The Ragusa Laboratory
@ragusalab.bsky.social
We study selective autophagy in yeast using a combination of cell biology, biochemical reconstitution and structural biology.
Pinned
Reconstitution of autophagic-like membrane tethering reveals that Atg11 can bind and cluster vesicles on cargo mimetics
Macroautophagy (hereafter, autophagy) is essential for the degradation of mitochondria from yeast to humans. Mitochondrial autophagy in yeast is initiated when the selective autophagy scaffolding p...
www.tandfonline.com
I'm very excited to share out latest work now published in Autophagy.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This work was led by Dr. Devika Andhare and demonstrates the membrane binding and clustering capabilities of Atg11 using a new reconstitution system.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This work was led by Dr. Devika Andhare and demonstrates the membrane binding and clustering capabilities of Atg11 using a new reconstitution system.
Our newest paper which demonstrates the uses of GUVs for monitoring membrane tethering is now available in MBoC www.molbiolcell.org/doi/10.1091/... Congratulations to @devika-andhare.bsky.social for her amazing work.
June 4, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Our newest paper which demonstrates the uses of GUVs for monitoring membrane tethering is now available in MBoC www.molbiolcell.org/doi/10.1091/... Congratulations to @devika-andhare.bsky.social for her amazing work.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
This has been a long journey and it's exiting to see our story about the Atg2-18 lipid transfer complex, headed by Sabrina Chumpen, published in @embojournal.org!
Great teamwork of the labs @arnemoeller.bsky.social, Stefano Vanni, Fulvio Reggiori and Christian Ungermann!
#cryoEM #autophagy #membrane
Great teamwork of the labs @arnemoeller.bsky.social, Stefano Vanni, Fulvio Reggiori and Christian Ungermann!
#cryoEM #autophagy #membrane
Atg18 interaction positions Atg2 for efficient lipid transfer into phagophore elongation
Sabrina Chumpen Ramirez, @dmitryshvarev.bsky.social et al
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Sabrina Chumpen Ramirez, @dmitryshvarev.bsky.social et al
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Atg18 interaction positions Atg2 for efficient lipid transfer into phagophore elongation - The EMBO Journal
During macroautophagy, the de novo formation of the autophagosome at a membrane contact site (MCS) with the endoplasmic reticulum requires directional lipid flux for the growth of the initial phagopho...
link.springer.com
May 20, 2026 at 3:45 PM
This has been a long journey and it's exiting to see our story about the Atg2-18 lipid transfer complex, headed by Sabrina Chumpen, published in @embojournal.org!
Great teamwork of the labs @arnemoeller.bsky.social, Stefano Vanni, Fulvio Reggiori and Christian Ungermann!
#cryoEM #autophagy #membrane
Great teamwork of the labs @arnemoeller.bsky.social, Stefano Vanni, Fulvio Reggiori and Christian Ungermann!
#cryoEM #autophagy #membrane
A huge congratulations to @devika-andhare.bsky.social for being selected as this years postdoctoral recipient of the E. Lucile Smith Award for Excellence in Biochemistry from @dartmouthbcb.bsky.social!
April 27, 2026 at 8:55 PM
A huge congratulations to @devika-andhare.bsky.social for being selected as this years postdoctoral recipient of the E. Lucile Smith Award for Excellence in Biochemistry from @dartmouthbcb.bsky.social!
Congratulations to Devika for her amazing images of GUVs with tethered liposomes which now appears on the cover of Autophagy.
February 23, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Congratulations to Devika for her amazing images of GUVs with tethered liposomes which now appears on the cover of Autophagy.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Happy to share the latest from the lab, led by Daniel Alvarez, in collaboration with @lizconibear.bsky.social. In this AA-MD tour-de-force, we delve deep into the mechanism and energetics of lipid uptake by bridge-like lipid transfer proteins, and we learn a few interesting things along the way...
August 7, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Happy to share the latest from the lab, led by Daniel Alvarez, in collaboration with @lizconibear.bsky.social. In this AA-MD tour-de-force, we delve deep into the mechanism and energetics of lipid uptake by bridge-like lipid transfer proteins, and we learn a few interesting things along the way...
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
🚨🚨🚨
The Trump administration has laid it out: comply with their ideological agenda or else…
This is how we lose free thought in American higher education.
The Trump administration has laid it out: comply with their ideological agenda or else…
This is how we lose free thought in American higher education.
The compact would require colleges to…cap the enrollment of international students + commit to strict definitions of gender…universities would also be required to change their governance structures to prohibit anything that would ‘punish, belittle + even spark violence against conservative ideas.’”
Honey, wake up: New unconstitutional extortion just dropped. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...
October 2, 2025 at 11:51 AM
🚨🚨🚨
The Trump administration has laid it out: comply with their ideological agenda or else…
This is how we lose free thought in American higher education.
The Trump administration has laid it out: comply with their ideological agenda or else…
This is how we lose free thought in American higher education.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Just a few days left to apply! If you do cool molecular/cell biology things and want to start a lab in a supportive department in New England please check out our ad.
