This study shows that UV-inactivated EBV suppresses microglial anti-tumor interferon production and upregulates proto-oncogenic genes, suggesting EBV may contribute to CNS malignancies by impairing microglial immunity.

bioRxiv · Apr 7, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

A Transcriptional Signature of Induced Neurons Differentiates Virologically Suppressed People Living With HIV from People Without HIV

Philipp Niklas Ostermann, Youjun Wu, Scott A. Bowler, Samuel Martínez-Meza, Mohammad Adnan Siddiqui, David H. Meyer, Alberto M. Herrera, Brandon A. Sealy, Mega Sidharta, Kiran Ramnarine, Leslie Ann St. Bernard, Desiree Byrd, R. Brad Jones, Masahiro Yamashita, Douglas F. Nixon, , Teresa H. Evering

Direct reprogramming of skin fibroblasts into neurons reveals unique gene signatures indicative of HIV infection in the context of viral suppression.

JCI Insight · Nov 25, 2025Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

A single-cell transposable element atlas of human cell identity

Helena Reyes-Gopar, Jez Lim Marston, Bhavya Singh, Matthew Greenig, Jonah Lin, Mario Ostrowski, Kipchoge N. Randall, Santiago Sandoval‐Motta, Nicholas Dopkins, Elsa Lawrence, Morgan M. O’Mara, Tongyi Fei, Rodrigo R. R. Duarte, Timothy R. Powell, Enrique Hernandez Lemus, , Matthew L. Bendall

This study develops a tool to analyze transposable element expression in single-cell RNA sequencing data and builds an atlas showing TEs delineate cell types in human PBMCs.

Cell Reports Methods · Jun 20, 2025Peer-reviewedGenomics

The impact of telomere shortening on human hippocampal neurogenesis: Implications for cognitive function and psychiatric disorder risk

Alish Palmos, Rodrigo R. R. Duarte, Demelza M. Smeeth, Erin C. Hedges, Douglas F. Nixon, Sandrine Thuret, Timothy R. Powell

This study models telomere shortening in human hippocampal progenitor cells and links it to reduced neurogenesis, cognitive impairment, and psychiatric disorder risk.

Neuropsychopharmacology · Sep 13, 2020Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Schizophrenia risk from locus-specific human endogenous retroviruses

Rodrigo R. R. Duarte, Matthew L. Bendall, Miguel de Mulder Rougvie, Christopher E. Ormsby, Greta A. Beckerle, Sashika Selvackadunco, Claire Troakes, Gustavo Reyes‐Terán, Keith A. Crandall, Deepak P. Srivastava, Douglas F. Nixon, Timothy R. Powell

The paper identifies 148 HERVs associated with schizophrenia risk using comprehensive annotation and RNA-sequencing data from brain samples.

bioRxiv · Oct 8, 2019 · PreprintNeuroscience

Telescope: Characterization of the retrotranscriptome by accurate estimation of transposable element expression

Matthew L. Bendall, Miguel de Mulder Rougvie, L. Iñiguez, Aarón Lecanda, Marcos Pérez‐Losada, Mario Ostrowski, Richard Brad Jones, Lubbertus C. F. Mulder, Gustavo Reyes‐Terán, Keith A. Crandall, Christopher E. Ormsby, Douglas F. Nixon

Telescope accurately estimates transposable element expression in RNA-seq data by resolving ambiguously mapped fragments using a Bayesian model, revealing cell-type specific retrotranscriptome differences.

PLoS Computational Biology · Sep 30, 2019Peer-reviewedGenomics

Psychiatric risk gene NT5C2 regulates protein translation in human neural progenitor cells

Rodrigo R. R. Duarte, Nathaniel D. Bachtel, Marie-Caroline Côtel, Sang Hyuck Lee, Sashika Selvackadunco, Iain A. Watson, Gary A. Hovsepian, Claire Troakes, Gerome D. Breen, Douglas F. Nixon, Robin M. Murray, Nicholas J. Bray, Ioannis Eleftherianos, Anthony Christopher Vernon, Timothy R. Powell, Deepak P. Srivastava

This study identifies NT5C2 as a psychiatric risk gene, showing its role in protein translation and AMPK signaling in neural progenitor cells and Drosophila melanogaster.

Biological Psychiatry · Mar 29, 2019Peer-reviewedNeuroscience