Matthias Soller

After 5 years of developing, a new preprint from the lab - introducing our workflow for comparative insect connectomics, aimed at democratizing connectomics. @erc.europa.eu @lundvision.bsky.social @biologylu.bsky.social Read it here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Small‐Molecule Activation of mRNA Translation by Click‐to‐Release Reaction in Cells A new method to control mRNA activity using bioorthogonal click-to-release reactions is presented. The 5′ cap is modified with a trans-cyclooctene (TCO) that quickly reacts with hydroxyaryl-tetrazine...

Pleased to share our latest work: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social.

A symbiotic origin of the ribosome? Abstract. The origin of life is one of the great mysteries of science. Of the multiple unsolved problems, the origin of the translation system (the means b

Was the ribosome originally a parasite? Seems fantastical to me. academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

I once saved one trapped in a fence - lovely birds.

Excellent work, but what a pity - no speckles in flies!

Our most recent work on the “function and evolution” of #nuclear-speckles is now online at Cell @cp-cell.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Read the thread👇 for the highlights of our findings.

Nuclear speckles enable processing of RNA from GC-rich isochores Nuclear speckles are key subnuclear structures that regulate gene expression in GC-rich regions. This work shows that the evolution and expansion of core speckle proteins were crucial for the increase...

The function of nuclear speckles is revealed! This is an incredibly important paper with absolutely beautiful data! Wow! www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Amen 🙏🏻 🤲🏻
A wise person once told me "all antibodies are non-specific until proven otherwise" I was just telling this to my students today 🤯

🎉Proud to present our latest paper, out now in Nature Communications: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs) are often full of intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), but what these regions do during RNA recognition is often unclear. 1/10
#RNA #IDR #RBP

Early-bird registration discounts for CRISPR 2026 expire Feb 28. CRISPR 2026, held at Yale University, June 10 - 12, is the continuation of the original CRISPR meeting established in 2008.

Register here: web.cvent.com/event/ac20b6...

Ribosomal RNA expansion segments mediate the oligomerization of inactive animal ribosomes Cells down-regulate protein synthesis when stressed to conserve energy and shift resources toward repair. We found that in some mammalian cells, including neurons, stress also resulted in the formatio...

Hibernating ribosomes - Molecular insights on discoveries from the 1960ies

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

UKRI CEO updates the research community on areas of uncertainty Following an open letter of 1 February, Sir Ian Chapman responds to feedback and provides an update.

For those following the developments of research funding in the UK, here is another letter from Ian Chapman about UKRI:
www.ukri.org/news/ukri-ce...

Research Fellow at University of Birmingham Discover Research Fellow jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.

We are hiring 2 Postdoctoral fellows for our lab (www.mueller-lab.org): 1, Transcription control of metabolic adaptation in development (shorturl.at/oeG6U).
2, Semantic rules of developmental gene regulation (shorturl.at/KdHmJ)
#jobs #transcription #zebrafish #zebrafishrock #IZFS

Structures of viral 4E bound to modified mRNA 5' caps including 2`O-ribose methylation - very nice work!

Using our bee-tracking drone, we discovered that honey bees 🐝 have highly precise and individual routes. Now published at @currentbiology.bsky.social : doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

Our new preprint is out!

A state-dependent neural circuit resolves approach–avoidance conflicts

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

Fantastic work led by Devika Bodas, with key contributions from Marine Balcou, and a great collaboration with Lisa Scheunemann Lab, fearuting Şevval Demirci.

as SPSN lines also express in a few neurons in the brain that can induce a sex peptide response.

Sex Peptide Response Inducing Neurons (SPRINz) in the brain, not SPSN in the genital tract induce post-mating responses from membrane-tethered sex peptide expression.

but SPSN express in a few neurons in the brain that can induce a sex peptide response.

SPRINz, not SPSN induce post-mating responses from membrane-tethered sex peptide expression.

A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...

Ooooh. Cool new paper on origins of life. A simple 45-nucleotide RNA molecule that can perfectly copy itself.

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

We identified five populations of Sex Peptide Response Inducing Neurons (SPRINz) in the brain.
elifesciences.org/articles/98283

Sex peptide targets distinct higher order processing neurons in the brain to induce the female post-mating response
#Drosophila

Fruit fly study reveals how mating triggers behavioural changes in females Researchers from The Universities of Manchester and Birmingham have identified the exact nerve cells in the brain that drive important behavioural changes in female fruit flies after they mate.The dis...

See our fantastic story in @elife.bsky.social from Karthik Nallasivan and @deepanshund.bsky.social well distilled by our press office champion Michel Addelman @mcf-uom.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...

www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/f...

Sex peptide targets distinct higher order processing neurons in the brain to induce the female post-mating response Sex peptide response-inducing neurons (SPRINz) in the central brain can induce female post-mating responses through sex peptide received by mating.

Excited to share our tour de force in identifying neurons in the brain as targets of a seminal peptide thanks to Karthik Nallasivan and @deepanshund.bsky.social @mcf-uom.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social published in @elife.bsky.social

elifesciences.org/articles/98283

Better funding exciting research!

At Hudson Institute, researchers found that 3-base RNA fragments with a 2′-O-methyl guanosine can block immune sensors TLR7 and TLR8.

This natural mechanism helps prevent autoimmunity and may guide future anti-inflammatory therapies.

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

YouTube video by Atomic Video Jukebox Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi (Music Video with English Subs)

And there is Plastic Bertrand
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPtx...

One week left to apply for the postdoc position at MRC-LMB in Cambridge. Join our team for an exciting project on transcription-coupled splicing to understand human gene regulation 🧬 Feel free to get in touch directly
#postdoc #cryoEM #biochemistry

Signaling to make human ribosomes: Connections between the cytoplasm and the nucleolus Lawrence et al. examine how ribosome production in the eukaryotic nucleolus is coordinated by cytoplasmic processes to maintain appropriate ribosome numbers. The authors highlight regulatory inputs from cytoplasmic signaling, mitosis, and cytoplasmic organelles that converge on nucleolar function, and they discuss how disruption of these pathways contributes to human disease.

Signaling to make human ribosomes: Connections between the cytoplasm and the nucleolus