Sonia El Mouridi

Evolution of mechanical chromatin insulators from selfish genetic elements

The paper shows that DNA sequence-encoded mechanical properties, not just proteins, can create chromatin insulation by transforming Helitron transposons into barrier elements in C. elegans.

HP1 dimerization drives the condensation and segregation of H3K9me-marked chromatin

This study shows that HP1 dimerization drives H3K9me chromatin condensation and segregation, while LLPS stabilizes foci, and reveals a decoupling between heterochromatin and transcriptional regulation.

MORC-1 is a key component of the C. elegans CSR-1 germline gene licensing mechanism

The paper shows MORC-1 overexpression in csr-1 mutants drives gene downregulation by altering chromatin states, revealing its role in CSR-1-mediated gene licensing.

In vivo reprogramming of Caenorhabditis elegans leads to heterogeneous effects on lifespan

This study induces in vivo reprogramming in C. elegans and finds it leads to heterogeneous effects on lifespan depending on developmental stage.

A tonically active master neuron continuously modulates mutually exclusive motor states at two timescales

This study identifies a master neuron in C. elegans that modulates forward and backward movement through tonic and phasic activity at different timescales.

Modular safe-harbor Transgene Insertion (MosTI) for targeted single-copy and extrachromosomal array integration in C. elegans.

The paper introduces MosTI, a method for targeted transgene insertion in C. elegans using CRISPR/Cas9, enabling efficient single-copy and extrachromosomal array integration.

A Leak K+ Channel TWK-40 Regulates Rhythmic Motor Program in C. elegans

This study identifies TWK-40, a K2P channel, as essential for regulating rhythmic motor activity in C. elegans by modulating DVB neuron function and Ca2+ oscillations.

Reliable CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering in Caenorhabiditis elegans using a single efficient sgRNA and an easily selectable phenotype

The paper describes a CRISPR/Cas9 strategy for efficient and scarless genome editing in C. elegans using a single sgRNA and a selectable phenotype, enabling precise deletions, reporters, and fusions.