Astrocytes connect specific brain regions through plastic networks - Nature Communication between distant brain regions is mediated by plastic networks of gap junction-coupled astrocytes.

Astrocytes do so much more than any of us thought - they even communicate among specific brain regions across hemispheres!

The journey to this paper spanned nearly a decade, but I'm most excited to see what everyone else does with the tools we've built. There's so much for all of us to explore!

Whenever I’m starting a project I’m like “wont it be so great to discover something mysterious and be in the Uri Alon cloud”

And then it happens and I’m like “oh actually this is unpleasant I have no idea what’s happening “

www.weizmann.ac.il/mcb/alon/sit...

Bifunctional Lipid–Protein Cross-linking Efficiency and Reaction Products Bifunctional diazirine lipids are versatile tools for mapping protein–lipid interactions and cellular localization by photo-cross-linking. Yet, the cross-linking efficiency of these probes has not bee...

This week’s Essential Read in #chembio - my vote:

what actually happens to diazirine photolabels?

@nadlerlab.bsky.social strikes again.

Enjoy #photopharma and caveat N2or!

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

One of biggest mysteries in biology: how did complex eukaryotic cells evolve from simple microbes? ~1.8 billion years ago, an archaeal cell likely merged with a bacterium to form the first eukaryotic cell, but can we ever find direct evidence of this transformative event? 🦠 🚶‍♂️

What if cells have undiscovered methods for managing their internal logistics? Our recent work (@cathygalbraith.bsky.social, James A. Galbraith, @sciencethecat.bsky.social & myself) challenges existing views on intracellular transportation 🔗 lnkd.in/dhMDgY5Q

Graphical abstract showing that NMDAR immunisation drives psychosis-like behaviour in mice, while clozapine reverses this. Upper panel: arrows show NMDAR immunisation producing a mouse exhibiting psychosis-like behaviour, with clozapine reversing this effect. Lower panels: anti-NMDAR antibodies bind neuronal NMDA receptors, which are then eliminated by microglia via phagocytosis, leading to psychosis. Clozapine restores NMDA receptor levels by reducing anti-NMDAR antibody levels, consistent with an immunomodulatory mechanism of action.

🥁🎉The Psychosis Collective proudly presents our first preprint

𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐳𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬-𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐞

𝘈 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴

starring Le He & Harriet Feldman

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

We wanted to understand how antipsychotics work. Thread🧵

Intracellular cysteine partitioning between glutathione and iron-sulfur metabolism is a critical metabolic decision that controls CD8+ T cell proliferation and effector function @cellcellpress.bsky.social @hopkinsmedicine.bsky.social #PearceLab
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

We are pleased to share our new work in @pnas.org investigating the discovery, biosynthesis, and mechanistic investigation of a class of molecules we call spirocyclic beta-lactones! Skeetorial to follow. #natprod 🧪
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

Structural energetics of cold sensitivity - Nature Data from cryogenic electron microscopy combined with hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometry inform a mechanism for cold-evoked activation of the TRPM8 channel, providing a structural and ...

Wow!
Structural energetics of cold sensitivity
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We’re hiring!

Our lab is seeking a research technician interested in neurobiology. This position is ideal for recent graduates looking for a 2‑year research experience before their next academic chapter. Experience with Drosophila is a plus.
Please share.

indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/32602

Discovery of MARK2 as a physiological kinase for PER2 in the mammalian clock Phosphorylation of PER2 at serine 662 regulates circadian timing, and its serine to glycine G (S662G) mutation causes familial advanced sleep phase syndrome. Liu et al. identify MARK2 as the physiological S662 kinase through biochemical purification. MARK2 stabilizes PER2 to regulate the circadian rhythm, and its loss in mice exhibits phase advancement and period shortening.

Discovery of MARK2 as a physiological kinase for PER2 in the mammalian clock

Unstructured transcription factor interactions enable emergent specificity How intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) influence chromatin binding and nuclear organization of transcription factors (TFs) remains unclear. We employed proximity-assisted photoactivation (PAPA), ...

Unstructured transcription factor interactions enable emergent specificity | @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

There is accumulating evidence that sperm miRNAs function to regulate embryonic gene expression and transmit inherited phenotypes to offspring but how does this work since sperm cargo is massively diluted in the egg upon fertilization. Here we directly address this ? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Single-molecule peptide sequencing through reverse translation of peptides into DNA - Nature Biotechnology Peptides are sequenced by converting each amino acid into amplifiable DNA barcodes.

