Castañeda Lab at SU
Using molecular biophysics, biochemistry, and cell biology to understand the intersection of protein quality control mechanisms and neurodegenerative disorders (ALS, FTD); IDPs, Ub biology, UBQLNs
- Postdocs studying IDPs (disordered proteins) and heading to BPS, apply by Dec 15!
- The @biophysicalsoc.bsky.social IDP Subgroup Postdoctoral Award honors outstanding Postdoctoral Fellows for their research accomplishments. APPLY by sending your nomination packet to idpsubgroupbps@gmail.com by Dec 15th! Find all information at: www.biophysics.org/awards-fundi...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUWe just wrapped up the 7th Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology Retreat in the Florida Keys, and the energy was incredible. Under the theme “Colab in the Cays,” scientists from 15+ labs shared 53 talks across two days, with every single participant presenting their work.
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUWe're back for our final seminar of 2025 with talks from @alexholehouse.bsky.social and Birthe Kragelund! 1 pm EST or 7 pm European time. If you're not already signed up, head on over to idpseminars.com to register!
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUAs the Executive Editor of BBA Reviews on Cancer, I am pleased to announce Call for Nominations: *BBA Rising Stars in Biochemistry & Biophysics 2026*!Nominate outstanding scientists within 10 years of their PhD for this prestigious award. Deadline: Dec 1, 2025. lnkd.in/dRzrNbJZ
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUI just made an account and voted for this biology laboratory made of LEGO to "promote biological research and inspire more people into the world of biology". They need 10K votes. Reposting and/or voting below would be helpful. 🤗 beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUCome work with us at MCW! This position is in the Translational Metabolomics-Preclinical Imaging Shared Resource. This position involves imaging mice, rats and other small animal models with multimodal imaging. careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/cl...
- So thrilled for you! Congratulations, @luciastrader.bsky.social !
- The lab is moving to the Salk Institute! We are thrilled to join an inspiring community where we will continue to explore plant growth and development. Deep gratitude for the years of support and collaboration at Duke/NCSU/UNC. www.salk.edu/news-release...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SU"What does this curved line mean?" Like palm reading for your phase boundary. Plus, when is your condensate actually an oligomer (or vice versa)? A new preprint from the Schmit Group, in collaboration with Jonathon Ditlev, Les Loew, and @ani-chattaraj.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUIf you are a researcher whose lab uses FlyBase, consider a tax-deductible personal contribution. A lot of $100 contributions would help bridge the gap until we can set up a user fee system, and even $10 donations send the folks there the message we're behind them. Please share
- FlyBase needs your help! We ask that European labs continue to contribute to Cambridge, UK FlyBase, whereas US and other non-European labs can contribute to US FlyBase. For more information and how to donate: wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUNew York Times story with profiles of researchers whose grants were terminated. [Gift Link] www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/o...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUUpdate on NIH funding through July (August 1 budget start dates) Non-competitive renewal awards by month for fiscal year 2025 1/7
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUHappy RNA Day to those who celebrate! 🧪 It’s AUG 1: the day we Met 🤓
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SU[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUBIG NEWS: “Senate appropriators on Thursday approved an FY26 Labor-HHS bill that included a slight bump in funding for the NIH, with a strong 26–3 bipartisan vote.” Thank you to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on both sides of the aisle! www.axios.com/pro/health-c...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SU“With these considerations, we expect to fund through the 4th percentile.” There it is, in black and white, the destruction of cancer research in the US.
