The RNA Transcript, August 31, 2020
A pink cell experiences a gradient of salt levels, depicted as crystals. In response to changes in external salt levels, “clouds” of protein form by phase separation. These protect against the dehydrating effects of salt (Illustration: Elisabeth Paymal)
In this Molecular Cell publication, Ameya Jalihal, Sethu Pitchiaya, Lanbo Xiao, Pushpinder Bawa, Xia Jiang, Karan Bedi, Abhijit Parolia, Marcin Cieslik, Mats Ljungman, Arul M. Chinnaiyan, and Nils G.Walter discovered unexpected cellular adaptation mechanisms in response to dehydration. The observed protein reaction has never been reported before.

The research began while observing processing bodies (P-Bodies), which are membrane-less organelles (MLO) involved in RNA degradation in human cells. The team found that, in response to osmotic changes provoked by high saline or sugar concentrations and subsequent dehydration, many proteins within the cell form aggregates similar to P-Bodies. The reaction takes only a few seconds and is reversible.

“At the fundamental level, our work has unraveled a new paradigm for subcellular (membrane-less) organization and rapid stress response,” says Sethu Pitchiaya, Ph.D., a biophysical chemist, one of two shared first authors and a co-senior author on this publication.

Paper cited:
Jalihal et al., Multivalent Proteins Rapidly and Reversibly Phase-Separate upon Osmotic Cell Volume Change, Molecular Cell (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2020.08.004
The University of Michigan Center for RNA Biomedicine involves over 155 faculty members and their labs across seven Schools and Colleges on the Ann Arbor campus. We're pleased to feature these outstanding scientists and colleagues in our weekly news.
Associate Professor, Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
and Member of our Executive Committee

Research interests: The Garner Laboratory uses chemical biology, medicinal chemistry and molecular and cellular biology approaches to investigate the high-risk/high-reward areas of targeting microRNAs, RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions for probe and drug discovery. These efforts are part of our larger interest in studying mechanisms of translational control, which are dysregulated in many human diseases, yet remain underexplored for therapeutic development.
“An RT-qPCR Method for Distinguishing isomiRs”
President and CEO, Somagenics
“RealSeq-AC, an efficient, very low-bias method for small-RNA Sequencing”
CEO, RealSeq Bioscience
Wednesday, September 9, 4:00–5:00 pm |


Moderator: Mats Ljungman, Ph.D 

"Same Same Different: Single cell RNAseq identifies conserved and divergent features of mammalian spermatogenesis" 

Justin Colacino, Ph.D. "Single cell transcriptomic profiling to understand breast stem cell heterogeneity in development and cancer disparities"
Wednesday, September 9, 1:30– 3:00 pm | MIDAS Faculty Research Pitch

Join the very first MIDAS faculty research pitch session. Find out about exciting data science research that is happening at U-M, explore collaboration opportunities and student research opportunities. Faculty members will each give a 3-minute lightning talk, and there will be a
30-minute networking session. All U-M faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend.



A line up of outstanding RNA scientists from the US and around the world.
All times are EDT.

  • Monday, September 21, 4:00 pm, Andrey Krasilnikov, Penn State
  • Monday, September 28, 9:00 am, Hiroaki Suga, University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Monday, October 5, 4:00 pm, Chase Weidmann, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
  • Monday, October 19, 4:00 pm, Gene Yeo, University of California, San Diego
  • Monday, October 26, 9:00 am, Aleksandra Filipovska, University of Western Australia, Australia
  • Monday, November 9, 9:00 am, Jeff Twiss, University of South Carolina
  • Monday, November 16, 4:00 pm, Michelle Hastings, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
  • Monday, December 7, 4:00 pm, John Mattick, Garvin Institute of Medical Research, RNA Biology and Plasticity Lab, Darlinghurst, Australia
  • Monday, December 14, 4:00 pm, Narry Kim, Seoul National University
  • Monday, January 25, 2021, 4;00 pm, Elena Conti, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany

Our members' publications are available through Altmetric. Five queries are currently available: "RNA," "microRNA," "Transcriptome," "Translation," and "Molecule." Please make sure to have at least one of these key words in your title or abstract. Below are recent highlights.
Multivalent Proteins Rapidly and Reversibly Phase-Separate upon Osmotic Cell Volume Change, Ameya P. Jalihal, Sethuramasundaram Pitchiaya, Lanbo Xiao, Pushpinder Bawa, Xia Jiang, Karan Bedi, Abhijit Parolia, Marcin Cieslik, Mats Ljungman, Arul M. Chinnaiyan, Nils G.Walter, Molecular Cell (2020), 

A pink cell experiences a gradient of salt levels, depicted as crystals. In response to changes in external salt levels, “clouds” of protein form by phase separation. These protect against the dehydrating effects of salt.

Highlights:
  • Light sheet microscopy reveals nerve fibers abutting beige adipocytes in iWAT
  • iWAT denervation blocks cold-induced but not adipocyte FASNKO-induced iWAT beiging
  • cAMP/PKA pathway in adipocytes mediates iWAT beiging in adipocyte FASNKO mice
  • Macrophages but not innervation are required for beiging in adipocyte FASNKO mice
Small Molecules Restore Telomeres in Patient Stem Cells, Kirsten Ann Brenner, Jayakrishnan Nandakumar, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Vol. 41, Issue 8, P506-508, AUGUST 01, 2020, doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2020.05.003

Keywords: dyskeratosis, congenitatelomerase, TERC, PAPD5, PARN, bone marrow failure
Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Human, Macaque, and Mouse Testes Uncovers Conserved and Divergent Features of Mammalian Spermatogenesis Adrienne
Sue Hammoud, Developmental Cell, Vol. 54, Issue 4, P529-547.E12, 

Highlights:
  • A multispecies scRNA analysis identifies conserved and divergent cell states
  • Functional characterization of a TSPAN33 + SPG population by xenotransplantation
  • Receptor-ligand pairs show divergent germline-soma communications
Principles of mRNA control by human PUM proteins elucidated from multi-modal experiments and integrative data analysis Michael B WolfeTrista L SchagatMichelle
T Paulsen, Brian MagnusonMats Ljungman, Daeyoon ParkChi ZhangZachary T CampbellAaron C Goldstrohm and Peter L Freddolino, RNA, a publication of The RNA Society, August 4, 2020, doi:10.1261/rna.077362.120

By integrating our results with prior knowledge, we developed a ‘rulebook’ of key contextual features that differentiate functional vs. non-functional PREs, allowing us to train machine learning models that accurately predict the functional regulation of RNA targets by the human PUM proteins.

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