Dustin Updike
@dustinupdike.bsky.social
380 followers 380 following 15 posts
Associate Prof, MDIBL | C. elegans germ granules | Hiding in the woods of Maine
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Reposted by Dustin Updike
navinbr.bsky.social
Schematics of our increasing knowledge of in vivo human primordial germ cell development, and a summary of the exciting hPGCLC maturation protocols:
@dev-journal.bsky.social @biologists.bsky.social
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Thanks to both of you!
dustinupdike.bsky.social
C. elegans, ba ba ba. #Worm25
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Two cancelled flights, ten delays, and a 36-hour odyssey past Polyphemous, Scylla, Charybdis, and the Laestrygonians—but we finally made it to #Worm25!
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Delays/cancellations abound. We're now set to arrive before midnight tomorrow. Hopefully, we can display one of our posters at a later session.
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Ah, the joys of traveling anywhere from downeast Maine - our flight out of Bangor to #Worm25 was cancelled. Delayed, but not deterred - we'll see all you worm folk tomorrow.
dustinupdike.bsky.social
My strains are DUP because UP was taken. 🥹😁
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Part of the puzzle unlocked. Excellent work from the Phillips and Montgomery labs.
biorxiv-biochem.bsky.social
Argonaute-siRNA loading via the RNA-binding protein RDE-4 in C. elegans https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.06.652520v1
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Congratulations, Miguel.
Reposted by Dustin Updike
ctmurphy1.bsky.social
🧪#Celegans - I am very excited to announce the publication of our latest finding in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) of learned pathogen avoidance - • C. elegans transgenerational avoidance of P. fluorescens is mediated by the Pfs1 sRNA and vab-1 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
C. elegans transgenerational avoidance of P. fluorescens is mediated by the Pfs1 sRNA and vab-1
C. elegans’ TEI of learned pathogen avoidance is induced by a third bacterial small RNA, Pfs1, from P. fluorescens 15.
www.science.org
Reposted by Dustin Updike
colinconine.bsky.social
The first C. elegans paper from lab! We find that, similar to mammals, tRNA-fragments (or the new name in the field tDRs) accumulate in worm sperm and can transmit non-genetically inherited phenotypes to offspring. We also find an RNase that regulates their processing, showing that length matters
biorxivpreprint.bsky.social
tRNA-derived RNA processing in sperm transmits non-genetically inherited phenotypes to offspring in C. elegans https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.14.648817v1
Reposted by Dustin Updike
mdibiolab.bsky.social
Science thrives because of our dedicated researchers, students, supporters, and community members. At MDI Bio Lab, we believe in the power of discovery, education, and collaboration. Thank you for #standupforscience2025, believing in science, and being part of our community!

#standwithscience 🧪 🤝
Reposted by Dustin Updike
copperbae.bsky.social
Funding science is like betting on horses. Only with science, for each dollar you bet on a horse, you average getting two to three dollars in winnings. Also, you can bet on more than one horse in the field. Plus you learn something that up to that moment, no one knew before.
Reposted by Dustin Updike
odedrechavi.bsky.social
What an amazing discovery from Scott Kennedy's lab! A new splicing system that recognizes transposons and removes them from mRNAs! t.co/3p3wyxkYXX
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.14.638102v1?ct=
t.co
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Receipts. I think my eyes rolled so far back into my head when I read this that 'wildly' escaped my attention. But yes, wildly.
dustinupdike.bsky.social
An actual quote from a recent summary statement, "It's also counterintuitive that (deletion of gene and phenotype) seems to have no effect (on viability), which gives some concern over whether the c. elegans deletion models will be wildly applicable to processes in mammals."
dustinupdike.bsky.social
I took this movie 16 years ago on a spinning disk microscope. It's in much need of a retake with our current imaging system and brighter lines - could be a fun comparison.
Reposted by Dustin Updike
dereklowe.bsky.social
Fluorescently labeled proteins are essential to research. But we should never forget how messed-up their behavior can be. An example from condensates:
Fluorescent Tags Are Basically Never Silent
www.science.org
dustinupdike.bsky.social
For you or someone you know? I have to say, it's pretty great up here.
mdibiolab.bsky.social
We are currently #hiring a faculty member in Regenerative and Aging Biology to address fundamental biological questions in the areas of #stemcell & #tissueregeneration, #germline development, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assemblies, and #aging: 🧪🤝🧬

mdibl.org/careers/assi...
dustinupdike.bsky.social
Really nice work, Chenshu & Abby.
Reposted by Dustin Updike
adernburg.bsky.social
Ru-upping this thread from last year since the paper is now out! @chenshuliu.bsky.social identified a Piezo-dependent mechanism that enables C. elegans to sniff out “bad eggs” and target them for destruction. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...