- Funding policy for 2025 from NCI. Was just released: 4 percentile…maybe! www.cancer.gov/grants-train...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUNew paper on transcription factor phase separation published from my colleague Aseem Ansari's and my lab: Reconciling competing models on the roles of condensates and soluble complexes in transcription factor function authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
- New research reconciles two competing models of transcription organization: phase-separated droplets versus small, soluble protein complexes. Findings reveal these mechanisms are intertwined, offering nuance and caution for interpreting transcription. ow.ly/3OTG50WkxiM
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUAs someone who has greatly benefited from the NSF MRI program, I'm sad to see that the 2025 submission window was canceled. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
- @jeremymberg.bsky.social to share to others - this is a forecasted NIGMS MIRA funding opportunity for established/new investigators as I know people have been asking (FOR-GM-27-002) - due date appears to be late Jan 2026: grants.gov/search-resul...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUThis morning, courageous NIH workers shared a document they are calling the “Bethesda Declaration” with Dr. Bhattacharya, urging him to reverse some of the actions that are badly misaligned with progress toward the NIH mission. 1/3
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUIt is beyond disturbing when the NIH and HHS Directors do not understand that animal models are essential in research www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/a...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUTo learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first authors Yan Wu and Yiling Lan, and the corresponding author Heidi Hehnly @lovelessradio.bsky.social, an Associate Professor and Associate Director of the BioInspired Institute at @syracuseu.bsky.social
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUThanks to @npr.org and the Shortwave podcast for covering circadian research! It was very cool to be on the podcast and on All Things Considered. And Kudos to Chris Hall for the exciting work. www.npr.org/2025/05/29/n... www.npr.org/2025/05/30/1...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUFascinating new paper explaining why nucleoli have heterochromatin stacked around them.
- Very excited to share our latest work in #MolCell showing NPM1 stabilizing the association of nucleolus associated domains (NADs) and recruiting G9a to establish their repressive chromatin states. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUBiomolecular condensates are critical for organizing cellular contents, but most studies focus on phase separation driven by salt, pH, or temperature. But what if intracellular movement also matters? Here, we explore motility-induced condensation in the cell. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- The power of collaborations! With @shaharsu.bsky.social, his PD @jessniblo.bsky.social and CALVADOS3 (thanks to @lindorfflarsen.bsky.social ) we show how STI1 (red) may engage with sequences that match transient helices within IDRs of Ub-binding shuttle protein Dsk2 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- #preprint Postdoc Nirbhik Acharya used NMR to find three transient helices within intrinsically-disordered regions of shuttle protein Dsk2 -- these interact with STI1. The STI1 is important for phase separation and proteasome condensates in yeast. Comments welcome! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUBehind every cure, every breakthrough, every treatment — is someone who needed it. If NIH funding helped you, your research, or someone you love, your story can help protect it. Share your “why” and help defend the future of NIH & science. Fill out the form here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SU🚨We have an opening for a postdoc to use protein design techniques to developing and characterizing binders against intrinsically disordered proteins involved in neuroscience. Experience in protein biochemistry and/or molecular neuroscience preferred. Share: 🙏 mbg.au.dk/aktuelt/ledi...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUStep up!
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUFederal research cuts impact local economies, and stall progress. Publish an opinion piece in your hometown paper on June 16th to SPREAD THE WORD about how scientific research contributes to the everyday health and wealth of the general public. #McClintockLetters blogs.cornell.edu/asap/events-...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SURichard Youle is my PhD mentor🤯🤬😭. 40 yrs at NIH, award winning scientist should not end this way.
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUThe horror show continues at NIH I am hearing (reliably) that RIFs have started with entire institute Communication branches being terminated since their jobs not longer exist (reduction in force). But that is not all...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUUMich Biophysics has an open search for a new faculty member. Application materials are due 5/15. Search is open rank (despite the title in the link). Would love to bring more structural biology colleagues to Biophysics. #NMR careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUHappening TOMORROW! Get psyched!
