Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Jim Hurley @jimhurley.bsky.social · Jul 25

Structural and cell biology NPG publication two-fer today: lysosome signaling structural biology tinyurl.com/mt3uc96k with @robzonculab.bsky.social and mitophagy initiation tinyurl.com/3rpjyfjt with @martenslab.bsky.social @lazaroulab.bsky.social and @hummerlab.bsky.social

1 13 36

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jun 11

Today, Nobel laureate (and former NIGMS Advisory Council member) gave an NIH-wide lecture. She enthusiastically signed the #BethesdaDeclaration.

She was introduced by NIH Director Bhattacharya...(likely slightly awkward)

1/2

Lecture hall with Jay Bhattacharya behind a podium introducing Carolyn Bertozzi.

3 22 130

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · Jun 9

Please join the chorus of voices, including my own, in support of the talented, hardworking and dedicated scientists and staff at NIH. They serve their country by deploying their training and skills to improve the health and quality of life of all Americans 🙏 🇺🇸

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jun 9

www.standupforscience.net/bethesda-dec...

3 52 130

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Rushika M. Perera @rushika-perera.bsky.social · May 21

Online today in @nature.com - our latest study led by superstar postdoc Gilles Rademaker detailing the role of PSCK9 in driving sterol dependent metastatic organ choice in pancreatic cancer nature.com/articles/s41...
full text available here 👉 rdcu.be/em0VG and thread 👇

10 10 74

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · May 20

Fantastic MTx-Neuro seminar by Michael Ward @michael-e-ward.bsky.social, incredible science and full house! @mti-ucb.bsky.social

1 4

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Everyone's least favorite lab mate @kepatitis-c.bsky.social · May 17

My advisor @baym.lol pointedly speaking with WBUR.

“I think that reason is a pretense. I think that this is an attack on Harvard as a symbol of academia in the United States.”

Lynn Jolicoeur @lynnjolicoeur.bsky.social · May 16

"I'm still in shock. I know that there have been political issues around Harvard in recent weeks, but antibiotic resistance isn't one of them." My conversation with Harvard microbiologist @baym.lol, one of many researchers there who just lost millions in fed. grants. www.wbur.org/news/2025/05...

Antibiotic research at Harvard lab threatened by federal funding cuts

Microbiologist Michael Baym studies antibiotic resistance at Harvard Medical School. He lost millions in federal funding this week.

www.wbur.org

1 15 55

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · May 14

It was great to collaborate with @jimhurley.bsky.social on the structural-functional dissection of Arginine sensing by mTORC1 via CastiGATOR

Jim Hurley @jimhurley.bsky.social · May 14

mTORC1 is activated when cells are fed with amino acids. New preprint with @robzonculab.bsky.social led by Rachel Jansen shows how the massive "CastiGATOR" complex is formed when arginine-free CASTOR1 binds to the GATOR2 complex to antagonize mTORC1 starved cells. tinyurl.com/yr6en6f4

Cryo-EM structure of CASTOR1-GATOR2 complex

2 13

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · May 7

Spectacular structure-function study of a giant quality control E3 ligase by @micharapelab.bsky.social & team!

Micha Rapé Lab @micharapelab.bsky.social · May 7

Excited that our work revealing the structure and function of the monster stress response silencing factor, the E3 ligase SIFI, is now out! Congratulations to the most amazing team of Zhi Yang, Diane Haakonsen, Michael Heider and Sam Witus!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Molecular basis of SIFI activity in the integrated stress response - Nature

Nature - Molecular basis of SIFI activity in the integrated stress response

www.nature.com

1 1 7

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

James Olzmann @olzmannlab.bsky.social · Apr 30

Excited to host @brentstockwell.bsky.social for a seminar tomorrow in the UC Berkeley Molecular Therapeutics Series! If you are on campus come by for an exceptional seminar on recent advances in our understanding and targeting of #ferroptosis! 😀

1 1 11

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Apr 28

tinyurl.com/mrce6bbb Fun to write this N&V together with Regina @hrshin.bsky.social, on the several cryoEM papers that build on her discovery of the fascinating LYCHOS protein and its role in cholesterol sensing and mTORC1 regulation!

