Meng-meng Fu
@mengmengfu.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley. Cytoskeleton and transport in glia. Prev: NIH, Stanford, UPenn, Caltech.
Pinned
Meng-meng Fu
@mengmengfu.bsky.social
· Oct 13
We used live-cell imaging with plus-end binding protein EB3 to determine microtubule polarity in astrocytes for the first time. They are ~88% plus-ends out.
3/x
3/x
Belated post… last year, our lab painted a glia mural!
It took about 1 day and we used a projector for tracing.
Can you guess which cell is which?
It took about 1 day and we used a projector for tracing.
Can you guess which cell is which?
January 30, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Belated post… last year, our lab painted a glia mural!
It took about 1 day and we used a projector for tracing.
Can you guess which cell is which?
It took about 1 day and we used a projector for tracing.
Can you guess which cell is which?
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
New preprint from the lab 🎉: γ-tubulin is a novel target of the tubulin autoregulation pathway! Previously thought to exclusively target α- and β-tubulin mRNAs, we show that the TTC5–SCAPER–CNOT11 axis also degrades γ-tubulin mRNA, expanding the scope of this fundamental regulatory mechanism.
January 10, 2026 at 11:17 AM
New preprint from the lab 🎉: γ-tubulin is a novel target of the tubulin autoregulation pathway! Previously thought to exclusively target α- and β-tubulin mRNAs, we show that the TTC5–SCAPER–CNOT11 axis also degrades γ-tubulin mRNA, expanding the scope of this fundamental regulatory mechanism.
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The vault associates with membranes in situ
The eukaryotic vault particle is a giant ribonucleoprotein complex that assembles into an iconic barrel-like cage. Its cellular function has remained elusive despite extensive characterization. Using ...
www.biorxiv.org
December 16, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
@hhmi.org Summer Undergraduate Research Experience - #CechFellows named in honor of Prof Tom Cech
Deadline to apply: 12/22/2025
Spend 9 weeks in a paid, mentored biomedical research experience in an HHMI lab. See you next summer!!!
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
Deadline to apply: 12/22/2025
Spend 9 weeks in a paid, mentored biomedical research experience in an HHMI lab. See you next summer!!!
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience | HHMI
The Cech Fellows Program is a paid, nine-week summer research experience empowering the next generation of scientific leaders.
www.hhmi.org
November 22, 2025 at 4:15 PM
@hhmi.org Summer Undergraduate Research Experience - #CechFellows named in honor of Prof Tom Cech
Deadline to apply: 12/22/2025
Spend 9 weeks in a paid, mentored biomedical research experience in an HHMI lab. See you next summer!!!
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
Deadline to apply: 12/22/2025
Spend 9 weeks in a paid, mentored biomedical research experience in an HHMI lab. See you next summer!!!
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
One of my Oxford visit highlights? I got to see these priceless slides that Ruffini sent to Sherrington of various sensory end organs. And yes, Ruffini had to excise these receptors from his own skin 😳🔬🧠
December 8, 2025 at 9:21 AM
One of my Oxford visit highlights? I got to see these priceless slides that Ruffini sent to Sherrington of various sensory end organs. And yes, Ruffini had to excise these receptors from his own skin 😳🔬🧠
Excited to share our new pre-print collab w. @rdaslab.bsky.social
Study led by Ved Topkar brilliant MD/PhD student who used biochemistry and bioinformatics to probe the relationship between Mbp mRNA structure & transport/local translation in oligodendrocytes!
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
1/8
Study led by Ved Topkar brilliant MD/PhD student who used biochemistry and bioinformatics to probe the relationship between Mbp mRNA structure & transport/local translation in oligodendrocytes!
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
1/8
https://biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
November 24, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Excited to share our new pre-print collab w. @rdaslab.bsky.social
Study led by Ved Topkar brilliant MD/PhD student who used biochemistry and bioinformatics to probe the relationship between Mbp mRNA structure & transport/local translation in oligodendrocytes!
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
1/8
Study led by Ved Topkar brilliant MD/PhD student who used biochemistry and bioinformatics to probe the relationship between Mbp mRNA structure & transport/local translation in oligodendrocytes!
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
1/8
Study from Mayo Clinic on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Not currently FDA approved but promising!
At least once per year I see someone with debilitating MS-related tremor, usually cerebellar or rubral. This is a study I was hoping would be done... journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
October 28, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Study from Mayo Clinic on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Not currently FDA approved but promising!
