Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · 19h

John Gurdon was a true giant:
- founder of cell reprogramming;
- founder of molecular embryology;
- unabashed advocate for basic research;
- advisor to numerous successful trainees/PIs;
- gentle human that touched so many.
In dark times with science under attack, let his vision be a guiding light.

Katherine Brown @katherine-brown.bsky.social · 22h

Very saddened to hear of John Gurdon’s passing. I’ve been lucky enough to interact with him at multiple points through my career - from undergrad lectures, through his position as former Chair of @biologists.bsky.social’s Board of Directors, and as an author at @dev-journal.bsky.social.

Nobel Laureate Professor Sir John Gurdon dies aged 92

It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the Gurdon Institute.

www.cam.ac.uk

1 11 46

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · 13d

🚨 JOB ALERT 🚨
We are hiring TWO principal investigators in systems, cellular, chemical or molecular biology in Toronto, Canada at
@sinaihealth.bsky.social. We provide a generous startup, fully funded salary and academic appointment at U of Toronto.

Apply now or repost!

Research at Sinai Health @sinaihealth.bsky.social · 29d

Job Alert 🚨

Are you an emerging leader in biomedical discovery or population health data science?
We are looking for outstanding candidates to join our institute!

Learn more & apply:

Biomedical Discovery ➡️ apply.interfolio.com/172703

Population Health Data Science ➡️ apply.interfolio.com/172529

2 2

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · 28d

Thank you for this honor and the continued trust in our group's research! We hope that our work will honor the memory and legacy of Anne and Max Tanenbaum. It is truly a privilege to be part of the amazing communities of @uoftmedicine.bsky.social and @sinaihealth.bsky.social.

Research at Sinai Health @sinaihealth.bsky.social · Aug 8

Congratulations to Dr. Miguel Ramalho-Santos, Senior Investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, on his appointment as the Anne & Max Tanenbaum Chair of Molecular Medicine at Sinai Health!

2 2 10

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Sep 4

(4/4) These findings provide new insights on the chromatin-level regulation of MYC-driven breast cancer and uncover CHD1 as a novel synthetic lethal vulnerability and potential therapeutic target.

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Sep 4

(3/4) We found that CHD1 is required to maintain an open chromatin landscape and a transcriptional program associated with cancer progression in MYC overexpressing breast cells and that this synthetic lethality may arise from nucleolar stress and p53 activation.

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Sep 4

(2/4) We found that knockdown of CHD1 in a xenograft model of MYC-driven breast cancer suppresses tumor growth in vivo. In tissue culture models, knockdown of CHD1 suppresses cell proliferation and induces cell death, specifically when MYC is overexpressed.

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Sep 4

(1/4) New preprint from the lab!
The MYC transcription factor is a potent cancer driver when its expression is dysregulated, but efforts to target MYC directly have not been fruitful. We identify CHD1 as a synthetic lethal vulnerability in MYC-driven breast cancer. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

CHD1 is a synthetic lethal vulnerability in MYC-driven breast cancer

The MYC transcription factor is a key regulator of growth during development and a potent cancer driver when its expression is dysregulated. Strategies to inhibit MYC oncogenic activity would mark a s...

www.biorxiv.org

1 1 7

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Aug 12

Also noted:
Pluripotency factor Tex10 finetunes Wnt signaling for spermatogenesis and primordial germ cell development. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Pluripotency factor Tex10 finetunes Wnt signaling for spermatogenesis and primordial germ cell development - Nature Communications

Here they identify Tex10 as a critical regulator of male fertility and germ cell development. By fine-tuning Wnt signaling, Tex10 promotes spermatogenesis and PGC differentiation, offering potential t...

www.nature.com

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Aug 12

‪Discussed @mrsantos.bsky.social lit review: A single-cell time-lapse of mouse prenatal development from gastrula to birth.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A single-cell time-lapse of mouse prenatal development from gastrula to birth - Nature

Single-cell transcriptome profiling of mouse embryos and newborn pups is combined with previously published data to construct a tree of cell-type relationships tracing development from zygote to birth...

www.nature.com

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jul 25

🌞 Let's enjoy the summer time in Toronto! 🏖️

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jul 22

Also noted:
Nucleosome organization of mouse embryos during pre-implantation development.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Nucleosome organization of mouse embryos during pre-implantation development - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Nucleosome organization of mouse embryos during pre-implantation development

www.nature.com

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jul 22

Discussed @mrsantos.bsky.social lit review:
Recovering undersampled single-cell transcriptomes with HyperCell.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...

Recovering undersampled single-cell transcriptomes with HyperCell

Single-cell transcriptomic technology has now matured, allowing quantification of mRNA transcripts corresponding to tens of thousands of genes within a cell. However, still only a small fraction of th...

www.researchsquare.com

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jul 21

(3/3) We show that alpha satellite RNA is required for maintenance of the perinuclear compartment and for maintaining a low transcriptional output, including of ribosomal RNA, in human embryonic stem cells.

