iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Science Magazine @science.org · 06/11/2025

Fat storage in the body relies on specialized structures called lipid droplets. In a new Science study, researchers identified the microprotein adipogenin as a regulator of adipocyte lipid droplet size, revealing a key mechanism in lipid homeostasis. Learn more this week: scim.ag/4nFEGO7

Lipid droplet growth is orchestrated by the seipin complex, which provides a structural platform for droplet nucleation and expansion. The microprotein adipogenin fine-tunes seipin’s conformation, remodeling its architecture to regulate lipid storage capacity. This modulation results in the formation of fewer but larger lipid droplets, revealing a key mechanism in lipid homeostasis.

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Henne lab @hennelab.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

A pleasure to write this short review on lipid droplets for @jcb.org together with Will Prinz and amazing artist Emma Reynolds! We discuss 5 pervasive questions surrounding these remarkable little lipid organelles. doi.org/10.1083/jcb....

doi.org

Lipid droplets: Open questions and conceptual advances around a unique organelle | Journal of Cell Biology | Rockefeller University Press

Henne and Prinz discuss the lipid droplet field and pervasive questions surrounding droplets and their roles in physiology and disease.

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Journal of Cell Biology @jcb.org · 11/09/2025

New review: Henne (@hennelab.bsky.social), Reynolds, and Prinz discuss recent discoveries and enduring mysteries in the lipid droplet field. rupress.org/jcb/article/... #Biochemistry #CellMetabolism #LipidDroplets

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Fran Bottanelli @franbottanelli.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Our protocol for gene editing is online and all plasmids are on @addgene.bsky.social! CRISPR away everybody and get in touch if you need anything 🤩

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Journal of Cell Biology @jcb.org · 22/07/2025

Nodal modulator (NOMO) is a force-bearing transmembrane protein required for muscle differentiation, say Brigitte Naughton, Christian Schlieker @schliekerlab.bsky.social and colleagues @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social: rupress.org/jcb/article/... #StructuralBiology #Biochemistry #Organelles #Membrane

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Journal of Cell Biology @jcb.org · 15/07/2025

Naughton et al. @schliekerlab.bsky.social conducted force measurements within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) measuring forces in the piconewton range uncovering a critical role for NOMO as force-bearing transmembrane protein that is critical for myogenesis. rupress.org/jcb/article/...

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Henne lab @hennelab.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

We had a great kick-off of our Lipid Metabolism & Neurodegenerative Disease Mini-symposium! Many thanks to all speakers and attendees! #UTSW_science

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Rafeeque Mavoor @rafeequemavoor.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

🧵5 Top Free Alternatives to BioRender for Scientific Illustrations! These five websites offer free scientific illustrations for biologists. Great for presentations, research papers and other research communication needs. Save and share the post!

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Holly Merta, PhD @hollymerta.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

I am excited to announce that my postdoc work in @hennelab.bsky.social is now online at Cell Reports! Congrats and thanks to all who helped us on this journey!

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Henne lab @hennelab.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Important to celebrate trainee victories: excited to have Holly Merta's @hollymerta.bsky.social paper out! We use TurboID sub-organelle proteomics to map the ER network. We find calmin/CLMN, an ER-to-actin tether regulating focal adhesions & cell motility. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Spatial proteomics of ER tubules reveals CLMN, an ER-actin tether at focal adhesions that promotes cell migration

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is structurally and functionally diverse, yet how its functions are organized within morphological subdomains is incomp…

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

James Manton @jamesdmanton.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Following a helpful and pleasant peer-review process, our direct-view oblique plane microscopy manuscript has now been published in Optica: doi.org/10.1364/OPTI... Special thanks to the copy editor who let us keep our cheeky little acknowledgement of the enjoyableness of drinking a cup of tea.

doi.org

Optica Publishing Group

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Jonathan Friedman @labfriedman.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Some good news (and fresh science) to break things up! Our work identifying a subpopulation of compositionally unique mitochondria that localize to filopodia and promote cell migration is now @currentbiology.bsky.social! Led by fantastic @madeleinempavey.bsky.social! www.cell.com/current-biol...

cell.com

Compositionally unique mitochondria in filopodia support cellular migration

Marlar-Pavey et al. determine that a subpopulation of compositionally unique mitochondria, METEORs, dynamically localize to filopodia. Loss of mitochondrial targeting to filopodia correlates with a re...

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Rachel Zwick @rkzwick.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

The Zwick lab has landed in the Regenerative Medicine Institute @NYU! I’m incredibly excited to build a team to study how epithelial organs are patterned and remodeled throughout life, with a major focus on the remarkable changes that occur in the maternal body during pregnancy..1/5

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Henne lab @hennelab.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Want to follow developments in the field of inter-organelle communication? Follow Contact @contactctc.bsky.social and its latest publications!

