Noah J Martin

Today we report the directed evolution of HUH (a sequence-sequence covalent protein tag for ssDNA labeling) into rHUH, a sequence-specific covalent protein tag for RNA labeling. rHUH was hard to engineer: the initial HUH template had no RNA activity, so we started with RNA-DNA hybrids. 30 rounds of selection on the yeast surface were required, and 7 cycles of library diversification. The final rHUH tag is 13.4 kD, has 12 mutations relative to HUH, and covalently labels as little as 1 nM target RNA within minutes. The labeling works well in mammalian cell lysate, but not yet in the interior of living cells – possibly due to the high Mg2+ requirement and imperfect sequence specificity resulting in significant background labeling of endogenous transcripts. There is still work to be done for this to be a dream tool for RNA imaging/editing/mapping in living cells, but rHUH provides a good starting point and it is definitely good enough for in vitro applications. Congratulations to postdoc @RongbingHuang, whose creativity, persistence, and resourcefulness made rHUH possible! We are grateful to NSF and Biohub for funding this work. pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…

#RNA rules

About to click "submit" on my new grant proposal, "Diverse signaling mechanisms engaged by systemic all-trans retinoic acid." Wish me luck!

🔬 Condensates: When fixation creates fiction A chemical regularly used to image cells can dramatically alter the way cellular compartments called condensates look under the microscope. 12/13 elifesciences.org/articles/85671…

Move over mitochondria, a new organelle called the nitroplast is here. In a new Science study, researchers report that a nitrogen-fixing organelle has been identified in a marine alga. Learn more ⬇️ 📄: scim.ag/6FL #SciencePerspective: scim.ag/6FM

We are halfway through the first ever Cephalopod Neuroscience Conference at the MBL. Over 200 participants. What an amazing expansion of new research. #cephneuro. sites.google.com/view/cephneuro…

Just 10 days left to submit abstracts, requests for financial support, and applications for hands-on workshops at the first ever Cephalopod Neuroscience Conference @MBLScience! Due date December 15, 2023. sites.google.com/view/cephneuro…

A (totally unnecessary) reminder of how ridiculous academic publishing is: I’m currently reading the manuscript version of a paper because neither of the two authors (BOTH members of my lab) have access to it via the publisher…

Another one and a new friend! Alt text: another link vermiform parasite & hirudinea(?)-looking parasite under the microscope

Say hello to the little vermiform #parasite we found in a fish yesterday! My notes from a couple days before noted the super extended belly🪱 Alt text: small/pink/tangled/worm-like parasite, moving around under a microscope

It’s all about perspective 🐟

I’ve learned from a decade on this app to not accept the superficial way things are presented here, especially when someone’s words are being used against them. And so I watched the whole session for context. And I’m glad I did. Because in context it’s way worse.

I challenge @RobertKennedyJr @joerogan and @PeterHotez to submit papers with data supporting their vaccine hypotheses which we will subject to open, public peer review by domain experts.

@phylumtatum @galvezf1 @LSU If the ants left those tracks you photographed from the plane they must be swift indeed!

Working on a cool project with @galvezf1 at @LSU this summer! Arrived yesterday & already have seen a cardinal, a tiger, and some wickedly fast ants!

Happy World Oceans Day from all of us at the Marine Biological Laboratory! mbl.edu/news/ocean-of-…

Octopuses rewire their brains to adapt to seasonal shifts in water temperature, a strategy that likely protects their brains. @MBLScience Matthew Birk, Eli Eisenberg, @joshrosenthal16 Read more in @Cellcellpress: cell.com/cell/fulltext/…

Interested in #ecology, #evolution, and going to #gradschool? 🔬🐾🧬🌲🧪🕸️🧫 Apply to join us for a FREE virtual program this summer! Check out our website (eegradpreview.weebly.com) & apply by July 9th 11:59pm PST! 🤩 #AcademicTwitter

Check out this incredible opportunity for prospective ecology and evolution grad students to learn more about grad school and the application process!!

Here’s a couple shots of critter friends from the king tides in December to ease the feeling of lost ocean time amongst all this rain. Cheers to the wonders that tide pools of 2023 have to offer!!