Robert John Ashburn

IMPRS PhD Student in The Tachibana Lab @MPI_biochem / Epigenetics / Chromatin biology / Totipotency

[Robert John Ashburn @RobbyAshburn]

@JonathanRen12 🙁🙁

[Jonathan Ren @JonathanRen12]

I've written up my previous thread about Turf City as an article. I hope more people can read it this way. While Turf City is definitely being cleared, I urge people to recognise what we are losing in the process of development.

https://t.co/NztNCwdYHT

[Robert John Ashburn @RobbyAshburn]

@JonathanRen12 🌳

[Jonathan Ren @JonathanRen12]

Turf City is an area in Singapore home to multiple outdoor activity and food establishments, and even an old junk shop for second-hand shopping. The area is unfortunately destined to be demolished and developed. What will its loss mean for Singapore?

[Wataru Kobayashi @WataKobayashi]

Happy to share our preprint paper on the mechanism of pioneering activity by orphan nuclear receptor NR5A2! We determine the cryo-EM structure of the nucleosome bound by human NR5A2. A summary of results follows (1/n) https://t.co/mXA8v0EJgP

[Johanna Gassler @johanna_gassler]

How is the embryonic chromatin activated?

https://t.co/HKWrFAu2OP

I am happy to share our findings on how Nr5a2 acts as a pioneer factor during the murine zygotic genome activation @ScienceMagazine #ScienceResearch

Together with @WataKobayashi, @SiwatChad
& Imre Gáspár.

[Wataru Kobayashi @WataKobayashi]

How is the zygotic genome awakened for the start of life? What is its molecular mechanism? I’m excited to announce that our paper is out in @ScienceMagazine. (1/n)
https://t.co/EtLJfYU85c

[Zac Swider @ZacSwider]

Starfish blastula labeled with probes for DNA and microtubules 🧵

[Robert John Ashburn @RobbyAshburn]

That’s a wrap - can’t wait for the next! #EMBOmzt

[Duderstadt_lab @DuderstadtLab]

🚨 OUT NOW @Nature 🤓

https://t.co/r9l5UhC4jX

Are you also fascinated by how our DNA 🧬 is neatly folded & organised? #MarieKondoYourDNA

Our new results offer further insights into this mind boggling process!

1/n

[Siwat Chad @SiwatChad]

Our recent work just got posted on bioRxiv! Check it out from this thread:

[Robert John Ashburn @RobbyAshburn]

I’m awake

[Johanna Gassler @johanna_gassler]

We actually managed to get everyone on a picture 😃 #EMBOmzt (Kikue is already at VBC)

[Johanna Gassler @johanna_gassler]

We actually managed to get everyone on a picture 😃 #EMBOmzt (Kikue is already at VBC)

[Wataru Kobayashi @WataKobayashi]

Two orphans meet totipotency! (9/n)

[Wataru Kobayashi @WataKobayashi]

To answer this question, we performed CUT&Tag on 2-cell embryos with ultra-low input. As far as I know, this is the first time to reveal genome-wide transcription factor-binding during ZGA in mouse 2C embryos. (3/n)

[Wataru Kobayashi @WataKobayashi]

We found Nr5a2 and Esrrb are important for triggering ZGA. The question is “how do these transcription factors trigger major ZGA?” (2/n)

[Wataru Kobayashi @WataKobayashi]

Hi ZGA folks. I'm very excited to share our preprint paper from Tachibana lab.
https://t.co/GdpXEotJ7y
Please also check previous Johanna's tweet (@Johanna_gassler). I would like to focus mechanism part. (1/n)

[Johanna Gassler @johanna_gassler]

4/6 Using chemical inhibition, we uncovered that 72% of ZGA genes are regulated by orphan nuclear receptors such as Nr5a2. They are further required for timely development beyond the two-cell stage underlining their importance for this process.

[Johanna Gassler @johanna_gassler]

3/6 Intrigued by this, we further investigated factors predicted to bind to these motifs and their role in ZGA and early development. A binding motif for the orphan nuclear receptors Nr5a2 and Esrrb, known for their role in pluripotency, is part of the uncovered supermotif.

[Johanna Gassler @johanna_gassler]

2/6 When investigating upstream regions of genes activated in ZGA we uncovered a motif array (supermotif) that is present in 77% of ZGA genes, but only 46% of non-ZGA genes. Closer inspection revealed these motifs share 90% sequence similarity with SINE B1/Alu retrotransposons.