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David Villarroel

@dvillarroelc.bsky.social
69 followers 68 following 4 posts

Postdoc @UCL IoN. Inherited neuropathies, axonal transport, and a whiff of cytoskeleton

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Reposted by David Villarroel
James N. Sleigh @jamessleigh.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Lovely work led by @andrewtosolini.bsky.social and Dr. Ellie Rhymes on CNTF and its effect on signalling endosome transport in live mouse motor axons: academic.oup.com/braincomms/a... @uclqsneuromuscular.bsky.social @braincomms.bsky.social #AxonalTransport
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Reposted by David Villarroel
Cytoskeleton Journal @cytoskeljournal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Attention #Kinesin fans!!! Check out this new #openaccess perspective in #CYTOSKELETON "Hyperactive KIF5A in Neurodegeneration". onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
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Reposted by David Villarroel
James N. Sleigh @jamessleigh.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Hyperactive KIF5A in Neurodegeneration onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... A lovely @cytoskeljournal.bsky.social perspective from @dvillarroelc.bsky.social @uclqsneuromuscular.bsky.social #AxonalTransport #Kinesin
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Reposted by David Villarroel
The EMBO Journal @embojournal.org · 14/09/2026
Biochemical diversity of tubulin: Carsten Janke, Zdenek Lansky and collaborators screen 46 microtubule-associated proteins to reveal their distinct affinities to tubulin isotypes and posttranslational modifications link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Microtubule posttranslational modifications provide unique recognition patterns for associated proteins - The EMBO Journal
Microtubules are key components of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton involved in vital functions in virtually every cell. Among the emerging molecular mechanisms to adapt microtubules to their diverse funct...
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Reposted by David Villarroel
The Murray Lab @themurraylab.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Excited to share our second paper of the summer, now out in BMC Neuroscience! We show that axons are lost within the first few days of life in mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy. This early loss highlights the importance of early intervention. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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Reposted by David Villarroel
James N. Sleigh @jamessleigh.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
In our latest pre-print, we show that mice with the neuropathy-causing GARS1 ∆ETAQ mutation display robust pathology in subsets of peripheral nerves: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Well done @beccasimkin.bsky.social and Aurélie Paulo-Ramos! @uclqsneuromuscular.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social
The images depicts a graphical abstract of the paper. Text abstract: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2D (CMT2D) results from gain-of-function mutations in GARS1, which encodes glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS), the enzyme responsible for charging transfer RNA (tRNA) with glycine. There are several CMT2D mouse models, but Gars∆ETAQ/+ is the only one that bears a patient-sourced mutation. Created using CRISPR/Cas9 to model a 12-nucleotide de novo GARS1 deletion identified in an unusually severe CMT2D patient, Gars∆ETAQ/+ mice have previously been shown to display several neuromuscular phenotypes; motor axon loss, denervated neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and reduced muscle function. Here, we extend these analyses to provide a more comprehensive understanding of both motor and sensory nerve deficits across hind- and fore-limbs. At 3 months, Gars∆ETAQ/+ mice possess sex-independent alterations in the levels of neuropathy biomarkers – including decreased NfL and increased periaxin – alongside reduced muscle endurance and strength, and impairments in the sensory modalities of mechanosensation, proprioception and nociception. Underpinning these dysfunctions, we identified site-specific defects comprising altered sensory neuron populations, muscle spindle loss, reduced motor neuron size, disrupted NMJ innervation and maturation, and reduced axonal transport of signalling endosomes in vivo. Together, these experiments show that Gars∆ETAQ/+ mice display robust and selective peripheral nerve pathology that manifests in a general distal-to-proximal fashion, priming this CMT2D allele for testing treatments and evaluating mechanisms underlying peripheral nerve vulnerability.
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Reposted by David Villarroel
Ali Twelvetrees @dozenoaks.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Absolutely beautiful work from the Bradke lab here. As an aside, I'm also genuinely stunned to see fundamental neuronal cell biology like this in Nature! An intrinsic cytoskeletal oscillator establishes neuronal polarityhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10755-6
nature.com
An intrinsic cytoskeletal oscillator establishes neuronal polarity - Nature
The ARP2/3 complex works together with actomyosin in an oscillatory program at the soma to govern neuronal polarization.
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Reposted by David Villarroel
Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL QSION @uclqsneuromuscular.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Congratulations to James Sleigh on receiving the Peripheral Nerve Society (PNS) Rising Star Showcase Award, which highlights exceptional accomplishments by mid-career professionals.