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SULooking for a faculty position? Biological Sciences at RPI is hiring! Excited for our newest member to join us! careers.rpi.edu/mob/en-us/jo...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUWe're on the cover of @science.org this week. Awesome work by @florentwaltz.bsky.social. #CryoET is reaching crazy resolutions inside cells, and this is just the beginning. Fantastic interpretation of the proton motive force by @verenaresch.bsky.social. Always a pleasure making #SciArt with you!🧪🧶🧬🌾
- In a new Science study, cryo–electron tomography captures the in-cell architecture of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, illuminating how the coordinated action of molecular machines drives life’s fundamental energy conversion. Learn more in this week's issue: scim.ag/3FA3Ygq
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUATTENTION: ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETINGS Nothing posted yet in the Federal Register I had heard that at least some institutes and centers had tentatively scheduled "make-up" meetings in April but are no longer planning these. 1/2
- #preprint Postdoc Nirbhik Acharya used NMR to find three transient helices within intrinsically-disordered regions of shuttle protein Dsk2 -- these interact with STI1. The STI1 is important for phase separation and proteasome condensates in yeast. Comments welcome! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Huge credit to the Roelofs lab at KUMC (grad student Emily Daniel, especially) and the Kraut lab at Villanova for a super fun collaboration! Work is made possible from a NIGMS R01 to CAC and a NIGMS R35 to the Roelofs lab.
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUNIGMS administrative supplements are back! These are given at the discretion of program officers and are not reviewed by study sections. Renewing obsolete equipment is a priority. loop.nigms.nih.gov/2025/03/nigm...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUWHERE WILL YOU BE TOMORROW?
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUI am not going to call this a Bluetorial, because I do not want to sully that term (which, at least I, find joyful). Let’s call it a Orwellial.
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUNIH funding is frozen. @annikabarber.bsky.social is keeping score: 50%+ of study sections planned for this year (77/148) have been cancelled. I talked to Dr. Barber about why these delays are disastrous, and why scientists should be pooling info and speaking up: www.chronicle.com/article/nih-...
- This is a huge problem that needs to be explained to your representatives and all; many of us are directly affected by this federal register posting freeze.
- I just covered this for @thetransmitter.bsky.social — will keep following! www.thetransmitter.org/funding/fede...
- Same problem with postponed / cancelled council meetings at the NIH (post study section) - these meetings need to be posted to the federal register; this process is still blocked and many grants can not move forward until council meets. @jeremymberg.bsky.social is keeping an eye on this too.
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUInstead of cutting costs for working families, Donald Trump is slashing the federal investments that fund their lifesaving care, fuel their local economy, and lower their health care costs. It’s cruel, short-sighted, and will cost jobs and devastate millions of families.
- Working together with @shaharsu.bsky.social , we wanted to investigate the role of single-point missense mutations on the conformational ensembles of disordered regions in proteins - read our perspective piece here! Was fantastic working with @shaharsu.bsky.social !
- 🎉🧪New perspective paper! Single-point missense mutations are common in disordered regions but are often overlooked👀. We analyzed thousands of IDR point mutations associated with human congenital diseases to show that many can significantly change local IDR ensemble structure! shorturl.at/iIbLX
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SU🎉🧪New perspective paper! Single-point missense mutations are common in disordered regions but are often overlooked👀. We analyzed thousands of IDR point mutations associated with human congenital diseases to show that many can significantly change local IDR ensemble structure! shorturl.at/iIbLX
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUNIGMS council meeting has been postponed. This will reverberate. America's scientific leadership and its innovation economy is under threat. www.nigms.nih.gov/about/counci...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUFor my US colleagues reeling over what’s happening at the NIH… How to find your House representative: www.house.gov/representati... How to find your senators: www.senate.gov/senators/sen...
