Carter Lab
@carter-lab.bsky.social
A lab at the MRC LMB, Cambridge. Interested in dynein, microtubules, cytoskeleton, electron microscopy and much more.
Excited to share our new preprint! 🧬❄️ by brilliant @mdreimann.bsky.social and great collaborators! Using cryo-ET&EM, we reveal archaeal chromatin in a near-native state: variable-beads-on-a-string fibers shaped by growth phase and histone composition #ArchaeaSky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Cryo-ET is often framed as a tool for in situ protein structure. But what if the real revolution is contextualization? I explore how #teamtomo is redefining what "local" means in organelle biology, revealing membrane states rather than just protein structures. tinyurl.com/localmembrane
Think globally, act locally: Redefining organellar membrane environments through cryo-electron tomography
Early enthusiasm for the “cellular revolution” in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) was largely driven by the promise of resolving protein structures…
sciencedirect.com
There are lots of exciting opportunities to join the in situ structural biology community at Leeds this Autumn - 2 studentships in the Cheney PhD program (astbury.leeds.ac.uk/cheney-phd/) and I am recruiting a PhD student and research assistant. Please share and send any future tomographers our way!
Cheney Scholarship PhD Programme : The Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology - "Understanding Life in Molecular Detail"
Applications are open for 2 PhD student places. Closing date for applications is Thursday 26 June, 5pm. Interviews will be held on 9th July 2026. The Cheney Scholarship is a prestigious 4-year PhD pr...
astbury.leeds.ac.uk
In our #journalclub, we looked at the cool new findings from Deng and colleagues, which show that the bacterial reverse transcriptase Drt3 chain B can synthesise poly(AC) DNA strands in the absence of a nucleic acid template, encoded by conserved surface amino acids. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Protein-templated synthesis of dinucleotide repeat DNA by an antiphage reverse transcriptase
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) are widespread bacterial anti-phage systems that use unconventional mechanisms of polynucleotide synthesis. We show that DRT3, which comprises two dist...
science.org
Our story on RNA recognition by Egl-BicD is now published! Also delighted to share the accompanying News & Views article by Florence Besse and Andres Ramos, which beautifully highlights the work. Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... News & Views: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Structural basis for recognition of diverse localizing mRNAs by Egl–BicD - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Singh et al. combine cryo-electron microscopy and functional studies to reveal how a single protein complex selects diverse mRNAs for subcellular localization using a combination of shape, positional ...
nature.com
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology@mrclmb.ac.uk · 3mo agoThe hidden rules behind mRNA transport. A collaborative study between @simonbullock11.bsky.social & @carter-lab.bsky.social’s groups has found a structural code that explains how cells selectively transport mRNAs. Read more: mrclmb.ac.uk/news-events/... #LMBNews @cellbiol-mrclmb.bsky.social 🧪
Thrilled to see this work published. Thanks to helpful reviewer suggestions, there are some exciting new insights that were not in the preprint (particularly in Figure 4). www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Structural basis for recognition of diverse localizing mRNAs by Egl–BicD - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Singh et al. combine cryo-electron microscopy and functional studies to reveal how a single protein complex selects diverse mRNAs for subcellular localization using a combination of shape, positional ...
nature.com
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology@mrclmb.ac.uk · 3mo agoThe hidden rules behind mRNA transport. A collaborative study between @simonbullock11.bsky.social & @carter-lab.bsky.social’s groups has found a structural code that explains how cells selectively transport mRNAs. Read more: mrclmb.ac.uk/news-events/... #LMBNews @cellbiol-mrclmb.bsky.social 🧪
Come and work with us on #cryoEM of alpha-synuclein amyloid filaments from #Parkinsons disease! 🥳 fa-evzn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Postdoctoral Scientist | Neurobiology | Dr Michel Goedert | LMB 2253
£42,694 per annum | Fixed-term for 3 years | Full-time | Closing date: 17 May 2026
fa-evzn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com
New preprint from the lab, looking at how multiple different adaptors interact with dynein! Work led by @amicoennio.bsky.social. Available now on BioRxiv: doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org
Ennio@amicoennio.bsky.social · 3mo agoNew preprint! We asked a simple question: How do very different activating adaptors all activate dynein? Turns out: same architecture, wildly different implementations 🧵👇 doi.org/10.64898/202...
