Natalie Niemi
@nieminm.bsky.social
Assistant professor @WUSTLmed Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics. Mitochondria, metabolism, and cell signaling. Mom of 2. Advocate for women in science. www.niemilab.com
We introduce a new transducer of oxygen sensing: Cys2-HYT1 @isamanrique.bsky.social @charlene-kunaka.bsky.social Susanna Ubeda Tomas & @gunjansharma88.bsky.social ma88.bsky.social lead work defining HYT1 contribution to root hypoxia tolerance. @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Hierarchical regulation of oxygen-sensing through coupled transducers in Arabidopsis thaliana - Nature Communications
The PLANT CYSTEINE OXIDASE (PCO) N-degron pathway contributes to oxygen sensing in plants. Here the authors identify HYPOXIA TRANSDUCER1 (HYT1) as a substrate of PCO and show it forms a coherent feed-...
nature.com
How does linear motifs drive dephosphorylation - and does it matter where and how strong the motifs are? These are the question Evi answers in her brand new pre-print: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Succinate and its carrier Sfc1 mediate metabolic control of mitochondrial protein import by the TIM23 translocase
Succinate and its carrier Sfc1 mediate metabolic control of mitochondrial protein import by the TIM23 translocase
Das et al. show that succinate regulates mitochondrial protein import through an interaction between Sfc1 (succinate-fumarate carrier) and the Tim23 translocase subunit. In the absence of succinate, Sfc1 associates with Tim23 and reduces protein import. Succinate promotes dissociation of the Sfc1-Tim23 complex, thereby enhancing TIM23 mediated protein translocation into mitochondria.
dlvr.it
Excited to share the first published paper from my lab! Postdoc Helen Jordan led this study on 1) how metabolites change differently in inflammation in tissues versus in cells in a dish and 2) the role of one of the most-increased metabolites, soluble sialic acid www.jbc.org/article/S002...
Metabolomics of in vivo inflammation identifies soluble sialic acid as a conserved myeloid-cell metabolite
During an immune response, metabolism changes dramatically. Metabolites are oxidized to power immune cell functions, serve as building blocks for proliferation, and act as effectors to regulate pathog...
jbc.org
Who knew ammonia-oxidizing archaea could be “flexitarians”? Our new study in Science Advances shows that #AOA living inside marine sponges can assimilate branched-chain amino acids, an unexpected talent that may even shape how they interact with their hosts 🧽🤝🦠 🎉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Branched-chain amino acid assimilation enables mixotrophy of ammonia-oxidizing archaeal sponge symbionts
Marine sponges and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) represent one of the earliest animal-microbe symbioses. AOA are considered metabolically constrained chemolithoautotrophs that remove nitrogenous was...
science.org
Mitochondrial protein import couples proteostasis failure to mitochondrial permeabilization https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.03.749044v1
Did you know that the cells of old animals contain much less mRNA than the cells of young ones? Let me share with you some results from an ongoing project in the lab, where we are finding that a progressive depletion of total mRNA abundance is a crucial part of aging 1/22
Delighted to share my first author paper on how the MIC10 protein complex generates curvature in mitochondrial crista out now in Science Advances!! 🥳🥳 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... See below for a run through of why we were interested and what we found 👇
The molecular basis of mitochondrial crista formation by the MIC10 complex
Mitochondrial cristae are essential for respiration, yet the molecular basis of how the high curvature of these membrane folds is maintained remains unclear. Using structure prediction tools and multi...
science.org
A new paper reveals the mechanisms of topogenic sequence recognition in mitochondrial inner membrane complexes TIM23 and TIM22 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Topogenic sequence recognition at TIM complexes revealed by a stendomycin-bound structure - Nature Chemical Biology
The mitochondrial inner membrane complexes TIM23 and TIM22 mediate distinct protein topogenesis functions in polypeptide import. The authors reveal their mechanistic overlap in topogenic sequence reco...
nature.com
A couple of days late, but many congratulations to graduate student Youmian Yan for defending her thesis this week!! Dr. Yan gave an incredible presentation on her work on mitochondrial protein import. Well done and richly deserved. 🥳🎉
Kinetic Control of Nuclear-encoded Mitochondrial mRNA Localization and Local Translation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.22.746448v1
Organelle proteomics of human, neonatal pig, healthy and diabetic mouse islets
Organelle proteomics of human, neonatal pig, healthy and diabetic mouse islets
Caliskan, Haas et al. present a cross-species subcellular proteomic atlas of pancreatic islets, revealing conserved organelle organization across human, pig, and mouse. The study uncovers disease-associated remodeling of vesicular trafficking, granule acidification machinery, and mitochondrial metabolism in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes.
dlvr.it
What do the earliest organisms tell us about where life began on earth? This fantastic paper addresses this issue through analyses that expose early metabolism, & what the environment contributed to kick start it. Even if wrong it is worth reading for the clear introduction to metabolism.
Intermediate stages in the origin of metabolism at a phosphorylating hydrothermal vent
Enzymatic metabolism emerged from metal-catalyzed, aqueous reactions of H2, CO2, NH3 and phosphite at a hydrothermal vent.
science.org
HUGE congrats to former lab member and all-round excellent human @jjalston.bsky.social for being awarded an ALSF Young Investigator Grant!!! 🥳 www.alexslemonade.org/where-money-...