- #undergraduates! Eager to try out microscopy research in cells, plants, or neurons? 🔬Apply to the summer NSF-funded Biology REU program at Syracuse University in central NY! Apply by February 28 - Learn more here: artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/biology/biol... youtu.be/J6qW1lNLDAA
- For folks unable to download our recent review in @cp-trendsbiochem.bsky.social on protein quality control condensates, function, and potential therapeutic avenues - here's another link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1kNRo3S6Gf... #Ub #PQC #condensates
- Inspired by recent discoveries on ubiquitin-mediated condensates under physiological and stress conditions, we wrote this review on the intersection of protein quality control, phase separation, and function! #PQC #UPS #autophagy #ubiquitin #condensates
- Now online - the Review "Protein quality control machinery: regulators of condensate architecture and functionality" from Anitha Rajendran and Carlos @castanedalab.bsky.social. #PQC #condensates #phaseseparation #chaperones #therapeutics Access here 👉 authors.elsevier.com/a/1kNRo3S6Gf...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUThrilled to announce that the Jao Lab is relocating to Syracuse University in Jan 2025 🐮➡️🍊. We continue to study macromolecular assembly and more. We are hiring at all levels! The first postdoc position: www.sujobopps.com/postings/107.... Come join us! #CellBiology #DevelopmentalBiology #zebrafish
- To all, a happy new year - happy to have new colleagues like @shaharsu.bsky.social , @ljao.bsky.social , and @drheatherini.bsky.social !!! Welcome to SU! Looking forward to new #IDP discoveries and planning meetings for the community!
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SU1/ 🚨We’re thrilled to share our latest study: "Cellular Function of a Biomolecular Condensate Is Determined by Its Ultrastructure" 🌟 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... How do biomolecular condensates achieve their cellular roles? It comes down to their internal structure. 🧵⬇️
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUI'm running our "cellular memory and adaptation" graduate-level journal club again this semester. Our focus is on studies that examine how molecular details enable the higher-order organization of cellular matter/information. So question for the crowd: what are some of your fav. papers here?
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUGreat work from Gloria Brar’s group on the role of paralogous RNA helicases in the heat shock response. Surprising increase in growth at high temperature and impact of a short motif! Also important implications of the role of biomolecular condensation. Awesome www.cell.com/cell-reports...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SU🔬 Major advance in #AutismResearch: Dr. Carla Garcia-Cabau (IRB Barcelona) explains the key role of #CPEB4 condensates in #autism. 📰 Published in Nature 📌 DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08289-w #IRBScience @xsalvatella1.bsky.social @natureportfolio.bsky.social 🧪
- #PhD #applications SU Biology is recruiting PhD students for Fall 2025 with a priority app deadline of Jan 4! We have new faculty hires in #plant biology, #disordered proteins, #neuroscience, and #epigenetics - info here (actively recruiting for F25): artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/biology/grad...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUOur work on how CPEB4 mis-splicing leads to its aggregation in autism spectrum disorder is now published in Nature. rdcu.be/d2qjW I would like to thank the collaborators who joined the team during the revision process as well as the funders who supported us.
- I credit the JHU PMB graduate program for providing the science, training, and fantastic environment that really got me excited about molecular biophysics. In the words of BGME, "let the data do the talking" #PhD #biophysics
- The program is now called just the “Program in Molecular Biophysics” and have a 30-year plus history with many distinguished graduates. Again, building training programs together is a great way to build community just as BCMB had help unite the med school departments. pmb.jhu.edu 33/n
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUAre you interested in the role of protein condensation in plant biology? Come work with me at Syracuse University!
- #IDPs? #plant biology? #postdoc? SU Biology colleague Heather Meyer has a job opening! www.sujobopps.com/postings/107...
- #PI #faculty #STEM #neuroscience #PhD #facultyjobs Last call for neuroscience faculty apps! Super excited about this hiring and recruitment effort!
- Our Biology dept. at SU is hiring tenure-track neuroscience faculty! Candidate(s) will build on strengths in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program (cell & molecular neurobiology, neurodegeneration, behavioral neuroscience, etc.) Review of apps begins 12/1/24: www.sujobopps.com/postings/106...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUCheck out our updated database of 189 PhD fellowships and funding opportunities. For each fellowship, we provide a description, $ amount, deadline, link to funder and eligibility criteria (such as citizenship). Good luck! Download freely here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
- Reposted by Castañeda Lab at SUA reminder for new folks. BlueSky does not have an algorithm to raise posts of interest. It is incumbent upon you to do so via reposting. Liking things only provides feedback to the poster but does not promote the post. The signal to noise ratio is taking a brief beating, so great to help curate.
