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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

OneNeuro Initiative @oneneurojhu.org · Aug 20

Johns Hopkins scientists discover how a protein organizes message-carrying "bubbles" in brain synapses—advancing understanding of memory formation and learning. www.oneneurojhu.org/...
@watanabelab.bsky.social

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Aug 5

I am incredibly honored to receive this award! But now that I am behind the computer all day, this really is for the team! Congrats to the Watanabe lab!

American Society for Cell Biology @ascbiology.bsky.social · Aug 4

Meet the 2025 ASCB Award Winners—trailblazing scientists honored for research, mentoring, education, and innovation. Celebrate excellence across all career stages in cell biology. Read more: www.ascb.org/society-news...

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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social · Jul 28

We're thrilled to announce the largest private gift in our 137-year history: a $25 million unrestricted donation from MBL Whitman Scientist Mark Terasaki.

His extraordinary generosity will bolster our renowned research and education programs. 🔬

Learn more: bit.ly/452WL1m

MBL Announces Largest Ever Gift for Its Renowned Biological Education and Research Programs | Marine Biological Laboratory

Cell Biology Researcher Mark Terasaki’s $25 Million Unrestricted Gift Will Support Operations and Infrastructure Contact: Samantha Cummis [email protected]; 973.800.4119

bit.ly

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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

Alexander Groh @grohlex.bsky.social · Jul 12

We unrestrained mice to study how they use their whiskers to learn a discrimination task. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A tactile discrimination task to study neuronal dynamics in freely-moving mice - Nature Communications

Task paradigms allowing studies on the core ethological function of the whiskers are lacking. Authors here present a task for freely moving mice that enables the study of how the brain processes touch...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

Nature Neuroscience @natneuro.nature.com · Jul 9

Intersectin and endophilin condensates prime synaptic vesicles for release site replenishment

@watanabelab.bsky.social

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

Intersectin and endophilin condensates prime synaptic vesicles for release site replenishment - Nature Neuroscience

Time-resolved electron microscopy reveals that intersectin-1 and endophilin A1 condensates hold replacement synaptic vesicles close to release sites. Without this, replacement vesicles are unavailable...

www.nature.com

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jul 8

@ogunmowo.bsky.social led the work with the help from Renee Pepper, Chin Patel (supported by Brady Maher), Annie Ho, and Sumana Raychaudhuri. Congrats to all!

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jul 8

We sincerely thank our wonderful collaborators, Ben Cooper, Ira Milosevic and Dragomir Milovanovic, and their lab members (Christian Hoffmann, Han Wang, Sindhuja Gowrisankaran, Johanna Idel).

Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jul 8

Speculatively, Itsn1-EndoA1 condensates may be acting like pickering agents, stabilizing the active zone phase and the vesicle cluster phase at rest, and upon calcium influx, enabling the transition of vesicles across different phases. But more work is needed!

Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jul 8

In the absence of Itsn1 or EndoA1, fewer vesicles are available around this region, and consequently, new synaptic vesicles cannot occupy the vacated release sites rapidly and synapses depress faster during the train of stimuli in the mutants.

Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jul 8

Super excited to share that our new study is published @natneuro.nature.com today!! Here we show that intersectin and endophilin form condensates between the active zone and the reserve pool and maintain synaptic vesicles near the active zone for rapid replenishment.

rdcu.be/evi5y

STED images showing localization of Intersectin 1 and Synapsin 1 relative to the active zone, marked by Bassoon

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jun 21

We wrote a review article on ultrafast endocytosis and its mechanisms and relevance to diseases. Enjoy! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40062769/

Beyond Clathrin: Decoding the Mechanism of Ultrafast Endocytosis - PubMed

Endocytosis in nonneuronal cells requires gradual recruitment of proteins to endocytic sites for inducing membrane curvature and forming scaffolds around the neck of endocytic pits. This recruitment p...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jun 9

A new preprint alert from the lab!! Evidence for ultrafast endocytosis in inhibitory synapses!! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

www.biorxiv.org

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · May 19

A weekend fun with the lab! Welcoming four new members to the lab!!

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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

Jana Kroll @janakroll.bsky.social · Feb 12

Excited to share our new preprint "Dynamic nanoscale architecture of synaptic vesicle fusion in mouse hippocampal neurons" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

We combine optogenetic stimulation of neurons with in situ cryo-ET to characterize membrane dynamics during synaptic vesicle fusion ❄️🔬⏱️

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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

David Perrais @davip-bdx.bsky.social · Feb 10

New preprint from the MemTraS team ! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Great collaboration with @fronzeslab.bsky.social and Vladan Lucic to determine the first cryo electron tomography images of dopamine "synapses" extracted from adult mouse brain.

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Jan 27

another piece, covering our work! Thanks to Laura Tran at the Scientist!!
www.the-scientist.com/challenging-...

Challenging the Axon’s Classic Shape

Forget the traditional tubular shape—researchers are investigating a pearl-on-a-string formation for axons, unlocking new insights into neural signaling in health and disease.

www.the-scientist.com

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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social · Jan 10

📆Deadline extension alert!📆

The last day to submit applications for the MBL's 2025 Neurobiology course has been moved to February 3. Don't miss your opportunity to apply!

Read more: bit.ly/3C2psks
#ScienceStartsHere

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Dec 27

and axons in human brain!? yep, it's pearled!!

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Dec 27

This was led by Chelsy_Eddings! assisted by Xiomara McDonald, and wonderful collaboration with David Nauen, Stan William (neurosurgeon), Minghua Fan&Paul Worley, Yuuta Imoto, Kie Itoh, @HopkinsMedicine and Kristina Lippmann&Jens Eilers! Thanks all for their efforts!!

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Dec 26

and the mechanism? seems to be conserved! A brain-enriched splice variant of Dynamin 1 is pre-recruited to the endocytic zone, just like we showed in mouse neurons.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35809574/

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Dec 26

another preprint to end 2024!

Wondered how synaptic vesicles are recycled in human brains? and whether you can use human brain tissues to address it? You bet! We used live human brain slices and demonstrated that ultrafast endocytosis does it!! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Dec 17

Here's another article, covering our work!!
www.sciencenews.org/article/axon...

The message-sending part of neurons may be blobby, not smooth

Axons can be shaped like strings of pearls, research in mice and people show. How that shape may influence brain signaling is not yet clear.

www.sciencenews.org

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Reposted by Watanabe Lab @JHU

OneNeuro Initiative @oneneurojhu.org · Dec 10

Study finds axons are not the cylindrical tubes pictured in books but more like pearls on a string.
Article Link: www.oneneurojhu.org/2024/12/10/s...

“These findings challenge a century of understanding about axon structure,” says lead researcher Shigeki Watanabe, Ph.D. @watanabelab.bsky.social

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Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Dec 6

Thank you! Those are exact questions we are trying to address rn!!

Watanabe Lab @JHU @watanabelab.bsky.social · Dec 5

Would be cool to figure out where NaV and KV are located relative to these structures!