a small molecule control insect reproduction?
Kaur et al. demonstrate reduced histone acetylation as a key mechanism underpinning Wolbachia’s paternal-effect embryonic lethality trait in Drosophila melanogaster. Recapitulation of this trait by in...
www.cell.com
kaurr.bsky.social
Jaw dropping!! Beautiful work. Is it live testes culture?
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
valmasdel.bsky.social
"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make"
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
joachimgoedhart.bsky.social
Identification of optimal fluorophores for use in the Drosophila embryo by Timothy E Saunders and team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Figure 1: Fluorophore intensity in the Drosophila blastoderm (n.c. 14). Comparison of (A) green and (B) red fluorescence intensity using the same intensity scaling in n.c. 14. The fluorescence signal did
not saturate. Shown are single imaging planes. Normalised histograms of fluorescence intensity for green (C) and red (D) fluorophores averaged across at least n=3 embryos per line. Scale bars = 20 μm
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
chrisnsimms.bsky.social
These awesome microscopy images show what actually happens when E. coli is exposed to an antibiotic.

A bacterium starts to look bumpy as it tries to put more “bricks” in its defensive wall. But as it builds, it leaves gaps that let the antibiotic to kill it. 🧪

www.newscientist.com/article/2498...
Extraordinary pictures show what a common antibiotic does to E. coli
A commonly used class of antibiotics seems to kill bacteria like E. coli by breaking down their tough armour
www.newscientist.com
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
mdgarfinkel.bsky.social
T-minus 14 days for registration opening for the Annual #Drosophila Research Conference in Chicago next March.

Looking forward to seeing all our meeting support staff from @genetics-gsa.bsky.social . Ditto for our valued curators @flybase.bsky.social .

#genetics

genetics-gsa.org/drosophila-2...
Homepage - 67th Annual Drosophila Research Conference
Visit our website to learn more.
genetics-gsa.org
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social
"Striking diversity of male-killing symbionts and their mechanisms"
by Hiroshi Arai (@haraipapilio.bsky.social), Daisuke Kageyama (@daisukekageyama.bsky.social) & co

"Why [and how] do maternally inherited endosymbionts kill male hosts?"

Find out here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Figure 1. Diversity of male-killing (MK) endosymbionts across arthropods.
kaurr.bsky.social
Thanks friend! Gotta follow your footsteps..eh! :)
kaurr.bsky.social
Thanks Kevin! I’m so looking forward to it!
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
ksdrew.bsky.social
Excited for you to join us!
kaurr.bsky.social
Excited to share that I’ll be joining @uicbios.bsky.social as an Asst. Prof. in Jan 2026! My lab will explore the epi/genetic principles of host–microbe interactions, symbiosis, and vector biology. We’ll be hiring postdocs and techs—details and lab website coming soon!

bios.uic.edu/news-stories...
Meet the Faculty | Biological Sciences | University of Illinois Chicago
bios.uic.edu
kaurr.bsky.social
Yay! Team Midwest! 👏 Thanks Mark, I can’t wait to host you :)
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
markjmandel.bsky.social
Congratulations Rim! Will be great to have you in the Midwest!
kaurr.bsky.social
Excited to share that I’ll be joining @uicbios.bsky.social as an Asst. Prof. in Jan 2026! My lab will explore the epi/genetic principles of host–microbe interactions, symbiosis, and vector biology. We’ll be hiring postdocs and techs—details and lab website coming soon!

bios.uic.edu/news-stories...
Meet the Faculty | Biological Sciences | University of Illinois Chicago
bios.uic.edu
kaurr.bsky.social
Thank you Nichole! Super pumped for the next chapter myself! 🤓😎
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
botanichole.bsky.social
Congratulation Rim! I can not wait to see what you accomplish in your next chapter!
kaurr.bsky.social
Excited to share that I’ll be joining @uicbios.bsky.social as an Asst. Prof. in Jan 2026! My lab will explore the epi/genetic principles of host–microbe interactions, symbiosis, and vector biology. We’ll be hiring postdocs and techs—details and lab website coming soon!

bios.uic.edu/news-stories...
Meet the Faculty | Biological Sciences | University of Illinois Chicago
bios.uic.edu
kaurr.bsky.social
Super team force to be reckoned with! 💪
Reposted by Rupinder Kaur, PhD
symbionticism.bsky.social
Ignite and launch: After six years of super science together, @kaurr.bsky.social is heading to Chicago to start a science team and lab. 🚀
kaurr.bsky.social
Excited to share that I’ll be joining @uicbios.bsky.social as an Asst. Prof. in Jan 2026! My lab will explore the epi/genetic principles of host–microbe interactions, symbiosis, and vector biology. We’ll be hiring postdocs and techs—details and lab website coming soon!

bios.uic.edu/news-stories...
Meet the Faculty | Biological Sciences | University of Illinois Chicago
bios.uic.edu
kaurr.bsky.social
Excited to share that I’ll be joining @uicbios.bsky.social as an Asst. Prof. in Jan 2026! My lab will explore the epi/genetic principles of host–microbe interactions, symbiosis, and vector biology. We’ll be hiring postdocs and techs—details and lab website coming soon!

bios.uic.edu/news-stories...
Meet the Faculty | Biological Sciences | University of Illinois Chicago
bios.uic.edu