iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Me and Puss, Australia late 70s. She doesn't loo too sure.

Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Nice paper by Ji Sun and Dario Alessi labs describing multiple distinct Rab GTPase binding sites in the LRRK2 kinase involved in Parkinson Disease.

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

I use a combination of Multalin and Espript. Then import the AlphaFold prediction of the protein of interest and it generates a fairly nice image with the sequence and AF-derived secondary structure overlaid.

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Just to highlight the specific wording.

Recommended implementation pathways to protect and support foundational research
include:
• Beginning in 2026 and over the forward estimates, return ARC and NHMRC to at
least the historic levels of investment (in real terms) and use it as the basis for
indexation.
• Index ARC and NHMRC funding to ensure the investment in basic research is
maintained in real terms and reflects the practical cost of research inputs.
• Set long term goals for foundational research investment that would achieve
globally competitive funding levels.
• Reform the RSP to:
– cover the additional costs from increases to competitive grants, notably the
introduction of the MRFF
– provide dedicated funding to support the indirect costs of eligible
competitive grants, lifting support from 18.4% to 20% as an initial step
towards sustainable funding arrangements over time, and apply indexation
in line with ARC and the NHMRC funding
– provide dedicated funding to incentivise industry grants, with support
increasing from 13.8% to 15%, as an initial step towards sustainable funding
arrangements over time.

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Looking forward to the 93rd UK Biochemical Society Harden Conference on “Endosomal-lysosomal network dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease” over the 1st to 4th of September 2026. Early bird deadline 1st June 2026. www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...

Banner for 93rd UK Biochemical Society Harden Conference on “Endosomal-lysosomal network dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease” over the 1st to 4th of September 2026

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Liyu Chen from QBI at UQ talking on her work to probe and cross the blood brain barrier. @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

First speaker of last day of Lorne Proteins. Arun Shukla on the mechanism of arrestin coupling to GPCRs. @arshukla.bsky.social @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Emily Furlong (UQ alumnus 😄) talking about her new work on ABC transporters. @emfurlong.bsky.social @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Last but not least speaker in the Anders session. Bronte Johnstone @bjohnstone.bsky.social @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Third speaker Brian Cary from Monash on the GPCR arrestin complex. @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Yan Jiang is the next Anders session speaker presenting her work on the SLC1A transporter. @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

First speaker Ashleigh Kropp of the most fun session of the Lorne Protein Meeting the Anders Young Investigators session. @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Thermo Fisher workshop on latest cryoelectron microscopy advances at Lorne Protein @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Gavin Knott in the Anders session at Lorne on antiphage defence proteins. @knottrna.bsky.social @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Kate Michie talking about her work on archaeal cytoskeleton. @lorneproteins.bsky.social

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

However, both structure-based and sequences-based phylogenies suggest the closest ancestor is found in the Myxococotta bacterial clade, species that have apparently contributed other membrane associated genes to the nascent eukaryotic lineage. 9/n

Phylogeny diagram of COMMD-like protein evolution.

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

AlphaFold modelling, crystal structures and cryoEM structures further confirmed that these proteins form homooctameric and homodecameric rings, that are assembled in an identical way to the hetero-decameric structures of the eukaryotic COMMD proteins. 7/n

Crystal and cryoEM structures of COMMD-like protein from bacteria

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Purification of ten examples of the COMMD-like proteins revealed that all can form homo-oligomeric complexes. 6/n

Gels and chromatograms of purified COMMD-like protein oligomers

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

In this work Meihan and Michael used structure based-homology searches (Foldseek) to identify clear homologues in various bacterial and archaeal species, present as single or at most two genes. 5/n

Workflow for structure-based phylogeny searches of COMMD-like proteins.

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Ha ha suck it Email I finally beat you!

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Not my area at all, but how cool are these cryoEM structures of purely RNA-based assemblies! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

High resolution CryoEM maps of RNA assemblies

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Having a fun 2 days with colleagues at the first meeting for our NHMRC funded Centre of Research Excellence in Mechanisms in Neurodegeneration. about.uq.edu.au/experts/proj...

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Oh my god. I've just been followed by Jenifer Aniston!

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Me in my annual performance interview.

Elmo on Chicken Shop Date saying he does not have five year plans

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

An amazing cryoEM structure of the membrane-assembled lysosomal mTORC complex from the Hurley lab. @jimhurley.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Structure of mTORC complex by cryoEM showing electron density maps

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 10/05/2024

We've had some success. For 2/3 structures it has worked pretty well. e.g. a nano body to a trimeric coiled-coil protein.

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 05/01/2024

So yeah our dog likes cushions, hey.

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

Excited to hear from old lab mate and now MPI group leader Oleksiy Kovtun and his awesome tomography studies ⁦ @KovtunOleksiy ⁩ #CryOz2023

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 17/10/2023

Very proud of Michael Healy for being awarded the 2023 Ross Smith Medal from the Queensland Protein Group! @Michael_Healy95 @QueenslandProt1 @UQ_News @IMBatUQ

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Brett Collins @brettcollins.bsky.social · 08/10/2023

Looks like I’ll be lying here for awhile.

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