James Sleigh receiving award
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David Villarroel @dvillarroelc.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Excellent review. Axonal transport, molecular motors and neurodegeneration. It's got it all!
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Reposted by David Villarroel
Ali Twelvetrees @dozenoaks.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Guess what neurobiology fans?!? Registration is open!! More info on the website neurobiouk.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/registration #neurobiology #neurobiouk #neuronalcellbiology #molecularneurobiology #cellularneuroscience #neuroscience
neurobiouk.sites.sheffield.ac.uk
NeuroBioUK - Registration
Step 1: Register through our event page. All attendees should register to attend through our event page. Early bird registration deadline is the 17th of July (£35) and late registration deadline is th...
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Reposted by David Villarroel
Andrew Tosolini @andrewtosolini.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Congrats to Jobert, Anna-Leigh, and Kai on showing how #BDNF amplifies #transcription, coordinates #RNA dynamics, and spatially regulates the #phosphoproteome. Beautiful cover art too! @jamessleigh.bsky.social @frattalab.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social
science.org
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor coordinates neuron-intrinsic programs to enhance axonal regeneration in human motor neurons
BDNF promotes axon-regenerative gene expression, RNA metabolism, and kinase signaling in motor neurons.
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Reposted by David Villarroel
Reem Abouward @reemward.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Super excited that my PhD paper is now officially published - and even more thrilled that my neurons made the cover image of the issue! doi.org/10.1242/jcs.26…
doi.org
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James N. Sleigh @jamessleigh.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Looking for a review on #BDNF in neurological disease? Dr. Aurélie Paulo-Ramos has reviewed the latest info on its role in CNS and PNS neuropathologies for you: portlandpress.com/biochemsoctr... @dvillarroelc.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social @uclqsneuromuscular.bsky.social #neurotrophins
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Journal of Cell Science @jcellsci.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Reem Abouward, Giampietro Schiavo & team find that LAMP1 and LAMP2A localise to distinct axonal organelles with differential transport dynamics, but share overlapping total protein compositions. Highlight: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/... Article: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Figure showing transport dynamics of LAMP1- and LAMP2A-positive organelles.
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Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL QSION @uclqsneuromuscular.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Congratulations to Giampietro Schiavo on receiving the 2026 Basic Science Life Achievement Award of the International Neurotoxin Association. This award recognises the contributions of the Schiavo Lab. to the understanding of the mechanism of action of botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins.
Giampietro Schiavo receiving INA 2026 Basic Science Life Achievement Award
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Andrew Tosolini @andrewtosolini.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Do all #NTFs regulate #MotorNeuron axonal transport in vivo? Our new preprint shows they do not. #BDNF enhances (shorturl.at/siwFi), #CNTF slows, and #HGF, #NRTN & #proBDNF show no effect. #AxonalTransport regulation is selective, not universal. @jamessleigh.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social
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Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇻🇳 @anhhle2702.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
OMG, this is such a cool paper from Patrick Caswell's lab. They express Rab25-mCherry-GFP-nanobody in cells, microinject GFP-magnetic particles, then use a magnet to pull Rab25 to the plasma membrane to show that it can trigger actin protrusions! I want this system. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Live-cell magnetic manipulation of recycling endosomes reveals their direct effect on actin protrusions to promote invasive migration
Repositioning of Rab25 vesicles containing formin and integrin cargos to the cell periphery promotes protrusion formation.
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James N. Sleigh @jamessleigh.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Our new paper in Neurobiology of Aging showing that processivity and BDNF-dependent modulation of #AxonalTransport are impaired in aged mice: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @dvillarroelc.bsky.social @andrewtosolini.bsky.social @alessiovagnoni.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social #aging
sciencedirect.com
Processivity and BDNF-dependent modulation of signalling endosome axonal transport are impaired in mice with advanced age
A healthy nervous system is reliant upon an efficient transport network to deliver essential cargoes throughout the extensive and polarised architectu…
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James N. Sleigh @jamessleigh.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Short perspective from Dr. Ellie Rhymes on shared mechanisms and phenotypes in ARS-related neuropathies: journals.lww.com/nrronline/ci... #CMT #neuropathy #PeripheralNerve
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