It was a pleasure working with @PopoMicro on this review of CRISPR-Cas associated transposons (CAST). Hopefully it gives a sense for the diversity of Tn7-like transposons and CRISPR systems that independently combined.go.shr.lc/444PwFh

Functional RNA splitting drove the evolutionary emergence of type V CR... sciencedirect.com/science/ar…

Here is a link to a new preprint from the lab, a collaborative effort between our lab and Michelle Wang's lab here at Cornell. biorxiv.org/cgi/content/shor…

De novo engineered guide RNA-directed transposition with TnpB-family proteins reveals features of naturally evolved systems biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…

A family of linear plasmid phages that detect a quorum-sensing autoinducer exists in multiple bacterial species biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/… #biorxiv_micrbio

Tn7 family transposons that include all guide RNA-directed transposons (CAST) are common in bacteria. We now find diverse representatives across archaea, many in the Asgard group. Reviving an Asgard element confirmed the exciting behaviors of the family biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…

Very cool story lead by @JoePetersLab reveals another level of how transposons battle with their hosts. Grateful to have had a chance to participate with Popo @PopoMicro, Joe and the team!

Transposons, or “jumping genes” – DNA segments that can move from one part of the genome to another – are key to bacterial evolution and the development of antibiotic resistance. Cornell researchers have discovered a new mechanism these genes use to survive and propagate in bacteria with linear DNA, with applications in biotechnology and drug development. “This is a big part of their biology,” said senior author Joseph Peters, professor of microbiology in @CornellCALS. “Bacteria are like these little tinkerers. They’re always collecting these mobile DNA pieces, and they’re making new functions all the time – everything in antibiotic resistance is really about mobile genetic elements and almost always transposons that can move between bacteria.” With some technologies not available even five years ago, the researchers identified several families of transposons in cyanobacteria and Streptomyces that, using different mechanisms, can find and insert themselves at the telomere, with benefits for the transposon and their bacterial host. For one, inserting at the end of the chromosome helps the transposon avoid genes for the cell’s core functioning, which reside in the middle of the chromosomes; transposons that can target the ends are less likely to disrupt an essential function or cause cell death. More at news.cornell.edu/stories/202….

Researchers @CornellCALS and colleagues have discovered a new method that “jumping genes,” or transposons, use to survive and propagate in bacteria with linear DNA, with applications in biotechnology and drug development. @ScienceMagazine @JoePetersLab news.cornell.edu/stories/202…

🧬 Thrilled to share our latest research on Retrons—a new chapter in this fascinating field! 🌟In this @MolecularCell paper, we reveal how Retron-Eco1 defends against phages. bit.ly/3WOlbsY Check the 🧵below! (1/20)

#CRISPR revolutionized medicine, but where did its RNA-guided mechanisms come from? Using #AI, we unearthed new Cas13s and found they evolved from toxin-antitoxins, revealing how nature created these amazing reprogrammable molecules. Discover the recipe: doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.…

Very excited about this work from graduate student Laura Chacon Machado now published in Mobile DNA, “A family of Tn7-like transposons evolved to target CRISPR repeats”!

📢 Prof. Marcin Nowotny has received the Prime Minister’s Award! The prize honors his research on protein-nucleic acid interactions, advancing our understanding of cellular information decoding. 👉 Read more: tinyurl.com/MNowotnyPMAward