Matteo Ruggiu, PhD
@rnadoctor.bsky.social
230 followers 330 following 460 posts
Professor, Head of Laboratory of RNA Biology & Molecular Neuroscience, St. John's University, New York, USA. Humanist, Spearfisherman & Freediver. Views my own.
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rnadoctor.bsky.social
Why did this man chose to be a father 4 times, when he clearly never wanted to be involved in taking care of his own kids?
rnadoctor.bsky.social
I just got my annual #FluShot 💉. Thanks to my employer, St. John's University, for organizing the Flu Clinic on campus every year.

#VaccinesWork
#VaccinesSaveLives
Flu shot
rnadoctor.bsky.social
#scientistswhocook: spaghetti with fish collar meat from salmon and red snapper, in a while wine, garlic, mascarpone, and parsley sauce.

#spaghetti #salmon #RedSnapper
Spaghetti with fish collar meat from salmon and red snapper. Salmon and red snapper fish collars. Salmon and red snapper fish collars.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
I listened to the article on the Nature podcast, Helen; Very timely. Too bad the scientifically unfounded claim that taking #acetaminophen #Tylenol during pregnancy is linked to autism came out just a few days later.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
I'm grateful that I live in a state where I can still get the #CovidVaccine If I so choose.

Shot number 7 for me 💉 since January 2021.

#VaccinesWork
#VaccinesSaveLives
COVID vaccine shot
rnadoctor.bsky.social
The worst part, apart from the selfish sister, is the mom scolding OP for something she, the mom, is also not willing to do.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
The husband is a sociopath. However, it sounds like they only dated for 6 months before getting married. Kinda short, I think?

Also, getting pregnant to make him "feel secure"...? What does that even mean?
rnadoctor.bsky.social
I just downloaded the audiobook 📖
rnadoctor.bsky.social
He didn't panic. He made a conscious decision. He decided that her medical emergency was less important than his night out. That is not panicking; that is not caring about your partner.

She should dump him and all the friends who are minimizing what happened.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
This is why getting married and having kids when you are 20 is not a great idea.

Also, he resents her for having things easy (from his point of view), and yet it seems that he is not involved in anything kids-related. He should try to take care of the kids and the house just for 1 day.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
She thinks that HE embarrassed her family...? Not her dad, belittling him in front of everyone? Make it make sense.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
This is not a small issue. Having a dog is going to impact their everyday life, freetime, daily schedules, traveling, vacations, visits by friends/family, etc... It's absurd that he just imposed this on her completely disregarding her needs.

He is entitled to have a dog, sure. On his own.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
This was a collaborative project with Alberto Stolfi at GeorgiaTech and @lionlchristiaen.bsky.social at @nyu.edu, @msarscentre.bsky.social, and @unibergen.bsky.social .

Alberto also created a song for this paper, in the style of 80s hard rock. Check it out 🔈
rnadoctor.bsky.social
Finally, we show that the #transcription factor Ebf activates Nova in Ciona motor neurons — linking transcriptional regulation of neuronal fate to this RNA-based synapse assembly pathway.

Together, our work reveals conserved & divergent features of the Nova–Agrin splicing axis in chordates.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
But we also found surprises:

⚡️ Ciona Nova requires both KH1 + KH2 domains for splicing, with a unique regulatory mechanism involving KH3 and the N/C termini.

⚡️ Mouse Nova proteins cannot splice Ciona Agrin — an example of Developmental System Drift despite overall pathway conservation.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
Using the #tunicate Ciona robusta (the closest relative of vertebrates), we found that this same splicing pathway exists outside vertebrates!

Ciona Nova promotes Agrin Z exon inclusion → Agrin binds Lrp4 → AChRs cluster in muscle.
This pathway likely dates back to the last common chordate ancestor.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
In mammals, clustering of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) at neuromuscular synapses depends on Agrin splicing by Nova1/2 proteins. Nova ensures the inclusion of tiny “Z” exons, creating a neural-specific Agrin isoform that triggers AChR clustering via Lrp4.

We asked: is this ancient?
Reposted by Matteo Ruggiu, PhD
plosbiology.org
Neuron-specific splicing of Agrin by Nova is essential for AChR clustering at the NMJ. @rnadoctor.bsky.social @lionlchristiaen.bsky.social &co show that this pathway is conserved in tunicates & that the transcription factor Ebf is a key activator of Nova expression @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3VhTwig
Top left: Two-color double ISH of Nova (green) and Islet (magenta) showing co-expression in the bilaterally symmetric Motor Neuron 2 (MN2) pair of cells (arrows). Note that Nova mRNA distribution appears more nuclear than Islet in these cells at this stage. Top right:  Summary model diagram of a conserved Nova-Agrin-Lrp4 pathway for AChR clustering in Ciona. Upper panel: Summary of conserved pathway, and previously unidentified Ebf-Nova regulatory connection identified in Ciona. Lower panel: Model of proposed mechanism for Ciona Nova-dependent alternative Agrin splicing via binding of KH1 and KH2 domains to two YCAY-rich NISEs identified in the intron 3′ to the Z exons (though not known in what exact orientation or configuration). Inhibitory effect of KH3 domain is relieved by the N- and C-termini. Diagram not drawn to scale. Bottom: Neural-specific CRISPR-mediated disruption of Agrin using sgRNAs results in loss of Acetylcholine receptor A1::GFP clusters (AChRA1::GFP, green) in tail muscles, driven by the Tbx6-r.b promoter. Motor neuron axons labeled by VAChT > Unc-76::mCherry in magenta.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
#scientistswhocook: spaghetti with Acadian redfish in a garlic, white wine, mascarpone, parsley, and olive oil sauce. Paired with a Stein sparkling rosé from the Mosel region in Germany.

#spaghetti #redfish #mascarpone #sparkling #rosé #Mosel #Germany
Spaghetti with Acadian redfish in a garlic, mascarpone, white wine, parsley, and olive oil sauce. Stein sparkling rosé from the Mosel region in Germany.
rnadoctor.bsky.social
It's telling that it didn't even cross his mind to discuss this with her. Like, "I'm going to do this and I don't care what you think".

Also, at least offer to change seats mid flight, so she also gets to enjoy the extra comfort for a while?