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How to build an exosome

Jun 26, 2026

Inside cells, large multi-subunit machines carry out many essential processes, yet the principles governing their assembly are often poorly understood. Postdoc Tsimafei Navalayeu from the Ameres lab at the Perutz has now mapped the assembly of the RNA exosome in mammalian cells using an inducible CRISPR-based system. The work, published in EMBO Journal, reveals an intricate, stepwise assembly pathway of the multi-subunit exosome, and the quality control mechanisms that regulate its biogenesis
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E-STEEM Fellowship for Émeline Laborie to study centrosome biophysics

Jun 19, 2026

Postdoctoral researcher Émeline Laborie has been awarded an E-STEEM Fellowship from the University of Vienna and will join the Dammermann lab in September. The E-STEEM program provides support for four years and promotes outstanding women in STEM and Economics. Émeline will use computational biophysics to investigate how centrosomes and microtubules coordinate the self-organization of the spindle apparatus during cell division. Her work aims to uncover the physical principles underlying centrosome and spindle self-organization.
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Net zero – using a basket to control enzymatic activity

Jun 17, 2026

Faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis depends on the spatial and temporal coordination of dramatic changes in cellular and subcellular architecture. In a new study published in Cell Reports, first author Rahel Wettstein from the Matos lab has uncovered an unexpected role for the nuclear pore complex in controlling crossover formation through regulation of SUMOylation dynamics in yeast. By linking nuclear pore basket components to the localization of a SUMO protease, the work reveals how nuclear architecture shapes meiotic recombination outcomes.
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Meet MutLγ: a rising crossover star

Jun 05, 2026

Meiotic crossing-over is a fundamental process in sexual reproduction that reshuffles genetic information between homologous chromosomes and ensures their correct segregation. In a new study published in Nature Communications, first author Lucija Orlić from the Matos lab dissects how different DNA repair enzymes resolve recombination intermediates and uncover a previously unknown structural role for the enzyme Top3 that is essential for their resolution into crossovers.
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FWF grant for Bojan Žagrović to explore hidden potential of frameshift mutations

May 12, 2026

Perutz group leader Bojan Žagrović has been awarded funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for a three-year project investigating how frameshift mutations reshape proteins and drive evolution. Frameshift mutations alter the genetic reading frame, dramatically changing the resulting protein sequence. Consequently, they are generally considered to be deleterious. Bojan and his collaborators aim to challenge this long-standing view by combining novel computational approaches, AI-based protein structure prediction, and experimental validation to study whether some frameshifted proteins can still adopt functional, native-like structures.
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The more, the merrier? How extra chromosomes help cancer cells survive

Apr 28, 2026

Cancer cells often turn an abnormal number of chromosomes – aneuploidy – from a harmful condition into a survival advantage. By studying engineered aneuploid yeast strains, the Campbell lab shows in a study published in EMBO Reports that drug resistance does not arise from single genes, but from subtle, combined changes across many genes at once. These findings may help to explain why aneuploidy is so common in cancer and influence how scientists search for therapeutic targets.
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Condensates and gene control: Theresia Brennecke awarded BIF PhD Fellowship

Apr 09, 2026

Theresia Brennecke from the Köhler lab has been awarded a prestigious PhD Fellowship from the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) to study how biomolecular condensates influence gene transcription in cells. The highly competitive BIF fellowship – where applicants compete with the top 5% of students worldwide – provides up to 3.5 years of funding and access to an international network of fellows, with fewer than 10% of candidates selected following a rigorous evaluation by external experts and the BIF board.
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Traffic control at the molecular scale

Mar 25, 2026

During protein synthesis, ribosomes stall when they encounter damaged mRNA or when cells are depleted of essential factors. Unresolved, stalled ribosomes have the potential to create harmful traffic jams inside the cell. A new study from the Karagöz lab, published in EMBO Journal, reveals how ribosome-associated quality control and UFMylation machinery cooperate to resolve stalled ribosomes at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). By uncovering the mechanistic interplay between these pathways, the researchers explain how cells overcome the physical constraints imposed by membrane-associated translation. Their findings provide an important link between ER proteostasis and ribosome rescue mechanisms.
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FWF funding advances immune cell and imaging research

Mar 18, 2026

Two new research projects at the Perutz have been awarded funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Led by group leaders Pavel Kovarik and Jonas Ries, the projects explore two very different but equally fundamental aspects of biology: how immune cells in the lungs rapidly adapt to infections and tissue damage, and how proteins move and change shape inside living cells. Together, the two grants provide more than €1.1 million in funding over three years.

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