Scott G. Kennedy

Transposon Regulation in the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline and Soma

The paper identifies tissue-specific transposon regulation mechanisms in C. elegans, showing that the germline and soma use distinct RNAi pathways and novel factors to control Tc1 transposition.

Viral RNA pUGylation Promotes Antiviral Immunity in C. elegans

This study shows that pUGylation of viral RNAs by RDE-3 in C. elegans promotes antiviral immunity by enabling RdRP-based siRNA production.

An RNA Splicing System that Excises Transposons from Animal mRNAs

This paper describes a novel RNA splicing system, SOS splicing, that removes transposons from mRNAs in C. elegans and human cells, protecting genes from TE-mediated disruption.

An Atypical RNA Quadruplex Marks RNAs as Vectors for Gene Silencing

The paper identifies a novel RNA quadruplex structure, the pUG fold, that drives gene silencing in C. elegans and is present in human non-coding RNAs.

DNA repair strategy sets transposon mobilization rates in Caenorhabditis elegans

The paper identifies a DNA repair strategy in C. elegans somatic cells that significantly increases transposon mobilization rates compared to germline cells.

piRNAs Coordinate poly(UG) Tailing to Prevent Aberrant and Permanent Gene Silencing

The paper shows that piRNAs prevent permanent gene silencing by inhibiting the pUG RNA/siRNA cycle in C. elegans.

poly(UG)-tailed RNAs in Genome Protection and Epigenetic Inheritance

The paper shows that pUG tails on RNAs enable transgenerational epigenetic inheritance by promoting gene silencing through siRNA synthesis in C. elegans.

Germ Granules Coordinate RNA-based Epigenetic Inheritance Pathways

The paper shows that germ granule disruption in C. elegans leads to transgenerational RNAi defects through aberrant siRNA propagation and silencing.

HERI-1 is a Chromodomain Protein that Negatively Regulates Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance

This paper identifies HERI-1 as a protein that limits RNAi inheritance in C. elegans by regulating the nuclear RNAi pathway.

Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance Factors Localize to Spatially and Temporally Ordered Liquid Droplet Assemblages

This study identifies ZNFX-1 and WAGO-4 as key proteins for RNA-directed transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in C. elegans, showing their localization to liquid droplet structures and their role in maintaining siRNA expression across generations.