iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Thank you to all authors, colleagues, and our collaborators from the Ameres @ameressl.bsky.social, Luijsterburg @luijsterburglab.bsky.social and González-Prieto @romangp.bsky.social labs, our reviewers, editor Florian Ullrich, and funders at Boehringer Ingelheim, the ERC, and FWF. (6/6)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

For more details, take a look at the thread by @vytaute.bsky.social! bsky.app/profile/vyta... (5/6)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Many of the same factors we describe here were also implicated in terminating defective spliceosomes that fail to splice. This suggests shared but distinct mechanisms to terminate both successful and faulty spliceosomes, laying the groundwork for understanding spliceosome quality control. (4/6)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

We also uncover a spliceosome state bound to debranched introns and reveal that most intron-lariats are debranched on the spliceosome prior to their release. This adds yet another step to the already highly complex splicing pathway. (3/6)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

It turns out the intron-lariat spliceosome isn’t the end of the story! www.nature.com/articles/s41... We now resolve later terminating spliceosomes, showing how 3 RNA helicases and 7 dedicated factors gradually undo the intricate RNA-protein network of the spliceosome. (2/6)

nature.com

Mechanism for the initiation of spliceosome disassembly - Nature

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of human and nematode spliceosomes show that the disassembly of this complex is initiated by the licensing of the disassembly helicase to act on the catal...

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

After excising an intron, the spliceosome gets trapped on the branched intron-lariat RNA. How are such dead-end spliceosomes terminated? Our latest paper led by @vytaute.bsky.social investigates the mechanism of spliceosome termination www.nature.com/articles/s41... (1/6)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

A friendly reminder that the 9th Austrian Cryo-EM (ACE) Symposium is taking place in Vienna, 24–25 September 2026. We'd love to see you there! Speakers: Chlanda, Costa, Demulder, Hurdiss, Su, Toropova, Weiss and Zhong. Abstract deadline 5 August; talks selected from submissions. shorturl.at/NGRZV

imp.ac.at

Cryo-EM Symposium | Vienna BioCenter | cryo-Electron Miscroscopy Conference

The annual Cryo-EM Symposium is a conference for structural biologists to discuss cutting-edge developments in cryo-Electron Miscroscopy. Held at the Vienna BioCenter.

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Huge thanks to first authors @abugai.bsky.social, @hohmannulrich.bsky.social, @lorenzoana.bsky.social & @max2max.bsky.social across the Heick Jensen, Brennecke, & Plaschka labs; and to our reviewers, editor, and funders (Boehringer Ingelheim, ERC, FWF). (5/5)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

The published paper includes new experiments and a cryo-EM structure of RNA-clamped UAP56 bound to LENG8-PS. For more on the science, see Ulrich's earlier thread bsky.app/profile/hohm... and the paper! (4/5)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

With the labs of @heick.bsky.social and @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social, we show LENG8-PS is structurally similar to TREX-2 and that both act on a central mRNP protein, the RNA clampase UAP56. But while TREX-2 connects to the nuclear pore for export, LENG8-PS connects to the RNA exosome for decay.(3/5)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Building on insights into how mRNPs dock at the nuclear pore via TREX-2 for their export www.nature.com/articles/s41..., we here uncover how a related nucleoplasmic complex, LENG8-PS, instead targets mRNPs for decay. (2/5)

nature.com

An ATP-gated molecular switch orchestrates human mRNA export - Nature

The ATPase UAP56 acts as an ATP-gated molecular switch that directs mRNA ribonucleoprotein complexes from TREX to nuclear-pore-complex-anchored TREX-2 complexes for mRNA export from the nucleus.

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Now published! We investigated how polyadenylated RNAs are targeted for decay in the human nucleus. www.nature.com/articles/s41... (1/5)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Thanks to maxewilkinson.bsky.social for sharing his code for mapping aquisiton positions and the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social EM facility for their support! We hope this is useful for other EM facilities and users 4/4

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

The app produces a PDF report with all images and comments to help you quickly pick the areas for data collection and to document your EM work. It's open source, free, easily installable on windows or via conda, and straightforward to use. 3/4

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

"EPU mapper" takes as input the EPU-generated "Atlas" and "Images-Disc1" folders and launches a web app to map each micrograph back to its GridSquare and Atlas positions, and allows you to annotate the data using scores from 1 to 5 and with comments. 2/4

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Automatic screening of cryo-EM grids using EPU is fast and efficient, but reviewing the generated data & picking the best areas for data collection can be slow and cumbersome. We made a little tool that makes this process more streamlined and enjoyable: github.com/mvorlander/E... 1/4

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Reposted by Plaschka lab

Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) @imbmainz.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

@lorenzoorts.bsky.social previously worked as a postdoctoral fellow at @impvienna.bsky.social in Austria. She will establish a new lab at IMB to investigate how mRNA translation is activated in the early embryo. Welcome to IMB Laura! 💐 Read more here: www.imb.de/about-imb/ne...