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jul 21

(2/3) We found that alpha satellite RNA is highly chromatin-bound and localizes to the perinuclear compartment, a domain of the nucleus previously only thought to exist in cancer cells.

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jul 21

(1/3) Latest preprint from the lab! 📝
This work points towards regulatory roles of alpha satellite RNA in nuclear compartmentalization and tuning ribosomal RNA expression in naïve human embryonic stem cells.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Alpha satellite RNA marks the perinucleolar compartment and represses ribosomal RNA expression in naïve human embryonic stem cells

While most newly synthesized RNA is exported to the cytoplasm, a portion of non-coding RNA is retained in the nucleus and remains highly associated with chromatin. The strong binding of this RNA fract...

doi.org

1 1 5

Reposted by Miguel Ramalho-Santos

Maria Alcolea @mariapalcolea.bsky.social · Jul 4

⏳Only 1 week left to submit your talk for the Fusion Stem Cells & Cancer Conference!
🧪Share your exciting discoveries with us!!
📍Malta
🗓️Talk Deadline: July 10
🔗http://bit.ly/49sCfJp
@joneslabucsf.bsky.social, Kathrin Plath, @katemiro.bsky.social at @fusionconf.bsky.social

Maria Alcolea @mariapalcolea.bsky.social · Jul 2

One Month to Go!🚨
Countdown for the STEM CELLS & CANCER Fusion Conference — a unique gathering of global leaders sharing their ground breaking research.
🧬Ignite new ideas by Mediterranean Sea-Malta 🏝️
📅Final Deadline: 31 July
🎤Unmissable speakers...🧵
bit.ly/49sCfJp

Stem Cells & Cancer Conference | Fusion Conferences

Our scientific research conferences support the development of physical, medical and life sciences, providing a powerful platform that encourages discussion and collaboration in luxury locations acros...

bit.ly

5 4

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jun 17

Also noted:
DNA methylation mediates the link between adversity and depressive symptoms
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

DNA methylation mediates the link between adversity and depressive symptoms - Nature Mental Health

Using epigenome-wide mediation analyses to investigate DNA methylation as a path between adversity and depression, the authors found 31 cytosine–guanine dinucleotides (CpGs) associated with risk and 3...

www.nature.com

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jun 17

‪Discussed @mrsantos.bsky.social lit review: Maternal iron deficiency causes male-to-female sex reversal in mouse embryos
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Maternal iron deficiency causes male-to-female sex reversal in mouse embryos - Nature

Iron-deficient conditions in pregnant mice can cause XY mouse embryos to develop female rather than male genitalia, revealing that iron metabolism has a role in determining male sex in mice.

www.nature.com

1 2 9

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jun 12

Congrats to Dr. Cho on the successful PhD defense!

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jun 11

Also noted: LINE-1 transcription activates long-range gene expression. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

LINE-1 transcription activates long-range gene expression - Nature Genetics

A CRISPR–Cas9 screen identifies genes that modulate long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) expression in human cells. LINE-1 5′ UTRs have enhancer features and can activate long-range gene expre...

www.nature.com

4 4

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Jun 11

Discussed @mrsantos.bsky.social lit review: Stem-loop binding protein is a multifaceted cellular regulator of HIV-1 replication. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27454292/

Stem-loop binding protein is a multifaceted cellular regulator of HIV-1 replication - PubMed

A rare subset of HIV-1-infected individuals is able to maintain plasma viral load (VL) at low levels without antiretroviral treatment. Identifying the mechanisms underlying this atypical response to i...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · May 6

Also noted: The first two blastomeres contribute unequally to the human embryo. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

The first two blastomeres contribute unequally to the human embryo

Labeling and live imaging of human embryos reveal that the majority of the future body originates, mostly, from one of the 2-cell stage blastomeres. Descendants of the first 2-cell stage blastomere to...

www.cell.com

1 1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · May 6

Discussed @mrsantos.bsky.social lit review: Identification of genes supporting cold resistance of mammalian cells: lessons from a hibernator.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Identification of genes supporting cold resistance of mammalian cells: lessons from a hibernator - Cell Death & Disease

Cell Death & Disease - Identification of genes supporting cold resistance of mammalian cells: lessons from a hibernator

www.nature.com

1 1

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Apr 30

Also noted: The establishment of nuclear organization in mouse embryos is orchestrated by multiple epigenetic pathways. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

The establishment of nuclear organization in mouse embryos is orchestrated by multiple epigenetic pathways

In vivo screening in mouse embryos provides insights into the functional interplay between chromatin and the nuclear envelope in the establishment of lamina-associated domains, the earliest feature of...

www.cell.com

Miguel Ramalho-Santos @mrsantos.bsky.social · Apr 30

Discussed @mrsantos.bsky.social lit review: Genome-coverage single-cell histone modifications for embryo lineage tracing. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Genome-coverage single-cell histone modifications for embryo lineage tracing - Nature

Two new methods, target chromatin indexing and tagmentation (TACIT) and combined TACIT (CoTACIT), enabled single-cell profiling of the epigenome and lineage tracing from mouse zygotes to blastocy...

www.nature.com

1 1