Alexei A. Aravin

This study shows that loss of the piRNA pathway in Drosophila leads to episodic and stochastic transposition bursts, not just increased transposition rates.

This study identifies a bacterial antiphage defense system combining Ago and SLFN domains, showing how ATP-driven tetramerization and RNA-guided filament assembly regulate nuclease activity.

The paper shows that Rhi recruitment to genomic targets in Drosophila is mediated by a combination of H3K9me3 binding and a piRNA-guided scaffold involving Panx and Kipf.

The paper shows that cytoplasmic inheritance of piRNAs is critical for piRNA biogenesis and that trans-acting piRNAs connect piRNA clusters into a functional network.

The paper shows that SetDB1 auto-methylation at histone-mimic motifs enables heterochromatin spreading and maintenance through interactions with HP1 proteins.

The paper identifies a new defense mechanism in Drosophila that enhances the piRNA pathway to control an expanded meiotic driver by increasing the expression of PIWI-clade nucleases.

The paper shows maternally inherited siRNAs trigger de novo formation of piRNA clusters in Drosophila, which then sustain themselves without ongoing siRNA input.

The paper shows that Drosophila males produce Su(Ste) piRNAs through 5'-to-3' phased biogenesis triggered by maternally deposited piRNAs, and this process is bypassed when mothers are XXY.

The paper identifies SUMOylation targets in Drosophila ovary, revealing its role in heterochromatin regulation and piRNA pathway function.

This study investigates the DNA targeting mechanisms of five bacterial Argonaute proteins in vitro and in vivo, revealing their ability to cleave DNA and defend against bacteriophages.

This study identifies Bonus, a Drosophila TIF1 homolog, as a repressor of tissue-specific genes through SUMOylation-dependent recruitment of repressive chromatin complexes.

This study identifies the genetic mechanisms controlling sex-specific piRNA programs in Drosophila, showing that sex chromosome presence and sexual identity regulate piRNA biogenesis.

This paper demonstrates that CbAgo from Clostridium butyricum can be used for targeted genomic DNA cleavage and recombineering by using plasmid-derived gDNAs.

The paper shows that bacterial Argonaute proteins assist in cell division in E. coli under topoisomerase inhibitor stress by processing DNA replication termination sites.

The paper shows that the RDC complex regulates piRNA cluster transcription and transposon silencing in Drosophila male germline, with dynamic localization affecting piRNA programs during spermatogenesis.

This paper describes a programmable pAgo nuclease from Kurthia massiliensis that can cleave both DNA and RNA targets with guide flexibility and mismatch sensitivity.

The paper shows that the SUMO pathway represses interrupted rDNA units and regulates expression of intact rDNA in Drosophila melanogaster, reducing cell-to-cell heterogeneity.

The paper identifies sex-specific piRNA regulation of transposons and host genes in D. melanogaster male germline, revealing paralog-specific gene silencing.

This study shows that the bacterial Argonaute nuclease CbAgo uses DNA interference to cleave multicopy genetic elements like plasmids and transposons by generating small DNA guides through cooperation with repair machinery.

The paper shows that Su(var)2-10 regulates gene expression in euchromatin and heterochromatin by establishing H3K9me3 and providing negative feedback.

This study shows that SUMO and Su(var)2-10 are required for piRNA-guided chromatin silencing in Drosophila by linking target recognition to histone methyltransferase recruitment.

This study identifies two mesophilic prokaryotic Argonautes that function as DNA-guided DNA nucleases at physiological temperatures, expanding their potential for genomic applications.

This study expands the known diversity of prokaryotic Argonaute proteins by analyzing sequenced genomes and identifying new genes, revealing their potential roles in DNA processing and genome editing.