Bagnat Lab

“Overall, our study illustrates that genome wide transcriptional changes underly adaptation mechanisms that enhance intestinal function and organismal survival in response to protein malnutrition.”

New work from @bagnatlab.bsky.social & Dr. Jieun Park at UNC 🐟

Priyom Adhyapok

Oscillator phases (circles) with averages (squares) on the unit circle as a function of time

.@priyomadhyapok.bsky.social of @duke-university.bsky.social will kick off the #SDBPostdocSeminar with her talk "A biological oscillator controls the pace of notochord segmentation" Image: Oscillator phases (circles) with averages (squares) on the unit circle as a function of time

zSwim, the zebrafish lab management software we’ve been developing is now officially listed in Duke OT&C’s technology portfolio! We’re launching an official Duke pilot in March 2026 at the new Ze-Core facility! If you’re in the zebrafish community, check it out!

otc.duke.edu/technologies...

The mouse neonatal small intestine is regionally specialized for protein absorption and transepithelial transport Summary: Regional differences in endocytosis along the neonatal mammalian intestine reveal how different areas of the neonatal gut uniquely handle protein transport.

Excited to share our new paper by Dr. Carina Block! We combine in vivo and ex vivo cargo transport assays with transcriptomic and genetic approaches in mice to uncover distinct roles for jejunal and ileal neonatal enterocytes. Check out the cover too!

Link: journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

Cell membranes sustain phospholipid imbalance via cholesterol asymmetry This work challenges a major assumption in cell biology by showing that lipid bilayers can have drastically different phospholipid abundances between their two leaflets. This lipid abundance asymmetry is enabled by the unique properties of cholesterol and endows biomembranes with distinctive properties and physiological roles.

Now online! Cell membranes sustain phospholipid imbalance via cholesterol asymmetry

What an important finding on how lipid asymmetry is maintained in membranes that has important biological implications! Well done!

Congrats, Dr. Childers 🎉 #YouRock #PhDone

Thank you!

Congratulations to Dr. Laura on her hooding ceremony this past weekend! Laura has been an invaluable member of our lab, and we hope the ceremony honored her complex journey to completing her Ph.D.- very well deserved Laura!

#grad2025 #dukeuniversity

Interphase cell morphology defines the mode, symmetry, and outcome of mitosis During tissue formation, dynamic cell shape changes drive morphogenesis while asymmetric divisions create cellular diversity. We found that the shifts in cell morphology that shape tissues could conco...

What an elegant study showing that the mode and shape of cell division is defined by interphase morphology! This work suggests how cell fate and morphological asymmetries can be propagated via cell division in tissues.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#academiasky

Impressive paper demonstrating targeted nucleotide substitution and 3- 30bp addition successfully in zebrafish!

Specific mitotic events drive left-right organizer development Cell proliferation is crucial for tissue development. Here, we investigate its role in the Left-Right Organizer (LRO), which establishes the left-right (LR) axis. In zebrafish, we mapped mitotic event...

Exciting paper from our collaborator! Using sophisticated laser ablation studies, Wu et al find that early mitotic events in specific Kupffer’s Vesicle cells are crucial for morphogenesis and lumen formation.

Check it out! doi.org/10.1242/dev....

This is fantastic! Beautiful work showing a striking adaptive growth of the mammalian female gut during pregnancy.

An optogenetic toolkit for robust activation of FGF, BMP, and Nodal signaling in zebrafish Cell signaling regulates a wide range of biological processes including development, homeostasis, and disease. Accessible technologies to precisely manipulate signaling have important applications in ...

Happy to share a new preprint from my lab! We characterize the on/off kinetics, light dosage-dependence, and more for a suite of optogenetic signaling activators in zebrafish embryos 💡 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Exciting new toolkit with multiple applications!! Congratulations 🥳

Wondergrads Claudia (left) and Reed (right) presented at Duke's Undergraduate Research Symposium! Congratulations on some great work!

#scisky #academicsky #undergradresearch

Cell expansion for notochord mechanics and endochondral bone lengthening in zebrafish depends on the 5'-inositol phosphatase Inppl1a - PubMed Cell size is a key contributor to tissue morphogenesis. As a notable example, growth plate hypertrophic chondrocytes use cellular biogenesis and disproportionate fluid uptake to expand 10 to 20 times ...

Beautiful paper from the Gray lab showing that vacuole expansion in notochord cells is crucial for proper spine formation! Check it out!

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40209709/

#zebrafish #scisky #academicsky

Very interesting manuscript linking cell division asymmetries with zygotic genome activation (ZGA). It will be interesting to find out how factors involved in ZGA are affected by changes in nucleocytoplasmic ratios. Congratulations!

#HiSciSky #scisky #academicsky #zebrafish

Excited to announce our lab's preprint has been officially published! Discover how gut cells and the microbiome regulate protein absorption in zebrafish!
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
@elife.bsky.social
@zebrafishrock.bsky.social y.social

Congratulations!

Holiday party! Nothing fishy here, just good food and great company. (psss. isn't our elf adorable?)
#holidayparty #sciencefun

Hi! 😁

Thank you!

Microbiome: Balancing microbial composition through diet A reciprocal interaction between gut bacteria and gut cells affects protein absorption in the host.

#HiSciSky #scisky #academicsky

Excited to share our lab's latest preprint! Discover how gut microbes influence protein absorption in zebrafish.
@elife.bsky.social @zebrafishrock.bsky.social

elifesciences.org/articles/104...

Hello from the Bagnat Lab! ✨

We’re diving into the mysteries of organ development and physiology using zebrafish as our tiny research heroes 🐠.

Follow us for updates on our discoveries, lab adventures, and the occasional fish pun (because science should make a splash and a smile).