Orkan Ilbay

Prion-induced heritable states in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study shows that a yeast prion domain can induce a heritable state in C. elegans that persists across generations and is reversible.

A default silencing mechanism restrains stress-induced genes in C. elegans

The paper identifies ZNF-236 as a key factor maintaining quiescence of stress-induced genes in C. elegans, showing that this silencing is an active genomic state, not passive.

C. elegans LIN-28 controls temporal cell-fate progression by regulating LIN-46 expression via the 5’UTR of lin-46 mRNA

This study shows that LIN-28 in C. elegans represses LIN-46 expression via the 5'UTR of lin-46 mRNA, leading to heterochronic defects when LIN-46 is expressed prematurely.

Environmental pheromone and endocrine signals correct heterochronic developmental phenotypes caused by insufficient expression of let-7 family microRNAs in C. elegans

The paper shows that environmental pheromones and endocrine signals correct developmental defects in C. elegans caused by low let-7 microRNA expression by rewiring gene regulatory networks.

Regulation of Nuclear-cytoplasmic Partitioning by the lin-28-lin-46 Pathway Reinforces MicroRNA Repression of HBL-1 to Confer Robust Cell-fate Progression in C. elegans

The paper shows the lin-28-lin-46 pathway regulates HBL-1 nuclear accumulation independently of let-7 microRNAs, contributing to robust cell-fate progression in C. elegans.