New paper! How do RNAs "know" where to go inside a cell? We dug into the sequence elements that route RNAs to the right place. It turns out that, in mammals, they're surprisingly massive (>200 nt), multipartite, and wonderfully complicated. 🧵

Congratulations to Molecular Biology student Charlie Moffatt of Matt Taliaferro's lab @jmtali.bsky.social for a successful PhD defense!

In this time of introspection On the eve of study section I say to my reflection God, please spare me more rejection My reviewers criticize me And my colleagues all despise me Try to put it all behind me But that funding cliff is nipping at my heels

Maybe I’ll keep tidying my own dataframes a little while longer.

The registration deadline for this wonderful meeting is approaching! Be sure to reserve your spot before March 10!

Matthew Taliaferro@jmtali.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Announcing the 2026 edition of the EMBO workshop on RNA localization and local translation! This meeting will be held June 30 - July 4 near Porto, Portugal. Come for exciting updates in the field from both established investigators and trainees. See the link below for details!

We’re excited to kick off 2026 with a joint meeting with the London RNA Club, featuring Mary Ann Allen and @loverna.bsky.social! 🗓 Wednesday, February 25, 2026 ⏰ 10:00 AM MST 📍 Zoom: please RSVP here for link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Supported by @rnasociety.bsky.social

Excited to share that this work is now published in its final form! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

TDP-43 directly inhibits mRNA accumulation in neurites through modulation of mRNA stability - The EMBO Journal

The subcellular localization of many mRNAs to neuronal projections allows neurons to efficiently and rapidly react to spatially restricted external cues. However, for most of these RNAs, the mechanism...

link.springer.com

Matthew Taliaferro@jmtali.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share our latest work! We asked if and how TDP-43 regulates RNA transport in neurons and if this is misregulated in ALS. We found that it works to keep RNAs *out* of neurites, and that loss of TDP-43 activity results in specific RNAs aberrantly accumulating there.

A mechanism for controlling mRNA localization to neuronal projections: Daniel Dominguez, Matthew Taliaferro @jmtali.bsky.social and collaborators implicated ALS-linked TDP-43 as inhibitor of mRNA accumulation in neurites, possibly by promoting their decay link.springer.com/article/10.1...

TDP-43 directly inhibits mRNA accumulation in neurites through modulation of mRNA stability - The EMBO Journal

The subcellular localization of many mRNAs to neuronal projections allows neurons to efficiently and rapidly react to spatially restricted external cues. However, for most of these RNAs, the mechanism...

link.springer.com

Join us in Porto for the forefront of RNA localization & local translation research! Registration is live!

Matthew Taliaferro@jmtali.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Registrations are due March 10, and both travel grants and dependent care grants are available. We look forward to seeing you in Portugal next summer! meetings.embo.org/event/26-rna...

My favourite meeting! Highly recommend registering for this one...

Matthew Taliaferro@jmtali.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Announcing the 2026 edition of the EMBO workshop on RNA localization and local translation! This meeting will be held June 30 - July 4 near Porto, Portugal. Come for exciting updates in the field from both established investigators and trainees. See the link below for details!

Announcing the 2026 edition of the EMBO workshop on RNA localization and local translation! This meeting will be held June 30 - July 4 near Porto, Portugal. Come for exciting updates in the field from both established investigators and trainees. See the link below for details!

How does one review his paper if he’s infallible?

New @prelights.bsky.social post ! I'm happy to highlight @jmtali.bsky.social lab latest preprint prelights.biologists.com/highlights/t...

We received notice that two F31s were terminated and submitted another F31 application two hours later. We keep on trucking, I guess.

Two updates with this project! First, this work is now published here: academic.oup.com/nar/article/... Second, our software for identifying 8-oxoguanosine via RNAseq, PIGPEN, is now installable via bioconda: anaconda.org/bioconda/pig...

Quantification of subcellular RNA localization through direct detection of RNA oxidation

Abstract. Across cell types and organisms, thousands of RNAs display asymmetric subcellular distributions. Studying this process requires quantifying abund

academic.oup.com

Matthew Taliaferro@jmtali.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excited to share our latest work! In it, we develop a new method for studying RNA localization via proximity labeling: OINC-seq! In contrast to other proximity-based methods, labels deposited on RNAs are read directly by sequencing without the need for biotinylation. biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Excited to share our latest work! We asked if and how TDP-43 regulates RNA transport in neurons and if this is misregulated in ALS. We found that it works to keep RNAs *out* of neurites, and that loss of TDP-43 activity results in specific RNAs aberrantly accumulating there.

Save the date for the next edition of this wonderful meeting. We look forward to seeing you in Portugal!!

From this we can conclude that I am: A. extremely arrogant about my own writing B. an idiot C. both

Come be our colleague! @cu-bmg.bsky.social is running an open rank search for a structural biologist specializing in cryo-EM/ET. This is a great opportunity in a highly collegial and collaborative department. Apply here: cu.taleo.net/careersectio...

Start PCR. Ski. Purify PCR product. @molbcu.bsky.social

@triggerloop.bsky.social ok seriously is a&m refusing to share the film or what is going on here

@triggerloop.bsky.social good for you. Got your win for the day. No need to worry about anything else.

Interested in doing your postdoc with the Department of Pharmacology at @CUAnschutz? Join us for our Postdoctoral Education & Knowledge Summit with @cuanschutz_dpb and the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics! Applications close December 1st. bit.ly/CU-PEAKS

CU PEAKS

bit.ly

Fellow #RNA lovers, please repost 🙏: 2 ERC-funded Post-doc positions are available in our lab to investigate #RNA structural ensemble and their dynamics in living cells. Application link: t.co/pYJ3H3j705

Excited to share our latest work! In it, we develop a new method for studying RNA localization via proximity labeling: OINC-seq! In contrast to other proximity-based methods, labels deposited on RNAs are read directly by sequencing without the need for biotinylation. biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

New preprint from my group! We used SHAPE-MaP to measure RNA structure of DDX3X-sensitive mRNAs, developed a colorimetric translation reporter for DDX3X activity, and identified amino acids in DDX3X that mediate interaction with the translation machinery: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Determinants of DDX3X sensitivity uncovered using a helicase activity in translation reporter

bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution

biorxiv.org