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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 6d

Dogs who experience neglect as puppies are more likely to be fearful and aggressive in adulthood, suggests research in Scientific Reports. go.nature.com/4pT9hKp 🧪

This is figure 1, which shows key information about the included sample of dogs.

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Mireya Plass @mireyaplass.bsky.social · 6d

🚨New preprint from the lab! This work led by @akshayjg.bsky.social & @smfernandezmoya.bsky.social shows how the RNA binding protein STAU2 regulates the timing of neurogenesis in iPSC-derived human cells
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Staufen2 modulates the temporal dynamics of human neurogenesis in vitro

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play a central role in post-transcriptional regulation during brain development, yet their specific functions in coordinating human neural lineage decisions remain poorly u...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Barcelona Collaboratorium @barcelonacollaboratorium.com · 6d

Excited to welcome Eli Weinstein, DTU & ELLIS, to Collaboratorium Symposium Nov 10-11! His work on AI & causal biology is groundbreaking, advancing how we understand molecular systems and drug discovery.

Join us! #Collaboratorium2025 #AI #Biology

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

EVOMG-Doctoral Network @evomg-dn.bsky.social · 8d

At EvoMG-DN we believe that evolutionary history shapes both the human genome and its pathogens and ultimately disease susceptibility.
We will tackle health challenges from an evolutionary perspective in the topic of: ageing, cancer and infectious diseases.
#PhD #EvolutionaryBiology #MSCA

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Barcelona Collaboratorium @barcelonacollaboratorium.com · 12d

📢 Join us at the Barcelona Collaboratorium on October 2, 2025!

Markus Deserno will present “On the thermodynamics of ternary asymmetric lipid membranes”.

A deep dive into the physics behind lipid rafts and membrane complexity.🧬

#Biophysics #BarcelonaCollaboratorium

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Maria Bernabeu @mariabernabeu.bsky.social · 29d

Have you ever wondered what happens with your microvessels after exposure to high temperature in fever? In this preprint former postdoc (ans soon to be PI) Viola Introini found that high temperatures cleaves glycocalyx , having severe consequences in malaria www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Febrile temperature enhances Plasmodium falciparum cytoadhesion by disrupting the endothelial glycocalyx

Fever, a universal host defense in infection and inflammation, paradoxically contributes to neurological complications in malaria. While febrile temperatures enhance the expression of parasite virulen...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

EMBL @embl.org · Sep 2

Time to accelerate! ⏱️4 weeks left to apply for EMBL ARISE2 fellowship programme.

Are you interested in developing or improving technologies for life science research? #ARISE2 trains you to become a future research infrastructure leader. 🧪

Apply now! www.embl.org/training/ari...
#careers

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Miki Ebisuya @ebisuyamiki.bsky.social · Aug 18

Keystone symposia on stem-cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs). Join us in discussing the development, measurement, and manipulation of SCBEMs in California in Feb 2026!
www.keystonesymposia.org/conferences/...

Scholarship/ShortTalk Deadline: Oct 21
Early Registration Deadline: Dec 18 (Save $200!)

Stem Cell Models in Embryology | Keystone Symposia

Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Stem Cell Models in Embryology, February 2026, in Pacific Grove, with field leaders!

www.keystonesymposia.org

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Manuel Irimia @mirimiam.bsky.social · Jul 23

🚨🚨🚨

Please RT!

We're looking for a postdoc to join an exciting joint project between our lab @upf.edu & @crg.eu (Barcelona) and the Sander lab @mdc-berlin.bsky.social (Berlin) investigating how alternative splicing and microexons influences the maturation of pancreatic islets.

Deadline: 30/09/25👇

www.upf.edu

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Sophie Bonnal @sobonnal.bsky.social · Aug 11

Thanks to all co-authors and to everyone who supported this work - check it out!

Manuel Irimia @mirimiam.bsky.social · Aug 7

Very happy to share the peer-reviewed version of our work on the cis-regulatory determinants of #microexon #splicing regulation by SRRM3/4, published in @natsmb.nature.com!

rdcu.be/ezGqT

Work led by @sobonnal.bsky.social, with Simon Bajew & @rmartinezcorral.bsky.social. @crg.eu @upf.edu

Core splicing architecture and early spliceosomal recognition determine microexon sensitivity to SRRM3/4

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology - Using massively parallel splicing assays and mathematical modeling, Bonnal et al. uncover that conserved splice site strength and exon length encode...

rdcu.be

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Reposted by Patryk Poliński

Maria Bernabeu @mariabernabeu.bsky.social · Jul 11

Pre-print alert 🚨: We have developed 2D and 3D stable iPSC endothelial-differentiation models through dox inducible ETS expression. We demonstrate endothelial identity and used these models for studying malaria pathogenesis research. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · Jun 10

Expansion of: nature.com/articles/s41...

Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · Jun 10

Our latest in @cytoskeljournal.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

reveals how a tiny DAAM1 microexon controls actin dynamics & RHOA/ROCK signaling—now showing ARC protein levels expand this synaptic orchestra! 🧠⚡ @mirimiam.bsky.social , @crg.eu , @embl.org @prbb.org

ARC Expands the DAAM1 Microexon‐Mediated Actin–RHOA/ROCK Interplay

Actin cytoskeleton and its dynamics play a crucial role in synaptic function, influencing dendritic spines' structural and functional plasticity. Recent findings unveiled the significance of alternat....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 12

🚨Great podcast on our most recent work using
@notebooklmdeepdive.bsky.social on the role of microexon in DAAM1 in memory formation! 🧠🐁🔬🧫

🚨CLICK Here ➡️ drive.google.com/file/d/1elCs... ⬅️🚨

@mirimiam.bsky.social @maradierssen.bsky.social
@crg.eu @natcomms.nature.com @natureportfolio.nature.com

Neuronal Microexon Controls Memory Via Actin Dynamics.wav

drive.google.com

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 10

Thanks a lot Arnau!

Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

Summarizing, we discovered that a neural-specific microexon in DAAM1 is a novel regulatory mechanism of actin cytoskeleton dynamics, which is necessary for proper memory formation and learning in mammals.

Thank you to everyone involved for putting this together!

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

The last step was to perform rescue experiments.

Excitingly, treatment with a ROCK inhibitor partially rescued observed phenotypes, including learning deficits!

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

Next, we investigated in detail the molecular mechanism of the observed phenotypes.

One of the leads guided us to increased RHOA/ROCK signaling in KO neurons! RhoA is a direct interactor of Daam1, whose activity is commonly associated with the number of “learning spines”.

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

With help from @maradierssen.bsky.social, we found that DAAM1-MIC KO reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal neurons.

Moreover, dendritic spine analysis by @eloisaherrera.bsky.social revealed defects mainly in postsynaptic regions and a significant decrease in thin "learning spines."

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

Yet, the most exciting part began when we generated genetically engineered DAAM1-MIC KO mice!

We performed multiple assays to evaluate animal behavior. Strikingly, they showed clear learning impairments after microexon removal. What are the cellular and molecular bases for this?

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

But, does it affect neuronal function?

We KO the microexon in mESCs using CRISPR/Cas9, differentiated them into neurons in vitro, and examined changes in synaptic functioning. Microexon removal increased Ca2+ flux, suggesting enhanced neuronal firing.
@gercrcat.bsky.social
@vhir.bsky.social

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

Microscopy-based 🔬 biochemical assays showed that microexon inclusion significantly affects actin polymerization, both quantitatively and qualitatively, likely due to differential actin binding.

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

I focused on formin proteins, the most versatile actin regulators.

Bioinformatic analysis identified a neural-specific and evolutionarily conserved microexon in DAAM1 (DAAM1-MIC) that modifies its core enzymatic unit without major structural changes.

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

The actin cytoskeleton and its turnover are crucial for proper brain development and function. Understanding its regulation is essential for neuroscience.

In my PhD, I investigated how alternative splicing modulates these processes.

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Patryk Poliński @ppolinski.bsky.social · May 9

Thrilled to share my 1st PhD paper exploring the role of a DAAM1 microexon in memory formation and learning! 🧠🐭💻🔬(and first post at @bsky.app :)

Finally published in
@natcomms.nature.com
nature.com/articles/s41... .
With @mirimiam.bsky.social, @maradierssen.bsky.social,
@crg.eu

Details below:

A highly conserved neuronal microexon in DAAM1 controls actin dynamics, RHOA/ROCK signaling, and memory formation - Nature Communications

Actin is crucial for nervous system function yet the role of microexons in its modulation is unclear. Here, the authors show that a microexon in DAAM1 has a role in actin dynamics, neuronal function a...

nature.com

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