Cholesterol finds its pocket in LYCHOS - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology

The lysosomal transmembrane protein LYCHOS enables activation of the master growth regulator mTORC1 kinase by cholesterol. Here we summarize recent structural findings that shed light on the LYCHOS ch...

tinyurl.com

16 51

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Diego del Alamo @delalamo.xyz · Apr 26

This structure is absolutely _nuts_. Lipids are captured marching through the tunnel

a, Overview of the lipids observed in the LPD-3 complex, shown perpendicular to the membrane. Proteins are shown as a cartoon representation and the uninterpreted cryo-EM density is shown in orange. LPD-3 is coloured teal, Spigot is coloured yellow and lipids are shown as black sticks. b, Magnified view of the tunnel entrance, coloured as in a. c, Clipped view to show the lipid-transport tunnel. LPD-3 and Spigot are shown as a surface representation, coloured as in a, and lipids are shown as white sticks. d, The organization of lipids within the tunnel. Ionizable residues that interact with lipid head groups are labelled and shown as sticks. Lipids are shown as grey or gold sticks. e, The LPD-3 complex viewed parallel to the membrane. The arrows indicate the location of the four hydration portals. Modelled proteins are shown as a surface representation and are coloured as in a. f, Magnified view of a lipid within the tunnel. Residues that interact with the lipid headgroup are shown as sticks. g, Sliced views of the LPD-3 tunnel, showing the locations of the hydration portals. Slices are sequential from left to right and progress from RBG-1 to RBG-6.

1 26 110

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Apr 24

thank you Issam!

1

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Apr 23

Our PKA-autophagy story by outstanding graduate student Ashley Segura (co-led with Rose Citron) published in @embojournal.org, dissects a deep connection between autophagy and PKA in neuronal signaling, with implications for neurological disease. Great collaboration with @manciaslab.bsky.social!

The EMBO Journal @embojournal.org · Apr 22

AKAP11 recruits PKA holoenzymes to #autophagosomes in a bidirectional functional association, both promoting downstream PKA signaling and increasing AKAP11-PKA complex degradation
@robzonculab.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

6 12 40

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Apr 19

thank you for the fun interview and a wonderful visit overall Hanieh!

Hanieh Falahati @haniehfalahati.bsky.social · Apr 19

Earlier this month I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Zoncu @robzonculab.bsky.social during his visit to Yale. It was so inspiring- and also fun! Here is a link: medicine.yale.edu/cellbio/news...

Meet our Speakers: Dr. Roberto Zoncu

As a scientist, starting from my postdoc and continuing in my own lab, we have helped redefine the role of the lysosome. Historically, it was considered a

medicine.yale.edu

1 1 2

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Sean J. Morrison @seanjmorrison.bsky.social · Mar 29

America will be less healthy & less safe as a result of Peter Marks' forced resignation from FDA. He & FDA protected us from people who enrich themselves selling snake oil: unproven stem cell therapies, vaccine alternatives, other fake treatments. Thank you for all you did for public health Peter.

5 15

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Mar 28

thank you Christian!

1

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Rushika M. Perera @rushika-perera.bsky.social · Mar 28

An incredible tour de force in biochemistry and cell biology by superstar @robzonculab.bsky.social lab postdoc @aakritijain.bsky.social
LyLAP - a new lysosomal protease responsible for degrading integral membrane proteins in highly phagocytic cells like #PDAC cells.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Leucine aminopeptidase LyLAP enables lysosomal degradation of membrane proteins

Breakdown of every transmembrane protein trafficked to lysosomes requires proteolysis of their hydrophobic helical transmembrane domains. Combining lysosomal proteomics with functional genomic dataset...

www.science.org

1 10 28

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Mar 28

Thank you @idikic.bsky.social, it was an amazing conference, outstanding science, colleagues and hospitality!

1

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Mar 27

thanks Walter!

1

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Itay Budin @ibudin.bsky.social · Mar 27

Congrats to @jeremybaskin.bsky.social for receiving the ACS Chemical Biology young investigator award…plus organizing a fantastic session capped off with a tour de force talk on phosphatidic acid dynamics

5 37

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Mar 27

Exciting new work by phenomenal postdoc Aakriti @aakritijain.bsky.social uncovering a key mechanism for membrane protein degradation in the lysosome. Aakriti’s research is already making a major impact, and she’s ready to launch her own lab. Departments hiring in this area—she’s one to watch!

2 13

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Jim Hurley @jimhurley.bsky.social · Mar 25

PINK1/Parkin-dependent mitophagy caught in situ by cryo-ET! New preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... led by @kev-in-situ-et.bsky.social. This has been a long-standing goal of team @mito911.bsky.social within the @asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org initiative.

5 20 56

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Micha Rapé Lab @micharapelab.bsky.social · Mar 18

If you are immigrant into the US and work in the biomedical sciences (like me) and are still young (not like me), please apply for the Vilcek prizes for Creative Promise founded by an inspiring immigrant couple, Marica and Jan Vilcek.

vilcek.org/prizes/vilce...

Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise - Vilcek Foundation

The Creative Promise Prizes are awarded to young immigrant professionals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement early in their careers.

vilcek.org

1 10 16

Reposted by Roberto Zoncu Lab

Stephen King @stephenking.bsky.social · Mar 12

CNBC is calling it the Tesla Chain Saw Massacre.
🤣

1.1K 6.6K 49K

Roberto Zoncu Lab @robzonculab.bsky.social · Mar 11

congrats Agnel!

1