Single-molecule peptide sequencing through reverse translation of peptides into DNA - @bioe-stanford.bsky.social go.nature.com/4sRPr2K

Quinone reductase 2 reads H3 serotonylation to support neuronal maturation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03...

We're searching for the next Director of the Duchossois Family Institute at UChicago

The most exciting leadership role in microbiome science right now: lead faculty, cutting-edge cores, and an FDA-approved facility for microbiome therapeutics

Email/DM me if interested

apply.interfolio.com/182203

A logic-gated trispecific engager enhances macrophage killing of cancer cells in solid tumors - Nature Biotechnology A trispecific macrophage engager amplifies the antitumor response of macrophages in solid tumors.

A logic-gated trispecific engager enhances macrophage killing of cancer cells in solid tumors go.nature.com/4uC0qiM

Endometriosis is an incredibly interesting disease 5k words, 23 minutes reading time

Note the analysis on the discordance between the health and economic burden of endometriosis vs relative federal investment in research. TL:DR, very bad.

www.owlposting.com/p/endometrio...

🚨 Our lab is hiring postdoctoral fellows in two different areas of research: (1) mitochondrial biology and (2) reproductive science. Postings are below, and you can visit bombawarczaklab.com to learn more about what we do!

Repro: apply.interfolio.com/183045
Mito: apply.interfolio.com/183230

A druggable redox switch on SHP1 controls macrophage inflammation @natchembio.nature.com @echouchani.bsky.social @danafarber.bsky.social @hhmi-science.bsky.social @stanforduniversity.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Drugs that inhibit KRAS signaling delay the development of pancreatic cancer in mice @science.org @upenn.edu
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Excited to share my new preprint from the McKinley lab, where we explored regenerative mechanisms across menstruation and pregnancy! We thought specialized glands would regenerate everything.

We were wrong.

But the real mechanism turned out to be way cooler :) 🧪🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Neonatal MCMV infection causes persistent and pathogenic microglial activation that drives late-onset neurodegeneration
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Diapausing bumble bee queens avoid drowning by using underwater respiration, anaerobic metabolism and profound metabolic depression Abstract. Overwintering bumble bee queens enter a state of diapause, remaining buried underground until spring. Remarkably, queens of the common eastern bu

full study in @royalsocietypublishing.org:

Memory loss is fuelled by gut microbes in ageing mice
www.nature.com/articles/d41... @nature.com @christophthaiss.bsky.social @maayanlevy.bsky.social @stanforduniversity.bsky.social @arcinstitute.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A modular genetic code expansion approach to site-specific lysine acylations A modular strategy combining genetic code expansion with a selective amide bond-forming reaction enables the site-specific installation of lysine acylations on folded proteins. Acylboronates react sel...

🚨 Our new paper is out! 🙌

Bioorthogonal reactions often create bulky, non-native linkages-great for labeling, but not ideal for installing natural PTMs.
We combine GCE with a chemoselective amide-bond forming reaction to install site-specific acylation PTMs.
www.cell.com/chem/fulltex...
1/4

INSTALL overcomes fundamental challenges for DNA delivery & integration methods by synergizing immune-stealth nucleic acids with recombinases to enable kb-scale integration strategies w/o viral vectors @nature.com @bkleinstiver.bsky.social @connorjtou.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Deltaviruses spread through a viral Trojan Horse Hepatitis D-like satellite viruses, known as deltaviruses, have been recently discovered in a wide range of animals. These viruses are thought to expr…

We found a viral Trojan Horse: a virus can hide inside another virus.This one surprised us: deltaviruses don’t just borrow a helper virus. They can travel inside it.
A literal Trojan Horse “virus-in-a-virus” route into cells. 🤯 Kudos to 1st author @viroscope.bsky.social and co-authors !

#microsky #synbiosky

Transporters matter!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The molecular basis of force selectivity by PIEZO2 Nature - PIEZO2 is intrinsically more rigid than PIEZO1, and disparate mechanical stimuli paradoxically evoke opposite conformational and gating responses in each channel.

New paper from the lab led by @ericmulhall.bsky.social addresses how PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 are tuned to different types mechanical forces. From nanometer-scale super-resolution microscopy to in vivo experiments, links single-molecule observations to physiological function.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...