Fire amoeba can build a mitotic spindle and midbody at 63°C??! Paper in Cell here: www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... 🧪🔥 #cellbio #cytokinesis #abscission
Scientists have found a species they've named the fire amoeba, which is capable of reproducing at 145°F and continuing to move up to temperatures of 147°F — a record for complex eukaryotic life. n.pr/4h8AWoj
This 'fire amoeba' pushes the limit of what's possible for complex life
Scientists have found a species they've named the fire amoeba, which is capable of reproducing at 145°F and continuing to move up to temperatures of 147°F — a record for complex eukaryotic life.
n.pr
September 25, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Fire amoeba can build a mitotic spindle and midbody at 63°C??! Paper in Cell here: www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... 🧪🔥 #cellbio #cytokinesis #abscission
Congratulations to Katie Vaeth, a co-mentored PhD student in my and Matt Taliaferro's labs, with successful defense of her PhD. She has done a phenomenal and trailblazing work on the role of RNA targeting to the midbody during cell division. Job well done Dr. Katie Vaeth!
September 23, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Congratulations to Katie Vaeth, a co-mentored PhD student in my and Matt Taliaferro's labs, with successful defense of her PhD. She has done a phenomenal and trailblazing work on the role of RNA targeting to the midbody during cell division. Job well done Dr. Katie Vaeth!
trial ran this outfit yesterday but it does indeed do very interesting things to my silhouette
September 11, 2026 at 9:34 PM
trial ran this outfit yesterday but it does indeed do very interesting things to my silhouette
2/x Built in 1944 as a T2 tanker, one of hundreds of wartime standard hulls, she was cut apart in the 1960s and given a new midbody to carry coal. By 1983, she was 39, running Norfolk to a Massachusetts power station, over and over.
September 8, 2026 at 3:08 PM
2/x Built in 1944 as a T2 tanker, one of hundreds of wartime standard hulls, she was cut apart in the 1960s and given a new midbody to carry coal. By 1983, she was 39, running Norfolk to a Massachusetts power station, over and over.
20/x The return trip east was harder. The hull was holed twice in the midbody, in a section that had not been strengthened, and a cargo tank flooded with seawater. She kept going. On 8 November 1969 she came into New York harbour to fireboats, sirens and a ticker tape welcome.
September 2, 2026 at 5:36 AM
20/x The return trip east was harder. The hull was holed twice in the midbody, in a section that had not been strengthened, and a cargo tank flooded with seawater. She kept going. On 8 November 1969 she came into New York harbour to fireboats, sirens and a ticker tape welcome.
12/x Around the hull went an ice belt of 38 mm plate, sponsons along the midbody that widened her by 16 feet to 148. Stronger propellers and shafts, guards over the rudders, strain gauges through the hull. Lukens Steel alone supplied 5,000 tons. Cost: about 54 million dollars.
September 2, 2026 at 5:36 AM
12/x Around the hull went an ice belt of 38 mm plate, sponsons along the midbody that widened her by 16 feet to 148. Stronger propellers and shafts, guards over the rudders, strain gauges through the hull. Lukens Steel alone supplied 5,000 tons. Cost: about 54 million dollars.
What a great manuscript and fantastic thread below from a pair of local @the.3i.social customers in Denver @cuanschutz.bsky.social. Props to both Matt, @jmtali.bsky.social Rytis @prekerislab.bsky.social and the larger community in both groups for a cool collaborative work highlighted the midbody! 🔬🧬
Excited to share our newest work! We asked whether RNA molecules need to be in a specific place in the cell to do their job. We found that a single RNA must reach the midbody, the structure that pinches two dividing cells apart, for cell division to finish efficiently. 🧵⬇️
August 12, 2026 at 9:30 PM
What a great manuscript and fantastic thread below from a pair of local @the.3i.social customers in Denver @cuanschutz.bsky.social. Props to both Matt, @jmtali.bsky.social Rytis @prekerislab.bsky.social and the larger community in both groups for a cool collaborative work highlighted the midbody! 🔬🧬
21/
🎯 Bottom line: Net1 mRNA has to reach the midbody for cells to complete abscission efficiently, and Net1 protein is a new player in building the branched actin network that makes abscission, and faithful cell division, possible.
🎯 Bottom line: Net1 mRNA has to reach the midbody for cells to complete abscission efficiently, and Net1 protein is a new player in building the branched actin network that makes abscission, and faithful cell division, possible.
August 12, 2026 at 3:48 PM
21/
🎯 Bottom line: Net1 mRNA has to reach the midbody for cells to complete abscission efficiently, and Net1 protein is a new player in building the branched actin network that makes abscission, and faithful cell division, possible.
