William E. Theurkauf

This study shows that acute heat shock rapidly disassembles and reassembles Drosophila piRNA cluster heterochromatin, with RDC re-localization independent of maternal piRNAs.

The paper shows piRNAs are expressed in somatic muscles of Manduca sexta and regulate transposons during muscle atrophy and programmed cell death.

The paper identifies a network involving Cuff, TRF2, and CtBP that balances canonical and non-canonical piRNA precursor transcription in Drosophila.

The paper analyzes the piRNA response to retroviral invasion in koalas, finding that KoRV piRNAs are sense-biased and derived from unspliced transcripts, suggesting a conserved innate immune mechanism.