Shigeki Hirakata

The paper shows that Shutdown's transient presence in Yb bodies is crucial for Piwi-piRISC formation and fertility, mediated by its self-repulsion and interaction with Armitage.

The paper shows how the transposon Springer rewires gene expression and how Flamenco piRNA clusters remodel to allow transposon spread to the germline.

The paper identifies Daedalus as a Diptera-specific protein that controls Zucchini endonucleolysis in piRNA biogenesis independently of exonucleases.