Engineering Peptides that Target Disordered Regions in PAX3-FOXO1–Positive Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive childhood cancer, and many children with this disease carry a mutation that combines two different proteins, PAX3 and FOXO1, into one protein, PAX3-FOXO1. Th...
alexslemonade.org
A stress response can be a great starting point for discovering new biology! By following genes regulated during the chloroplast unfolded protein response, we’re discovering novel factors involved in chloroplast homeostasis. Here’s the first one we characterized: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
VIA1 is a conserved regulator of thylakoid membrane integrity that acts through VIPP1 | PNAS
Thylakoid membranes are indispensable for oxygenic photosynthesis, yet the mechanisms that protect these membranes from photooxidative damage remai...
pnas.org
New online: Ion transport as a determinant of membrane fusion and fission
Ion transport as a determinant of membrane fusion and fission
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Published online: 19 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41594-026-01860-1In this Review, the authors present the mechanisms at the interplay between ion transport and membrane fusion and fission in the endosomal system and beyond.
dlvr.it
The in vitro fertilized rice zygote contain mitochondria from both gametes, but the paternal mitochondria were eliminated from the zygote, to the point that paternal mitochondrial SNP markers were undetectable by sequencing. #PlantScience From: academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...
Monitoring the fate of paternal mitochondria and their elimination in rice zygotes
Abstract. Mitochondria are preferentially transmitted from the maternal plant in most angiosperms, including rice, and paternal mitochondria are generally
academic.oup.com
Presequences of non-imported mitochondrial proteins serve as quality control elements in the cytosol https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.13.744608v1
ICYMI💫: Revealing a vulnerability in AML: doi.org/10.1172/JCI1... Tcheng et al. @pmresearch-uhn.bsky.social discover AML cells upregulate mitochondrial protein import & rely more on the mitochondrial protease LONP1 to maintain mitochondrial protein solubility compared to normal hematopoietic cells
Come join our week-long course on stable isotope tracing! Great for learning and networking in the wonderful city of Nashville. (Line dancing/bull riding optional, but encouraged)
Structural basis for the selective inhibition of the PI3KC3-C2 complex by Rubicon in endolysosome maturation and mitophagy www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.07.743589v1 #cryoEM
One of the most important things you can do to be a successful scientist is install and use a reference manager! I use Zotero and made a guide to help my students navigate it. Thought I'd share here as well. Hope it helps! youtu.be/9ViP3DU7Xvk
Using the reference management tool Zotero
YouTube video by the bumbling biochemist
youtu.be
Scientific careers are rarely linear, and mine is a good example. I am grateful to @natmetabolism.nature.com for publishing this series and making space for the many different paths, timelines and ways to build a scientific career. rdcu.be/fysBT #Drosophila #CareerPathways #WomenInSTEM #ScienceSky
Career pathways, part 20
Nature Metabolism - Academic careers are shaped by scientific discovery, professional networks, mentorship and the challenges of balancing research with personal and professional responsibilities....
rdcu.be
A molecular switch for coordinating kinesin and dynein transport of mitochondrial cargo | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A molecular switch for coordinating kinesin and dynein transport of mitochondrial cargo
The cellular distribution of mitochondria in response to stress and local energy needs is governed by the relative activities of the microtubule-based molecular motors kinesin and dynein. The mechanis...
science.org
Thrilled to share our new work, co-developed w/Adrian Salic's lab: bioorthogonal probes for labeling PE, a multifunctional membrane lipid and source of important protein modifications. Congrats to Yuan-Ting Cho, Brittany White-Mathieu, Jade Xia, & Cindy Jao! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Bioorthogonal Tools for Ethanolamine Lipids and Protein Conjugates
An alkyne-tagged ethanolamine analog (AlkEA) enables bioorthogonal, metabolic labeling of endogenous phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and its protein modifications. AlkEA is incorporated into PE via the...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
We are looking to hire a technician to join the team. This project focuses on the nuclear lamina, a cellular structure that protects and organizes the genome. Will build skills in genetic screening, genomics, and stem cell culture. Please share, please apply! aprecruit.ucsf.edu/JPF06185
Junior Specialist, Buchwalter Laboratory, Cardiovascular Research Institute
University of California, San Francisco is hiring. Apply now!
aprecruit.ucsf.edu
With most 1st-year PhD students starting graduate programs this month, it seemed like a good time to address the most important dilemma faced by many incoming PhD students—how to choose rotation labs. Although perhaps obvious to those with experience, many of the key factors are often overlooked.
Choosing rotations and a dissertation lab - Help, I'm a Scientist!
By David Fay Choosing a lab in which to carry out your PhD is admittedly one of the more important decisions you’ll make in your early scientific career. But it’s important to have some perspective. F...
helpimascientist.com
Why do intrinsically disordered proteins behave so weirdly during SDS-PAGE? This is the question we aim to answer in our recent paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Sequence determinants of the hypomobility of intrinsically disordered proteins in <fc>SDS</fc>‐<fc>PAGE</fc>
Proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) migrate at a higher apparent molecular weight in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, complicating their analysis and...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
New preprint from the lab, co-led by Youmian Yan and @lianjiejerrywei.bsky.social! 🧵 at some point in the near future, but until then, check out our work uncovering mechanisms allowing the dual targeting of mitochondrial proteins using our favorite, PPTC7, as a case study.
bioRxivpreprint@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 2mo agoCombinatorial sequence elements fine-tune mitochondrial protein import to facilitate dual localization https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.31.742112v1