Liam Faller
@liamfaller.bsky.social
2.3K followers 1.2K following 60 posts
Cancer researcher, RNA biologist, and all round science geek, based at the University of Bristol. Ribosomes FTW.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Liam Faller
raflynn5.bsky.social
We’re excited to report work led by postdoc Jennifer Porat in the lab, finding that DNA accumulates on the surface of living cells and that the secreted extracellular protein DNASE1L3 can modulate its levels on B and T cells. With a new twist for ATAC-seq as well www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
DNASE1L3 surveils mitochondrial DNA on the surface of distinct mammalian cells
The extracellular space is a critical environment for discriminating self versus non-self nucleic acids and initiating the appropriate immune responses through signaling cascades to relay information ...
www.biorxiv.org
Reposted by Liam Faller
isogg.bsky.social
“Riding a bike is associated with a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a 22% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, compared with taking nonactive travel modes such as a car, bus or train…” #ISOGG #DNA #epigenetics www.cnn.com/2025/09/20/h...
Cycling linked with lower dementia risk, study finds | CNN
Cycling instead of driving has been linked with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a large study has found.
www.cnn.com
liamfaller.bsky.social
Couldn't make it today, but I'll see you there tomorrow!
liamfaller.bsky.social
Kudos to Anna Dopler (not on the socials) who led both this study, and the P-stalk one! Thanks to @nar-cancer-editor.bsky.social for publishing it too!
liamfaller.bsky.social
I loved this project because we were looking at 2 members of the ribosome, that had essentially the same effect (reduced antigen presentation), but through completely different mechanisms. Just shows how much there is still to learn about the ribosome!
liamfaller.bsky.social
Turns out they aren't! The P-stalk controls the translation of HLA (and other cytokine-regulated genes), while uL14 regulates the generation and processing of peptides, resulting in the production of more unstable peptides, and reduced presentation as a result.
liamfaller.bsky.social
A few years ago the Restifo lab showed that another ribosomal protein (uL14) was also essential for antigen processing and presentation. We wondered whether these two proteins from the same complex were doing the same thing.

www.nature.com/articles/nat...
Identification of essential genes for cancer immunotherapy - Nature
The authors describe a two-cell-type CRISPR screen to identify tumour-intrinsic genes that regulate the sensitivity of cancer cells to effector T cell function.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Liam Faller
eicathomefinn.bsky.social
'Cancer Research UK told The Observer that several pieces of research had been affected by...immigration costs, which have risen by 126% since 2019 and are up to 17 times higher than the average of comparable countries including France, Australia, the US and South Korea.' Not only cancer research.
Cancer research ‘set back years’ as visa fees drive scien...
With vital studies being shelved and foreign experts turning down jobs, leading charity urges ministers to act
observer.co.uk
Reposted by Liam Faller
lianafaye.bsky.social
This preprint from Helen Sakharova is one of the coolest things to come out of my lab: “Protein language models reveal evolutionary constraints on synonymous codon choice.” Codon choice is a big puzzle in how information is encoded in genomes, and we have a new angle. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Protein language models reveal evolutionary constraints on synonymous codon choice
Evolution has shaped the genetic code, with subtle pressures leading to preferences for some synonymous codons over others. Codons are translated at different speeds by the ribosome, imposing constrai...
www.biorxiv.org
Reposted by Liam Faller
sergeymelnikov.bsky.social
Here, we show that bacterial ribosomes—often viewed as conserved drug targets—actually vary across species due to extensive sequence variation in their drug-binding residues. In some cases, this divergence may lead to intrinsic drug resistance in certain bacterial clades: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Reposted by Liam Faller
gidmk.bsky.social
I'm reading the report behind these headlines about glyphosate and it may be the most scientifically illiterate thing I've come across (although it's a close thing with the recent MAHA report). 1/n
Reposted by Liam Faller
Reposted by Liam Faller
Reposted by Liam Faller
rafeeque.com
🧵5 Top Free Alternatives to BioRender for Scientific Illustrations!

These five websites offer free scientific illustrations for biologists. Great for presentations, research papers and other research communication needs.

Save and share the post!