My Department (Biology) at @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social is hiring this year! We have an opening for a Tenure Track Cell and/or Molecular biologist (broadly defined).
Please share with your trainees/labmates/friends and reach out if you have questions.
apply.interfolio.com/171625
Please share with your trainees/labmates/friends and reach out if you have questions.
apply.interfolio.com/171625
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Just a few days left to apply! If you do cool molecular/cell biology things and want to start a lab in a supportive department in New England please check out our ad.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
📢 Pre-print alert 📢 We are excited to share the lab's first research article! We used our artificial cortex system to investigate how membrane composition regulates self-organized cortical dyanamics. Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Membrane composition-dependent patterning of Rho and F-actin in an artificial cell cortex
Cortical excitability, a phenomenon in which the cell cortex is dynamically patterned with waves of F-actin assembly, has been described in a variety of animal model systems, including embryos of mamm...
www.biorxiv.org
August 1, 2025 at 2:02 PM
📢 Pre-print alert 📢 We are excited to share the lab's first research article! We used our artificial cortex system to investigate how membrane composition regulates self-organized cortical dyanamics. Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Excited to share the first paper from the lab! 🥳 The ATG9 and lipid droplets saga continues! Open source!
Liver-specific loss of Atg9a perturbs lipid metabolism and hepatocyte integrity
The autophagy-related protein ATG9A is integral to cellular autophagy and lipid mobilization, yet its importance in mammalian physiology remains underexplored. Using a liver-specific conditional At...
doi.org
September 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Excited to share the first paper from the lab! 🥳 The ATG9 and lipid droplets saga continues! Open source!
I'm very excited to share out latest work now published in Autophagy.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This work was led by Dr. Devika Andhare and demonstrates the membrane binding and clustering capabilities of Atg11 using a new reconstitution system.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This work was led by Dr. Devika Andhare and demonstrates the membrane binding and clustering capabilities of Atg11 using a new reconstitution system.
Reconstitution of autophagic-like membrane tethering reveals that Atg11 can bind and cluster vesicles on cargo mimetics
Macroautophagy (hereafter, autophagy) is essential for the degradation of mitochondria from yeast to humans. Mitochondrial autophagy in yeast is initiated when the selective autophagy scaffolding p...
www.tandfonline.com
September 3, 2025 at 12:48 PM
I'm very excited to share out latest work now published in Autophagy.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This work was led by Dr. Devika Andhare and demonstrates the membrane binding and clustering capabilities of Atg11 using a new reconstitution system.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This work was led by Dr. Devika Andhare and demonstrates the membrane binding and clustering capabilities of Atg11 using a new reconstitution system.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
ICYMI: New online: Structure and activation of the human autophagy-initiating ULK1C:PI3KC3-C1 supercomplex
Structure and activation of the human autophagy-initiating ULK1C:PI3KC3-C1 supercomplex
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Published online: 29 May 2025; doi:10.1038/s41594-025-01557-xAutophagy is initiated by the Unc-51-like kinase protein kinase complex (ULK1C) and class III phosphatidylinositol 3-OH kinase complex I (PI3KC3-C1). Here, the authors reveal the structure of the 2:1:1 core of ULK1C and its complex with PI3KC3-C1. ULK1C transitions to a 2:2:2 complex in the presence of PI3KC3-C1, suggesting a mechanism for autophagy induction.
go.nature.com
May 30, 2025 at 10:45 AM
ICYMI: New online: Structure and activation of the human autophagy-initiating ULK1C:PI3KC3-C1 supercomplex
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025
May 18, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
My ongoing request:
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
NSF appears to be terminating hundreds of its grants to Harvard, per internal sources at NSF and at Harvard. At least one division has had all its grants cut.
May 14, 2025 at 2:22 PM
My ongoing request:
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
If your NSF or NIH grant was terminated--whether at Harvard or elsewhere--please report it here.
NSF: grant-watch.us/submit-nsf.h...
NIH: grant-watch.us/submit-nih.h...
Our trackers are actively used in lawsuits and are often the only record that terminations ever occurred.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
As anticipated, the White House has officially requested an $18 billion cut to the FY2026 #NIH budget (among lots of other cuts). The full guidance from the White House to the appropriations committee is linked. NIH is on page 12. #braindrain #sciencexit
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
www.whitehouse.gov
May 2, 2025 at 8:11 PM
As anticipated, the White House has officially requested an $18 billion cut to the FY2026 #NIH budget (among lots of other cuts). The full guidance from the White House to the appropriations committee is linked. NIH is on page 12. #braindrain #sciencexit
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
In 100 days in office, US President Donald Trump has destabilized eight decades of government support for science.
This has included terminating more than 1,000 grants in areas such as climate change, cancer, and HIV prevention.
Will US science survive Trump 2.0?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
This has included terminating more than 1,000 grants in areas such as climate change, cancer, and HIV prevention.
Will US science survive Trump 2.0?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
April 29, 2025 at 11:42 AM
In 100 days in office, US President Donald Trump has destabilized eight decades of government support for science.
