Mack Thompson
@mackthompson88.bsky.social
Post-doc in the Brohawn lab at UC Berkeley
Pinned
Asynchronous subunit transitions precede acetylcholine receptor activation
Rapid communication at synapses is facilitated by postsynaptic receptors, which convert a chemical signal into an electrical response. In the case of ligand-gated ion channels, agonist binding trigger...
www.biorxiv.org
So happy to finally share my final paper from my PhD! By collecting cryo-EM datasets at sub-saturating concentrations of ACh, we were able to determine a mono-liganded state of the muscle-type nAChR. This state has a fully activated alpha subunit where ACh binds…
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mack Thompson
After years parked at a Polara, I’m excited to share that my PhD work is finally out! We figured out why imaging at liquid helium temperatures wasn’t working—and how to fix it.
🔗 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
🔗 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reducing the effects of radiation damage in cryo-EM using liquid helium temperatures | PNAS
The physical limit in determining the atomic structure of biological molecules is
radiation damage. In electron cryomicroscopy, there have been num...
www.pnas.org
April 23, 2025 at 4:23 AM
After years parked at a Polara, I’m excited to share that my PhD work is finally out! We figured out why imaging at liquid helium temperatures wasn’t working—and how to fix it.
🔗 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
🔗 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Mack Thompson
New preprint! @tatilab.bsky.social imaged the honeybee GABAA RDL receptor. ~10% of insecticides target insect GABAA receptors. She found a new allosteric modulation pocket, a PIP2 site, a closed avermectin-bound conformation, and maybe an unusual desensitized state.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
March 27, 2025 at 7:51 AM
New preprint! @tatilab.bsky.social imaged the honeybee GABAA RDL receptor. ~10% of insecticides target insect GABAA receptors. She found a new allosteric modulation pocket, a PIP2 site, a closed avermectin-bound conformation, and maybe an unusual desensitized state.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mack Thompson
Here's our newest study: we reveal the molecular principles of neuronal excitation by glutamate, and how physiological temperatures influence this process.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
March 26, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Here's our newest study: we reveal the molecular principles of neuronal excitation by glutamate, and how physiological temperatures influence this process.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
Reposted by Mack Thompson
PINK1/Parkin-dependent mitophagy caught in situ by cryo-ET! New preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... led by @kev-in-situ-et.bsky.social. This has been a long-standing goal of team @mito911.bsky.social within the @asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org initiative.
March 25, 2025 at 6:15 PM
PINK1/Parkin-dependent mitophagy caught in situ by cryo-ET! New preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... led by @kev-in-situ-et.bsky.social. This has been a long-standing goal of team @mito911.bsky.social within the @asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org initiative.
Reposted by Mack Thompson
The Cryo-EM: the next 50 years Symposium held yesterday at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social was a smashing success!!
January 12, 2025 at 4:51 PM
The Cryo-EM: the next 50 years Symposium held yesterday at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social was a smashing success!!
Reposted by Mack Thompson
Now online! Anna’s fantastic work on the structure of the Human adult Muscle-type nicotinic receptor.
Wonderful collab with Yin Dong at the @imm.ox.ac.uk
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Wonderful collab with Yin Dong at the @imm.ox.ac.uk
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Structures of the human adult muscle-type nicotinic receptor in resting and desensitised states
Muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) is the key signalling molecule in neuromuscular junctions. Here we present the structures of full-length human adult receptors in complex with Fab35...
www.biorxiv.org
December 16, 2024 at 9:20 PM
Now online! Anna’s fantastic work on the structure of the Human adult Muscle-type nicotinic receptor.
Wonderful collab with Yin Dong at the @imm.ox.ac.uk
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Wonderful collab with Yin Dong at the @imm.ox.ac.uk
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mack Thompson
New preprint describing a primed nicotinic receptor state with only one agonist bound, seen at low [agonist]. My fav part: ~7% of particles are in that state on cryoEM grids... that's also the proportion predicted from the fitting of single-channel data! Work led by @mackthompson88.bsky.social
So happy to finally share my final paper from my PhD! By collecting cryo-EM datasets at sub-saturating concentrations of ACh, we were able to determine a mono-liganded state of the muscle-type nAChR. This state has a fully activated alpha subunit where ACh binds…
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Asynchronous subunit transitions precede acetylcholine receptor activation
Rapid communication at synapses is facilitated by postsynaptic receptors, which convert a chemical signal into an electrical response. In the case of ligand-gated ion channels, agonist binding trigger...
www.biorxiv.org
December 3, 2024 at 7:28 PM
New preprint describing a primed nicotinic receptor state with only one agonist bound, seen at low [agonist]. My fav part: ~7% of particles are in that state on cryoEM grids... that's also the proportion predicted from the fitting of single-channel data! Work led by @mackthompson88.bsky.social
So happy to finally share my final paper from my PhD! By collecting cryo-EM datasets at sub-saturating concentrations of ACh, we were able to determine a mono-liganded state of the muscle-type nAChR. This state has a fully activated alpha subunit where ACh binds…
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Asynchronous subunit transitions precede acetylcholine receptor activation
Rapid communication at synapses is facilitated by postsynaptic receptors, which convert a chemical signal into an electrical response. In the case of ligand-gated ion channels, agonist binding trigger...
www.biorxiv.org
December 3, 2024 at 4:39 PM
So happy to finally share my final paper from my PhD! By collecting cryo-EM datasets at sub-saturating concentrations of ACh, we were able to determine a mono-liganded state of the muscle-type nAChR. This state has a fully activated alpha subunit where ACh binds…
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mack Thompson
The first story from my PhD is now available on bioRxiv!: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We determined structures of a LRRC8A:D VRAC by cryo-EM and explored the role of pore lipids in their gating. Huge thanks to the whole Brohawn lab, and especially to Steve @stevebrohawn.bsky.social and David!
We determined structures of a LRRC8A:D VRAC by cryo-EM and explored the role of pore lipids in their gating. Huge thanks to the whole Brohawn lab, and especially to Steve @stevebrohawn.bsky.social and David!
November 27, 2024 at 9:37 PM
The first story from my PhD is now available on bioRxiv!: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We determined structures of a LRRC8A:D VRAC by cryo-EM and explored the role of pore lipids in their gating. Huge thanks to the whole Brohawn lab, and especially to Steve @stevebrohawn.bsky.social and David!
We determined structures of a LRRC8A:D VRAC by cryo-EM and explored the role of pore lipids in their gating. Huge thanks to the whole Brohawn lab, and especially to Steve @stevebrohawn.bsky.social and David!