Always looking for ways to improve cryo-ET lamella quality. In last week’s #journalclub, we discussed what seems to be a promising and practical in-chamber sublimation approach for mitigating ice contamination and curtaining during lamella prep. Preprint-- www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Really proud to see this. Huge congratulations to @helenfoster.bsky.social on the Biochemical Society Early Career Award, well deserved!!
Helen Foster@helenfoster.bsky.social · 4mo agoI am delighted to be among this years winners awards from the Biochemical Society! The Early Career Award recognises the work I did during my PhD and postdoc, and hopefully signals a bright start for my new lab within the @astbury-bsl.bsky.social at the University of Leeds 💫
Beautiful new study from @dyneinassembly.bsky.social lab on cilia recycling.
(GIRISH)MALI LAB@dyneinassembly.bsky.social · 4mo agoHappy to share our latest work spearheaded by super talented PhD student Muyang Ren now out as a bioRxiv preprint. 'Motile ciliophagy promotes ciliary recycling under stress' www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
It’s done!! Molecular architecture of the ciliary base in mammalian multiciliated cells! A study 13 years in the making 👴, thanks to collab with @stearnslab.bsky.social + @centriolelab.bsky.social & visionary work by @computingcaitie.bsky.social, who integrated native #cryoET with #XLMS & #UExM 🧪🧶🧬🔬
Caitie McCafferty@computingcaitie.bsky.social · 4mo agoI am excited to share our most recent work collaborating with @centriolelab.bsky.social and @stearnslab.bsky.social to look at the ciliary base of mammalian multiciliated cells w/ cryo-ET, XL/MS, and U-ExM www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Our latest @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social: "Prion-like transmission of human tau strains in the mouse brain" 🥳 With Michel Goedert and Masato Hasegawa. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
We are looking for a postdoc to join us on the quest for understanding RNA Pol II destruction machines! If you are curious why more than 80% of Pol II are removed from genes, check out the post below: www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Postdoctoral Scientist | PNAC | Dr Ana Tufegdzic Vidakovic | LMB 2142 - Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (GB) job with MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) | 12857096
Postdoctoral Scientist Salary £42,694 per annum pro rata Fixed term for 3 years MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK Applications are...
nature.com
On this 1st April I'm happy to release a technical report from our startup MirageBio, describing a new protein structure model with state-of-the-art performance. jgreener64.github.io/posts/techni...
MirageBio technical report
jgreener64.github.io
Check out this new work from @ckylau.bsky.social and @ritatewari.bsky.social labs on proteins that bridge Plasmodium cytoskeleton and it's motility apparatus. Congrats to all authors!!
Clinton Lau@ckylau.bsky.social · 4mo agoCheck out our first lab preprint: A real team effort to understand the Plasmodium GAPM proteins, which form part of a essential bridge between the parasite's cytoskeleton and motility apparatus. Below is a sneak peek of some beautiful microscopy - light and electron! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Huge congratulations to @vcmentowski.bsky.social on winning the Bayer Pharmaceuticals PhD Award at this year’s Mosbach Symposium!! Really great to see her work being recognised.
Verena Cmentowski@vcmentowski.bsky.social · 4mo agoHonored to receive the Bayer Pharmaceuticals PhD Award of the @gbmev.bsky.social at this year’s Mosbach Symposium an inspiring meeting with great science and discussions. Very grateful to my PhD supervisor @andrea-musacchio.bsky.social for his excellent mentorship and support throughout the journey.
Have a look at our latest results on #CDK regulation, just posted as a pre-print! This study was spearheaded by PhD student Amy McGeoch. Amy has determined the #cryoEM structure of the CDK11-cyclin L-SAP30B complex, an important regulator of #spliceosome activation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Proud to share the yeast telomerase structure, led by the talented @hongmiaohu.bsky.social in collaboration with the Wellinger and Chartrand labs. Discovered 37 years ago and took us nearly 7 years but totally worth the wait 😍. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFE4...