This has included terminating more than 1,000 grants in areas such as climate change, cancer, and HIV prevention.
Will US science survive Trump 2.0?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
This has included terminating more than 1,000 grants in areas such as climate change, cancer, and HIV prevention.
Will US science survive Trump 2.0?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Many congratulations to @pallavisgadgil.bsky.social for being awarded the Lucille Smith award for excellence in Biochemistry. This award is in honor of the memory of Dr. Lucille Smith. The first woman at Dartmouth to attain the rank of full professor!
April 25, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Many congratulations to @pallavisgadgil.bsky.social for being awarded the Lucille Smith award for excellence in Biochemistry. This award is in honor of the memory of Dr. Lucille Smith. The first woman at Dartmouth to attain the rank of full professor!
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
ACTION ITEM-----ACTION ITEM
Implementation of Schedule F
This is what a lot of us have been worried about.
This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.
BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...
1/n
Implementation of Schedule F
This is what a lot of us have been worried about.
This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.
BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...
1/n
the word alert is in a purple circle
ALT: the word alert is in a purple circle
media.tenor.com
April 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM
ACTION ITEM-----ACTION ITEM
Implementation of Schedule F
This is what a lot of us have been worried about.
This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.
BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...
1/n
Implementation of Schedule F
This is what a lot of us have been worried about.
This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.
BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...
1/n
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Over 200 people laid off or furloughed on my campus due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding NIH funding. We can expect this number to grow. I warned people of this in an op-ed in February, but was told I was being alarmist.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/16/b...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/16/b...
UMass Chan Medical School lays off or furloughs about 200 employees after NIH funding shortfall - The Boston Globe
The cuts come after the school saw a $30 million funding shortfall from long delays in funding new research grants from the National Institutes of Health.
www.bostonglobe.com
April 17, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Over 200 people laid off or furloughed on my campus due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding NIH funding. We can expect this number to grow. I warned people of this in an op-ed in February, but was told I was being alarmist.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/16/b...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/16/b...
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Exclusive: Weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered NIH to pull $250 million in biomedical research grants to Columbia University, the agency is freezing all remaining grant money owed to the university until further notice. scim.ag/4if5Rg1
NIH freezes all research grants to Columbia University
Amid negotiations with Trump, the university could risk losing nearly $700 million
scim.ag
April 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Exclusive: Weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered NIH to pull $250 million in biomedical research grants to Columbia University, the agency is freezing all remaining grant money owed to the university until further notice. scim.ag/4if5Rg1
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
I have learned that the directors of ALL: PREP, IMSD, and IRACDA programs across the country have received similar cancelation notices. This follows previous cancellations of MARC and URISE programs. This further dismantles the mechanisms that enable scientific training opportunities for SO MANY.
You want to know the best way to show thanks for chairing a study section? Early the next morning sent them a termination notice for their PREP training grant.
Just completed day 2 of chairing a NIH study section. Brain is tired after intently listening and leading discussions of ~40 apps. So fulfilling to hear the passion people have for others' science, and heartwarming to see so many people who care about the training and environment of others 🫶 (299!)
April 2, 2025 at 8:49 PM
I have learned that the directors of ALL: PREP, IMSD, and IRACDA programs across the country have received similar cancelation notices. This follows previous cancellations of MARC and URISE programs. This further dismantles the mechanisms that enable scientific training opportunities for SO MANY.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Today I received notice that our IMSD T32 has been terminated. This program was the culmination of ~10 years of work we put into building our community. I don’t quite have the words. 💔
April 2, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Today I received notice that our IMSD T32 has been terminated. This program was the culmination of ~10 years of work we put into building our community. I don’t quite have the words. 💔
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
Dr. Richard Youle was fired today. He is an eminent scientist who has done important work on brain diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s.
Musk and Trump are stopping NIH research into cures, for diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s. Americans did not vote for this.
Musk and Trump are stopping NIH research into cures, for diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s. Americans did not vote for this.
NEW: The doctor behind breakthrough Parkinson’s research was among the scientists purged from the National Institutes of Health, the US’s leading medical research agency. www.wired.com/story/doctor...
Doctor Behind Award-Winning Parkinson’s Research Among Scientists Purged From NIH
Leading scientists at the National Institutes of Health, the US’s leading medical research agency, were swept up Tuesday in the Trump administration's latest firing blitz.
www.wired.com
April 2, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Dr. Richard Youle was fired today. He is an eminent scientist who has done important work on brain diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s.
Musk and Trump are stopping NIH research into cures, for diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s. Americans did not vote for this.
Musk and Trump are stopping NIH research into cures, for diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s. Americans did not vote for this.
Reposted by The Ragusa Laboratory
In situ cryo-ET visualization of mitochondrial depolarization and mitophagic engulfment https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.24.645001v1
March 25, 2025 at 4:31 PM
In situ cryo-ET visualization of mitochondrial depolarization and mitophagic engulfment https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.24.645001v1