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Reposted by Plaschka lab

Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) @imbmainz.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Ulrich’s research will help advance our understanding of RNA biology & gene regulation, as well as how these mechanisms might be altered during viral infections & other diseases. @hohmannulrich.bsky.social comes from the @impvienna.bsky.social / @imbavienna.bsky.social www.imb.de/about-imb/ne...

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

This was a fantastic joint effort between Paul Welzl from our lab and allepasse.bsky.social of the fbzt.bsky.social lab. Make sure to check out Alessandro’s in-depth thread here bsky.app/profile/alle.... 3/3

fbzt.bsky.social

Francisco Balzarotti (@fbzt.bsky.social)

Optical solutions for biology and biophysics problems Microscopy | super resolution | single molecule tracking | MINFLUX developer Group leader at http://imp.ac.at http://balzarotti-lab.org

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

By combining RNA-FISH with a DNA-PAINT approach, we resolved mRNAs in the nucleus and cytoplasm using super-resolution microscopy. We observed distinct ultrastructures and transcript-specific patterns for different mRNAs. Altogether, we provide a new tool for studying the cellular life of mRNA. 2/3

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

mRNA is a key polymer of life. While its sequence is linear, its function requires its 3D organization. Yet what does a mRNA look like in 3D? In collaboration with the fbzt.bsky.social, we developed a method to visualize mRNA in 3D and at the nanoscale inside human cells. tinyurl.com/r858t6ff 1/3

biorxiv.org

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Our leaving gift and starter-pack for @hohmannulrich.bsky.social to open his new lab at @imbmainz.bsky.social! Ulrich has made many exciting contributions to RNA packaging. We will miss him and his dry humor, and can't wait to see what he will discover in his lab!

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

I’m thrilled to share that our project, FATERNA, has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant! We’ll explore the mechanisms of pre-mRNA fate control. Huge thanks go to our awesome research team, colleagues, and the fantastic support from @impvienna.bsky.social & @viennabiocenter.bsky.social CP.

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Huge thanks to Belén Pacheco-Fiallos for wonderful illustrations! This image highlights one of the key steps: how mRNA might export through the nuclear pore complex. (3/3)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

With @rupertfaraway.bsky.social and @thezenklusen.bsky.social , we discuss the proteins and mechanisms that may control mRNA packaging, organization, and export. (2/3)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

How does messenger RNA (mRNA) get out of the nucleus to become a protein? Eukaryotic mRNA is packaged, exported, and then translated in the cytoplasm. But how do these steps work? And what are open questions? Check out our new review for our take: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... (1/3)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

One more thing! Keep an eye out for discoveries and opportunities from the @hohmannulrich.bsky.social lab! They open their doors in February 2026 at the @imbmainz.bsky.social in Mainz, Germany. Get in touch! (4/4)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

A big ‘Thank you’ to our collaborators: @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social lab, colleagues at the @impvienna.bsky.social, and the entire Vienna BioCenter. Thank you to our reviewers, editor Florian Ullrich, and funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, the ERC and FWF. (3/4)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Building on our recent work on nuclear mRNA-protein complexes (www.nature.com/articles/s41...), we combined molecular & cellular approaches to show how the RNA clampase UAP56 and other proteins orchestrate this process – beautifully detailed in Ulrich’s thread! bsky.app/profile/hohm... (2/4)

nature.com

mRNA recognition and packaging by the human transcription–export complex - Nature

Cryo-electron microscopy and tomography structures of reconstituted and endogenous human mRNA ribonucleoprotein complexes bound to the transcription–export complex reveal how mRNAs are packaged a...

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Messenger RNA is made in the nucleus before it is exported to the cytoplasm for translation. But how are only correctly made mRNAs chosen and remodeled in the nucleus for export? Our new paper investigates the nuclear events leading to human mRNA export. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/4)

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Congrats to Dr. @julsportell.bsky.social on her PhD! Her journey as a joint student (Brennecke/Our Lab) led to key insights into gene silencing. Paper: www.cell.com/molecular-ce.... Journey: www.viennabiocenter.org/about/news/t.... CP.

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Plaschka lab @plaschkalab.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

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Reposted by Plaschka lab

Ulrich Hohmann @hohmannulrich.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

How are RNAs sorted for export vs. degradation in the nucleus? In collaboration with @heick.bsky.social’s lab we (@clemensplaschka.bsky.social and @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social labs) discovered a direct mechanistic link between the export and decay machineries: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... (1/x)

biorxiv.org

Molecular basis of polyadenylated RNA fate determination in the nucleus

Eukaryotic genomes generate a plethora of polyadenylated (pA+) RNAs[1][1],[2][2], that are packaged into ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs). To ensure faithful gene expression, functional pA+ RNPs, in...

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