Qi Chen

Perhaps our boldest hypothesis… we propose a model for RNA Structural Memory propagation @NatureCellBio, where RNA conformation is reshaped by stress, locked by RBPs, copied prion-like in condensates & passed across generations—all without altering DNA.🧵
rdcu.be/eBwPJ

Heartbroken to hear of Marta Shahbazi’s passing…
I first met Marta in 2017 while visiting Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz’s lab, before many of her landmark Nature and Nature Cell Biology papers appeared. She was smart, warm, and passionate about science. I knew she would become a star, and she did.
Just before COVID, amid the transition to her own independent lab, Marta generously prepared primed and naïve human embryonic stem cells at Magda’s Cambridge lab for our PANDORA-seq project. We coauthored the paper in 2021, and I will always remember her kindness and willingness to help during such a busy time.
The world has lost a wonderful scientist and a good person. My deepest condolences to her family and everyone who loved her. May you rest in peace…
bbc.com/news/articles/…

A tRNA or rRNA can be cut in different places and produce fragments with different meanings. Abundance analysis is blind to that map.
We @tongzhoulab call the map the 'RNA fragmentome'.
qMAP reads it in iPSC reprogramming, ulcerative colitis, implantation failure, and sperm aging.

Hearty congratulations to Xudong on receiving an NIH K99 — one of our wishes during our lab anniversary trip has come true. Wishing you a golden future ahead!

Adding to the intriguing story of Vault structures & their component Vault RNAs, we highlighted that Vault RNA-derived small RNAs (vtsRNAs) also bear biological functions: nature.com/articles/s4155…
It's Fascinating to see how nature always repurposes molecules for new functions! ♾