🎯 Bottom line: Net1 mRNA has to reach the midbody for cells to complete abscission efficiently, and Net1 protein is a new player in building the branched actin network that makes abscission, and faithful cell division, possible.
20/
We tested this by measuring Arp2/3 buildup at the midbody across our cell lines. Arp2/3 accumulation was lost in Net1 knockouts, restored by the full-length UTR rescue, and NOT restored by the ΔLE rescue, exactly what our model predicted.
We tested this by measuring Arp2/3 buildup at the midbody across our cell lines. Arp2/3 accumulation was lost in Net1 knockouts, restored by the full-length UTR rescue, and NOT restored by the ΔLE rescue, exactly what our model predicted.
August 12, 2026 at 3:47 PM
20/
We tested this by measuring Arp2/3 buildup at the midbody across our cell lines. Arp2/3 accumulation was lost in Net1 knockouts, restored by the full-length UTR rescue, and NOT restored by the ΔLE rescue, exactly what our model predicted.
We tested this by measuring Arp2/3 buildup at the midbody across our cell lines. Arp2/3 accumulation was lost in Net1 knockouts, restored by the full-length UTR rescue, and NOT restored by the ΔLE rescue, exactly what our model predicted.
14/
But what's the mechanism? Does having Net1 mRNA at the midbody actually build up more Net1 protein there? Using our knockout/rescue system: yes! Only Net1 protein made from RNA containing the LE showed up in meaningful amounts near the midbody.
But what's the mechanism? Does having Net1 mRNA at the midbody actually build up more Net1 protein there? Using our knockout/rescue system: yes! Only Net1 protein made from RNA containing the LE showed up in meaningful amounts near the midbody.
August 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
14/
But what's the mechanism? Does having Net1 mRNA at the midbody actually build up more Net1 protein there? Using our knockout/rescue system: yes! Only Net1 protein made from RNA containing the LE showed up in meaningful amounts near the midbody.
But what's the mechanism? Does having Net1 mRNA at the midbody actually build up more Net1 protein there? Using our knockout/rescue system: yes! Only Net1 protein made from RNA containing the LE showed up in meaningful amounts near the midbody.
13/
🔑 So, to recap: an RNA gets trafficked to the midbody during cell division, and when it's missing, the midbody can't finish its job (abscission). This may be a clear-cut example where localizing a specific RNA has a defined, essential function!
🔑 So, to recap: an RNA gets trafficked to the midbody during cell division, and when it's missing, the midbody can't finish its job (abscission). This may be a clear-cut example where localizing a specific RNA has a defined, essential function!
August 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
13/
🔑 So, to recap: an RNA gets trafficked to the midbody during cell division, and when it's missing, the midbody can't finish its job (abscission). This may be a clear-cut example where localizing a specific RNA has a defined, essential function!
🔑 So, to recap: an RNA gets trafficked to the midbody during cell division, and when it's missing, the midbody can't finish its job (abscission). This may be a clear-cut example where localizing a specific RNA has a defined, essential function!
12/
So where exactly does the cell cycle stall when Net1 RNA can't get to the midbody? Net1 knockout cells linger too long in telophase, the last stage of mitosis, pointing to a problem with abscission itself. The full-length UTR transgene fixed this. The ΔLE version didn't.
So where exactly does the cell cycle stall when Net1 RNA can't get to the midbody? Net1 knockout cells linger too long in telophase, the last stage of mitosis, pointing to a problem with abscission itself. The full-length UTR transgene fixed this. The ΔLE version didn't.
August 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
12/
So where exactly does the cell cycle stall when Net1 RNA can't get to the midbody? Net1 knockout cells linger too long in telophase, the last stage of mitosis, pointing to a problem with abscission itself. The full-length UTR transgene fixed this. The ΔLE version didn't.
So where exactly does the cell cycle stall when Net1 RNA can't get to the midbody? Net1 knockout cells linger too long in telophase, the last stage of mitosis, pointing to a problem with abscission itself. The full-length UTR transgene fixed this. The ΔLE version didn't.
11/
To confirm this wasn't a fluke, we made a Net1 knockout line and rescued it with Net1 transgenes carrying either the full 3' UTR (traffics to the midbody) or a version missing the LE, "ΔLE" (doesn't traffic). Again, the LE was required for cells to divide efficiently.
To confirm this wasn't a fluke, we made a Net1 knockout line and rescued it with Net1 transgenes carrying either the full 3' UTR (traffics to the midbody) or a version missing the LE, "ΔLE" (doesn't traffic). Again, the LE was required for cells to divide efficiently.
August 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
11/
To confirm this wasn't a fluke, we made a Net1 knockout line and rescued it with Net1 transgenes carrying either the full 3' UTR (traffics to the midbody) or a version missing the LE, "ΔLE" (doesn't traffic). Again, the LE was required for cells to divide efficiently.
