Very glad to see our Sequential Activation Hypothesis highlighted on the cover Trends in Biochemical Sciences, linking small RNA-TLR interactions to autoimmune disease mechanisms.

New preprint from the lab! With Brumbaugh Lab, we show that P-bodies sequester developmentally relevant RNAs to influence cell fate. miRNAs direct this conserved regulatory process, and manipulating it enhances totipotency and germ cell programming. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

We’re excited to share our latest manuscript exploring a fascinating aspect of tRNA biology—how RNA processing interfaces with nucleoside modifications. Just out on Nature Communications 🔬 A wonderful collaboration with Sebastian Glatt nature.com/articles/s4146…

We identified tsRNAs and rsRNAs in uterine fluid, which might transmit high-fat dietary information to early embryo, influencing pregnancy outcomes and offspring health. nature.com/articles/s4146…

Perhaps our boldest hypothesis… we propose a model for RNA Structural Memory propagation Nature Cell Biology, where RNA conformation is reshaped by stress, locked by RBPs, copied prion-like in condensates & passed across generations—all without altering DNA.🧵 rdcu.be/eBwPJ

The model starts with RNA folding energy & a multistable landscape. Under stress, RNA can adopt a new shape—and if RNA-binding proteins “lock” it in, that shape becomes a molecular memory of the stress. Think Waddington’s epigenetic landscape—but for RNA folding energy valleys.

The heart of the hypothesis: copying RNA shape. Some RNAs can act as both template & catalyst, guiding new RNAs with the same sequence to fold the same way. RNA alone is unstable, but RBPs stabilize the template, & condensates boost RNA–RNA interactions—as a microreaction chamber

Memory propagation in cells — and across generations: Newly folded RNAs bind stress-linked RBPs to assemble new condensates, passed on during cell division. Even daughter cells never facing the original stress can inherit the RNA structural memory – and its stress-adapted traits.

Why the memory fades eventually - as often seen in epigenetic inheritance: Two potential exits: Active reset:when conditions normalize, condensates dissolve, RBPs shift, RNA refolds. Passive fade:cells with stress-memory may grow slower, and are outcompeted over generations.

This animated version looks nice 😀 rdcu.be/eBwPJ

1/ Excited to share our new study with Brumbaugh Lab, now out in Nature Biotechnology! P-bodies selectively sequester RNAs encoding cell fate regulators, often from the preceding developmental stage. Releasing these RNAs can drive changes in cell identity. 🧵nature.com/articles/s4158…