nick_rite

@JoonLeePhD We found more R2 homodimers ~ but R2R3 heterodimers a major fraction in the context of the whole brain

More heterodimers of mGluR2 (mGluR2/3) in the brain than homodimers! Cryo-EM Structures of Brain-Derived G Protein-Coupled Receptors: The First Direct Visualization from Mammalian Brain Tissue biorxiv.org/content/10.648…

1968 - the arrival 1972 - the farewell 2026 - the return

Earthset. The Artemis II crew captured this view of an Earthset on April 6, 2026, as they flew around the Moon. The image is reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise image taken by astronaut Bill Anders 58 years earlier as the Apollo 8 crew flew around the Moon.

POV: You're flying by the Moon. This visualization is designed to show you what exactly the Artemis II astronauts will see outside their window during their lunar flyby. Here, the seven-hour visualization is compressed into 28 seconds. ⬇ (1/4)

One last look at Earth before we reach the Moon. This view of the Earth was captured on April 5, the fourth day of the Artemis II mission, from inside the Orion spacecraft. The four astronauts will reach their closest approach of the Moon tomorrow, April 6.

Even we have to agree with this.

Another hard-won project from the lab. We've been trying to understand how proteins get into the mitochondrial outer membrane for almost a decade, and hopefully we're finally getting closer. The structure, evolution, and mechanism of MTCH2: biorxiv.org/content/10.648…

Calling all cryo-EM ❄️🔬homies! A reminder to submit to our CAHRA data processing challenge by June 1! We have three datasets (comp-het, conf-het, pose entanglement), open to both practitioners and methods developers! Rolling assessment of submissions will be reported on our leaderboard starting now. Prizes 🤑💸💰 thanks to @RenPhilanthropy! More info here: heterogeneity.notion.site/challenge

@zenbrainest MASSIVE THANKS also to @CryoEM_PNCC !

HUGE thanks to Yi-ting, Kensuke, Dewran, Blake, Scherrer lab for fantastic work on pharmacology and animal line design/validation. and BIG thanks to @zenbrainest for being an awesome postdoc mentor, supporting the project and encouraging when things got challenging!

It's out - we isolated mGluR2 containing assemblies from brains and resolved various conformational and compositional states. A subtype-specific functional property shapes the conformational landscape. Project like this has been a dream of mine since I started my science journey

@zenbrainest Short animation of study findings :

Stay tuned - my first postdoc manuscript will be online in preprint form shortly...

Artificial intelligence models overly affirm and validate users, even when users propose harmful or illegal actions, a new Science study finds. The resulting effect on users is notable: Receiving advice from affirming AI made people more self-centered and less able to see the perspectives of others. Yet people prefer the overly affirming AI, which may further promote this behavior in AI models. Learn more in this week's issue: scim.ag/4lZmdwU

I have no assumptions and I don't look for any particular outcome with my science. Most of what my lab does is uber-basic and any answer is fine, as long as we include both positive and negative controls. In fact--we get really, really excited when we discover something that goes against our prior assumptions! Frankly I pity those folks who are always trying to 'prove a hypothesis' rather than 'test it'.

Do psychedelics require Gi for their actions? NO! open.substack.com/pub/zendudest/…

Nature research paper: Convergent MurJ flippase inhibition by phage lysis proteins go.nature.com/4caF9pz

"I didn’t know how I was going to make it through my studies. But amid my struggles, a caring colleague said something that would forever shape my approach to science and mentoring." #ScienceWorkingLife scim.ag/44WAval

Excited to share our study resolving the GTP-induced activation of the mu-opioid receptor-Gi complex with different agonists using cryoEM and MD simulations is live now @Nature, with additional MD sims, fluorescence work, and more! nature.com/articles/s4158…

Postdoctoral fellowship available in structure guided drug discovery in @RothLabUNC Please RT