To confirm this wasn't a fluke, we made a Net1 knockout line and rescued it with Net1 transgenes carrying either the full 3' UTR (traffics to the midbody) or a version missing the LE, "ΔLE" (doesn't traffic). Again, the LE was required for cells to divide efficiently.
10/
Now we finally knew what to target! We used antisense oligos (ASOs), short synthetic sequences that bind to and block a specific stretch of RNA, against the LE. They blocked Net1 RNA from reaching the midbody. And, unexpectedly, cell division slowed way down! ⏳
Now we finally knew what to target! We used antisense oligos (ASOs), short synthetic sequences that bind to and block a specific stretch of RNA, against the LE. They blocked Net1 RNA from reaching the midbody. And, unexpectedly, cell division slowed way down! ⏳
August 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM
10/
Now we finally knew what to target! We used antisense oligos (ASOs), short synthetic sequences that bind to and block a specific stretch of RNA, against the LE. They blocked Net1 RNA from reaching the midbody. And, unexpectedly, cell division slowed way down! ⏳
Now we finally knew what to target! We used antisense oligos (ASOs), short synthetic sequences that bind to and block a specific stretch of RNA, against the LE. They blocked Net1 RNA from reaching the midbody. And, unexpectedly, cell division slowed way down! ⏳
9/
One region in the middle of the UTR stood out. Oligos from it were enough on their own to send the reporter to the midbody. We called this the "localization element" (LE). Removing just this region also blocked transport, so it's both sufficient and necessary.
One region in the middle of the UTR stood out. Oligos from it were enough on their own to send the reporter to the midbody. We called this the "localization element" (LE). Removing just this region also blocked transport, so it's both sufficient and necessary.
August 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM
9/
One region in the middle of the UTR stood out. Oligos from it were enough on their own to send the reporter to the midbody. We called this the "localization element" (LE). Removing just this region also blocked transport, so it's both sufficient and necessary.
One region in the middle of the UTR stood out. Oligos from it were enough on their own to send the reporter to the midbody. We called this the "localization element" (LE). Removing just this region also blocked transport, so it's both sufficient and necessary.
8/
Okay, but which sequences *within* that 3' UTR are doing the work? To find out, we used a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA). We tiled ~500 short DNA pieces across the Net1 3' UTR, put each into a reporter RNA, and measured how well each one reached the midbody.
Okay, but which sequences *within* that 3' UTR are doing the work? To find out, we used a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA). We tiled ~500 short DNA pieces across the Net1 3' UTR, put each into a reporter RNA, and measured how well each one reached the midbody.
August 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM
8/
Okay, but which sequences *within* that 3' UTR are doing the work? To find out, we used a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA). We tiled ~500 short DNA pieces across the Net1 3' UTR, put each into a reporter RNA, and measured how well each one reached the midbody.
Okay, but which sequences *within* that 3' UTR are doing the work? To find out, we used a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA). We tiled ~500 short DNA pieces across the Net1 3' UTR, put each into a reporter RNA, and measured how well each one reached the midbody.
7/
Many "zip code" sequences that direct RNAs to specific places live in the 3' UTR, the tail end of an RNA that doesn't code for protein. We fused Net1's 3' UTR to a reporter RNA and tracked it by RT-qPCR. Net1's 3' UTR alone was enough to send the reporter to the midbody.
Many "zip code" sequences that direct RNAs to specific places live in the 3' UTR, the tail end of an RNA that doesn't code for protein. We fused Net1's 3' UTR to a reporter RNA and tracked it by RT-qPCR. Net1's 3' UTR alone was enough to send the reporter to the midbody.
August 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM
7/
Many "zip code" sequences that direct RNAs to specific places live in the 3' UTR, the tail end of an RNA that doesn't code for protein. We fused Net1's 3' UTR to a reporter RNA and tracked it by RT-qPCR. Net1's 3' UTR alone was enough to send the reporter to the midbody.
Many "zip code" sequences that direct RNAs to specific places live in the 3' UTR, the tail end of an RNA that doesn't code for protein. We fused Net1's 3' UTR to a reporter RNA and tracked it by RT-qPCR. Net1's 3' UTR alone was enough to send the reporter to the midbody.
6/
Luckily, we can isolate the RNA contents of midbodies and compare them to whole cells. We and others had already found that specific RNAs are shuttled to the midbody. We started with one of the most enriched RNAs, Net1, and asked: how does it get there?
Luckily, we can isolate the RNA contents of midbodies and compare them to whole cells. We and others had already found that specific RNAs are shuttled to the midbody. We started with one of the most enriched RNAs, Net1, and asked: how does it get there?