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Jonathan Friedman @labfriedman.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

A big congrats to Alia on a successful thesis defense! @themitotracker.bsky.social gave an excellent talk and did the lab proud! 🥳🎉🍾

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Cristina Nuevo-Tapioles @cnuevotapioles.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Applications are still open for the 2025 Leading Edge cohort! Deadline is Feb 3, 2025.

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Uri Manor @manorlaboratory.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Our collaboration with the Germain Lab is now out in its final form!

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Leading Edge Fellows Program @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Leading Edge is celebrating a milestone: 100 (actually 102!) new assistant professors!!! 🎉🥳🎊 Learn more about them: www.leadingedgesymposium.org/fellows/ Applications are now open for the 2025 Leading Edge cohort! (Deadline Feb 3). You do NOT need to be ready for the job market to apply.

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Henne lab @hennelab.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Happy to announce I am serving as Director of the Lipid Metabolism & Neurodegenerative Diseases (LMND) Program at UTSW. Our goal is to stimulate collaborations bridging lipid metabolism & neurological disease. So proud of our lab & their cell biology adventures! #onward_science

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Holly Merta, PhD @hollymerta.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

If you are at #cellbio2024, please consider coming to the Membrane Contact Sites session tomorrow (12/16) at 5pm in room 29C! Many great talks planned! I will be presenting “Keep Calmin and Carry On: Tethering the ER to F-actin Enables Cell Migration” at 6. Hope to see you there!

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Alia Edington @themitotracker.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

Never found my school's 🦋, so I hope it's ok that I'm posting this myself. I'm presenting my poster today on characterizing internal mediators of mitochondrial fission at 11:15am at poster #B143! If you missed my #MitoTalks last month, please stop by! #CellBio24 #mitofission #microscopy

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Henne lab @hennelab.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

Beautiful day in sunny San Diego for ASCB #CellBio2024!

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Sarah Cohen @cohenlaboratory.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Cohen lab will be well represented at #CellBio2024! If you love #Organelles, #MembraneContactSites, and/or #Neurons and #Astrocytes, please come say hello!

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Tim @timisstuck.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

A huge congratulations to the winner of JCB's Alan Hall award, Alia Edington from the Friedman lab at UTSW And to the winner of our Norton B Gilula award, Justin Krish Williams from the Schekman lab at UC Berkeley! rupress.org/jcb/pages/al...

rupress.org

Alan Hall and Norton B. Gilula Travel Awards | Journal of Cell Biology | Rockefeller University Press

Alan Hall and Norton B. Gilula Travel Awards | Journal of Cell Biology | Rockefeller University Press Alan Hall and Norton B. Gilula Awards To support the next generation of researcher...

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Jonathan Friedman @labfriedman.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

So proud of Alia Edington @themitotracker.bsky.social for winning the JCB Alan Hall Travel award to attend ASCB! Thank you @jcellbiol.bsky.social for recognizing the hard work of our trainees! Be sure to check out Alia's talk 5pm Mon. in the organelle subgroup or at poster B143 Sun. 11:15!

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Henne lab @hennelab.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Excited to attend ASCB #CellBio2024! The Henne lab will present on a range of topics this year from molecular tethers that promote cell movement, to lipid transporters, to lipid droplets & metabolic rewiring. Please check out our lab's talks and posters:

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Avezov lab @avezovlab.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

🚨For the lucky colleagues attending #CellBio2024 in San Diego, check out our session on 'ER structure and function across cell types' Room28C- Dec18th 09:00am! A fantastic lineup covering the latest across the field. See you there! **Please RT** 🥳 t.co/6eq3cyGlVZ

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Jonny Nixon-Abell @abelljonny.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Hullooooo Cell Biology friends. If you're heading to #CellBio2024 in (hopefully!) sunny San Diego this year, then come and check out our session on 'ER structure and function across cell types' Room28C- Dec18th 09:00am! See you there! **Please RT** 🥳

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Sam Lord @samjlord.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Q: What's wrong with these plots? A: Pooling cell-level measurements across multiple runs conceals experimental reproducibility. Read more in JCB (with @fritzlaylin.bsky.social @katrinavelle.bsky.social & Dyche Mullins): rupress.org/jcb/article/...

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Leading Edge Fellows Program @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social · 10/11/2024

If you want to follow awesome women and non-binary early career scientists, the starter pack of Leading Edge Fellows is here! go.bsky.app/He3EAcq

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Sarah Cohen @cohenlaboratory.bsky.social · 10/11/2024

I joined Bluesky a year ago but didn’t get much engagement…happy to try again now that more folks seemed to have moved here

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Reposted by Holly Merta, PhD

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 28/11/2023

It’s been a few months since I have started using this colorful to-do-list to stay on top of the many tasks of a starting PI. I think much of my relative remained sanity is due to this organization of the seemingly never ending list of tasks. And I’ve been able to cross so many tasks of the list!

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