Benjamin Czech

Targeting glucocorticoid signalling in dendritic cells for glioblastoma treatment

This study identifies glucocorticoid signalling as a barrier to dendritic cell immunotherapy in glioblastoma and shows that targeting NR3C1 can restore DC function and enhance anti-tumor responses.

Lifestyles of Gypsy-family transposons shape their regulatory mechanisms

This study analyzes the evolutionary patterns of Gypsy-family LTR retrotransposons across 249 Drosophila genomes, revealing shifts in regulatory mechanisms and transcription factor involvement.

The transcription factor Traffic jam orchestrates the somatic piRNA pathway in Drosophila ovaries

This study identifies Traffic jam as a master regulator of the somatic piRNA pathway in Drosophila ovaries, showing its role in controlling piRNA factors and the flamenco cluster.

Spatially tuneable multi-omics sequencing using light-driven combinatorial barcoding of molecules in tissues

The paper introduces BALI, a method for spatially tuneable multi-omic profiling using light-driven combinatorial barcoding, demonstrating its application on mouse brain tissue.

FlaHMM: unistrand flamenco-like piRNA cluster prediction in Drosophila species using hidden Markov models

FlaHMM automates the identification of piRNA clusters in Drosophila species using hidden Markov models and genome sequence data alone.

Ovo is a master regulator of the piRNA pathway in animal ovarian germ cells

This study identifies Ovo as the master regulator of the germline piRNA pathway in Drosophila ovaries, showing its role in activating pathway components and binding to promoter motifs.

A dual histone code specifies the binding of heterochromatin protein Rhino to a subset of piRNA source loci

The paper identifies a dual histone modification (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3) that specifies Rhino binding to a subset of piRNA source loci in Drosophila germ cells, independent of Kipferl.

Unistrand piRNA clusters are an evolutionarily conserved mechanism to suppress endogenous retroviruses across the Drosophila genus

The paper identifies five additional flam-like piRNA clusters across 119 Drosophila species, showing conserved transposon silencing mechanisms in somatic ovarian cells.

An evolutionarily conserved stop codon enrichment at the 5' ends of mammalian piRNAs

The paper identifies a conserved stop codon enrichment at the 5' ends of mammalian piRNAs, revealing Zuc-dependent cleavage preferences and a potential link to translational machinery.

Maternally inherited piRNAs direct transient heterochromatin formation at active transposons during early Drosophila embryogenesis

The paper investigates the role of maternally inherited piRNAs in silencing transposons in early Drosophila embryos by analyzing their impact on heterochromatin formation and transposon expression.

Dimerisation of the PICTS complex via LC8/Cut-up drives co-transcriptional transposon silencing in Drosophila

This study identifies LC8/Cut-up as an essential component of the PICTS complex in Drosophila, showing its role in transposon silencing through complex dimerisation.

Specialization of the Drosophila nuclear export family protein, Nxf3, for piRNA precursor export

This study identifies Nxf3 as essential for exporting piRNA precursors from dual-strand clusters in Drosophila, ensuring proper piRNA production and transposon silencing.

piRNA-guided co-transcriptional silencing coopts nuclear export factors

The paper identifies Nxf2 and Nxt1 as factors required for piRNA-guided co-transcriptional silencing of transposons in Drosophila, showing their interaction with Panx and role in repressive chromatin formation.

Daedalus and Gasz recruit Armitage to mitochondria, bringing piRNA precursors to the biogenesis machinery

The paper identifies Daedalus and Gasz as mitochondrial factors that recruit Armitage to mitochondria, facilitating piRNA precursor processing by linking nuage/Yb-body and mitochondrial biogenesis machinery.