August 12, 2026 at 3:44 PM
6/
Luckily, we can isolate the RNA contents of midbodies and compare them to whole cells. We and others had already found that specific RNAs are shuttled to the midbody. We started with one of the most enriched RNAs, Net1, and asked: how does it get there?
Luckily, we can isolate the RNA contents of midbodies and compare them to whole cells. We and others had already found that specific RNAs are shuttled to the midbody. We started with one of the most enriched RNAs, Net1, and asked: how does it get there?
4/
Some background: the midbody recruits a series of proteins to carry out abscission. But are RNA molecules recruited too? And if so, does it actually matter? Does having RNA there help the midbody do its job?
Some background: the midbody recruits a series of proteins to carry out abscission. But are RNA molecules recruited too? And if so, does it actually matter? Does having RNA there help the midbody do its job?
August 12, 2026 at 3:44 PM
4/
Some background: the midbody recruits a series of proteins to carry out abscission. But are RNA molecules recruited too? And if so, does it actually matter? Does having RNA there help the midbody do its job?
Some background: the midbody recruits a series of proteins to carry out abscission. But are RNA molecules recruited too? And if so, does it actually matter? Does having RNA there help the midbody do its job?
3/
Our lab studies how RNA molecules get trafficked to specific spots in the cell and why that matters for cell function. The Prekeris lab are experts on the midbody and how it drives cell division and abscission, the final "cut" that separates two new cells.
Our lab studies how RNA molecules get trafficked to specific spots in the cell and why that matters for cell function. The Prekeris lab are experts on the midbody and how it drives cell division and abscission, the final "cut" that separates two new cells.
August 12, 2026 at 3:44 PM
3/
Our lab studies how RNA molecules get trafficked to specific spots in the cell and why that matters for cell function. The Prekeris lab are experts on the midbody and how it drives cell division and abscission, the final "cut" that separates two new cells.
Our lab studies how RNA molecules get trafficked to specific spots in the cell and why that matters for cell function. The Prekeris lab are experts on the midbody and how it drives cell division and abscission, the final "cut" that separates two new cells.
This work was led by an incredible graduate student, Katie Vaeth, and was a truly wonderful collaboration between our lab and cell division expert @prekerislab.bsky.social @cuanschutz.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
NET1 mRNA localization to the midbody is required for ARP2/3-dependent initiation of mitotic abscission
The recruitment and activation of abscission machinery following mitosis is tightly spatiotemporally regulated, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We find that RNA localization an...
www.biorxiv.org
August 12, 2026 at 3:44 PM
This work was led by an incredible graduate student, Katie Vaeth, and was a truly wonderful collaboration between our lab and cell division expert @prekerislab.bsky.social @cuanschutz.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Excited to share our newest work! We asked whether RNA molecules need to be in a specific place in the cell to do their job. We found that a single RNA must reach the midbody, the structure that pinches two dividing cells apart, for cell division to finish efficiently. 🧵⬇️
August 12, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Excited to share our newest work! We asked whether RNA molecules need to be in a specific place in the cell to do their job. We found that a single RNA must reach the midbody, the structure that pinches two dividing cells apart, for cell division to finish efficiently. 🧵⬇️
NET1 mRNA localization to the midbody is required for ARP2/3-dependent initiation of mitotic abscission https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.07.743554v1
August 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM
NET1 mRNA localization to the midbody is required for ARP2/3-dependent initiation of mitotic abscission https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.07.743554v1
NET1 mRNA localization to the midbody is required for ARP2/3-dependent initiation of mitotic abscission https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.07.743554v1
August 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM
NET1 mRNA localization to the midbody is required for ARP2/3-dependent initiation of mitotic abscission https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.07.743554v1
A practice drawing i made in order to improve my lineart line weight and shading teqnnique.
The character of the drawing dosent have a name, yet.
#VgenArtist #practice #digitalart #devianartartist #lineart #artstudy #cartoonstyle #oc #namelessoc #fullcolor #midbody #knitcap
The character of the drawing dosent have a name, yet.
#VgenArtist #practice #digitalart #devianartartist #lineart #artstudy #cartoonstyle #oc #namelessoc #fullcolor #midbody #knitcap
August 7, 2026 at 5:28 AM
A practice drawing i made in order to improve my lineart line weight and shading teqnnique.
The character of the drawing dosent have a name, yet.
#VgenArtist #practice #digitalart #devianartartist #lineart #artstudy #cartoonstyle #oc #namelessoc #fullcolor #midbody #knitcap
The character of the drawing dosent have a name, yet.
#VgenArtist #practice #digitalart #devianartartist #lineart #artstudy #cartoonstyle #oc #namelessoc #fullcolor #midbody #knitcap