Steven West

DNA-directed termination of mammalian RNA polymerase II

The paper shows mammalian RNA polymerase II can terminate transcription at T-tracts, a mechanism also seen in prokaryotes and RNAPIII, and demonstrates this occurs genome-wide in promoter-proximal regions.

Reduced non-specific binding of super-resolution DNA-PAINT markers by Shielded DNA-PAINT labeling protocols

The paper introduces Shielded DNA-PAINT, a method to reduce non-specific DNA-PAINT probe binding in cells, achieving a 5-fold reduction in non-specific events in the nucleus.

Human promoter directionality is determined by transcriptional initiation and the opposing activities of INTS11 and CDK9

The paper shows that sense transcription is more efficient than antisense initiation and that CDK9 and INTS11 opposingly maintain directionality in mammalian promoters.

hnRNPUL1 ensures efficient Integrator-mediated cleavage of snRNAs and is mutated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

This study identifies hnRNPUL1's role in Integrator-mediated snRNA cleavage and links its mutations to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

ZC3H4 restricts non-coding transcription in human cells

This study identifies ZC3H4 as a factor that restricts non-coding transcription in human cells by promoting degradation of unstable transcripts, particularly antisense RNAs and super-enhancer transcripts.

Characterisation of the RNA-interference pathway as a Tool for Genetics in the Nascent Phototrophic Endosymbiosis, Paramecium bursaria

The paper identifies and validates the RNAi pathway in Paramecium bursaria, showing its role in feeding-induced gene knock-down and endosymbiosis genetics.