Cryo-EM structure of yeast telomerase
YouTube video by MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
youtube.com
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology@mrclmb.ac.uk · 4mo agoLed by Investigator Scientist @hongmiaohu.bsky.social, @kellythd-nguyen.bsky.social’s group in the LMB’s Structural Studies Division have produced the first ever structure of telomerase from yeast. Read more here: mrclmb.ac.uk/news-events/... #LMBResearch #cryoEM 🧪
Excited to share our work on the structure and function of cytoplasmic lattices within mouse embryos. A collaborative effort with @niakanlab.bsky.social and work led by @kashishsingh.bsky.social and @inaharasimov.bsky.social . It is now out on BioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#journalclub! We had a look at axonal lysosomes in a preprint from Walker et al. (2026). The authors show that as v-ATPase-positive lysosomes mature, the mRAVE-dependent recruitment of V1 onto V0 is associated with a change in motile behaviour, from bidirectional to retrograde-only. Very cool!
Today in #journalclub we learned that it takes two to TANGO: particle lists and spatial analysis! 💃🕺 Check out this new open-source Python package that lets you get more information from your cryo-ET data. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TANGO: Analysis and curation of particles in cryo-electron tomography - Nature Communications
Cryo-electron tomography visualizes molecules inside cells, but it lacks flexible tools to study their spatial organization. The authors present TANGO, a framework that utilizes neighborhoods of parti...
nature.com
In our last week's #journalclub, we looked at how the dynein light chain LC8 stablises the disordered domain of KANK1, transforming it into a rigid, hinged rod that can span the cortex–microtubule gap and recruit kinesin-4 to cortical microtubule plus ends. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The new isoNet2 looks amazing! We are excited to try it out! #journalclub www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
IsoNet2 determines cellular structures at submolecular resolution without averaging
We introduce IsoNet2 , an end-to-end self-supervised deep-learning method that directly reconstructs high-quality 3D densities from cryogenic electron tomography. A unified network simultaneously performs denoising, contrast transfer function correction, and missing-wedge restoration, achieving ∼20 Å resolution without averaging. A feature-rich GUI enables rapid, dataset-specific fine-tuning for end-users. IsoNet2 resolves domain organization in HIV capsid proteins, tRNA occupancy in individual ribosomes, and in situ architectures of mitochondrial respiration-related complexes, enabling atomic-level interpretation of cellular environments. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
biorxiv.org
Have a look at our new structure of co translational folding in yeast. This is collaborative work initialized by the Rospert lab from the @uni-freiburg.de. Structural work has been done by the amazing @lgrundmann.bsky.social Stay tuned for the next ribosome paper from him, following very soon.
IMP@impvienna.bsky.social · 7mo ago🧪Scientists from our Haselbach lab captured how proteins begin to fold as they’re being made. Using cryo-EM, they visualised chaperones guiding nascent proteins on the ribosome: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67685-6
Today in #JournalClub we discussed a new preprint that uses in situ cryo-ET and molecular dynamics simulations to study biomolecular condensate formation. Very beautiful data and interesting insights. Check it out! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Beautiful images from @christlet.bsky.social labelling tubulin in neurons #journalclub www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Interesting new result from Kyoko Chiba showing KIF5C forming a dimer-of-dimers #journalclub www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Activated kinesin-1 assembles into a dimer-of-dimers
Kinesin-1 mediates intracellular cargo transport along microtubules. The conventional kinesin-1 complex is composed of two KIF5 motor subunits (also known as kinesin heavy chain; KHCs) and two cargo-b...
biorxiv.org
Our latest work, in collaboration with the terrific @kashishsingh.bsky.social in the Carter lab @mrclmb.bsky.social is out. So proud of this study and everyone involved...
bioRxiv Cell Biology@biorxiv-cellbio.bsky.social · last yr.Cryo-EM structures of Egl-BicD-RNA complexes reveal how diverse mRNAs are selected for subcellular localization https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.02.668268v1