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
We have an exciting PhD position available in the Williams lab related to cerebral small vessel disease and funded through our Racing Against Dementia project - if you are interested then do apply here: regenerative-medicine.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
PhD opportunities | Centre for Regenerative Medicine | Centre of Regenerative Medicine
Information about available funded PhD Positions
regenerative-medicine.ed.ac.uk
October 27, 2025 at 9:28 PM
We have an exciting PhD position available in the Williams lab related to cerebral small vessel disease and funded through our Racing Against Dementia project - if you are interested then do apply here: regenerative-medicine.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
The UNC Department of Biology is seeking a Director of Biology Teaching Labs, a key leadership role overseeing our undergraduate laboratory program. 1/n
Learn more and apply here: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/308...
Learn more and apply here: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/308...
Director of Biology Teaching Labs
The Director of Biology Teaching Labs provides leadership and direction in the management of the Biology Department's undergraduate laboratories and will be responsible for the undergraduate laborator...
unc.peopleadmin.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:12 PM
The UNC Department of Biology is seeking a Director of Biology Teaching Labs, a key leadership role overseeing our undergraduate laboratory program. 1/n
Learn more and apply here: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/308...
Learn more and apply here: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/308...
Well deserved! 👏
October 23, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Well deserved! 👏
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
Two tenure-track faculty positions open in our department:
1) Microbial Ecology and Evolution careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
2) Cellular Neuroscience careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
Join our collaborative, interdisciplinary community, which has proved to be a fantastic place to start a lab!
1) Microbial Ecology and Evolution careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
2) Cellular Neuroscience careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
Join our collaborative, interdisciplinary community, which has proved to be a fantastic place to start a lab!
Details - Assistant Professor, Microbial Ecology - RPI Jobs
careers.rpi.edu
October 22, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Two tenure-track faculty positions open in our department:
1) Microbial Ecology and Evolution careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
2) Cellular Neuroscience careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
Join our collaborative, interdisciplinary community, which has proved to be a fantastic place to start a lab!
1) Microbial Ecology and Evolution careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
2) Cellular Neuroscience careers.rpi.edu/en-us/job/49...
Join our collaborative, interdisciplinary community, which has proved to be a fantastic place to start a lab!
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
The NIH institute director firing last Friday is very bad.
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
October 23, 2025 at 4:02 AM
The NIH institute director firing last Friday is very bad.
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
This is the creepiest Halloween decoration I’ve ever seen… IRL it’s very lifelike 😱
# BerkeleyLife
# BerkeleyLife
October 21, 2025 at 6:46 AM
This is the creepiest Halloween decoration I’ve ever seen… IRL it’s very lifelike 😱
# BerkeleyLife
# BerkeleyLife
October 15, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Excited to share our preprint on cytoskeletal organization in astrocytes!
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
Postdoc @mewynne759 looked at microtubules, IFs/GFAP & actin along long elaborate processes.
Wonderful to collaborate w postdoc @dharshinigopal & @NogalesLab on cryo-ET 🤓
1/x
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
Postdoc @mewynne759 looked at microtubules, IFs/GFAP & actin along long elaborate processes.
Wonderful to collaborate w postdoc @dharshinigopal & @NogalesLab on cryo-ET 🤓
1/x
https://biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
October 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Excited to share our preprint on cytoskeletal organization in astrocytes!
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
Postdoc @mewynne759 looked at microtubules, IFs/GFAP & actin along long elaborate processes.
Wonderful to collaborate w postdoc @dharshinigopal & @NogalesLab on cryo-ET 🤓
1/x
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
Postdoc @mewynne759 looked at microtubules, IFs/GFAP & actin along long elaborate processes.
Wonderful to collaborate w postdoc @dharshinigopal & @NogalesLab on cryo-ET 🤓
1/x
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
Meet the 2025 ASCB Award Winners—trailblazing scientists honored for research, mentoring, education, and innovation. Celebrate excellence across all career stages in cell biology. Read more: www.ascb.org/society-news...
August 4, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Meet the 2025 ASCB Award Winners—trailblazing scientists honored for research, mentoring, education, and innovation. Celebrate excellence across all career stages in cell biology. Read more: www.ascb.org/society-news...
Powerful stuff!
We’re super grateful to see our work amplified by @sciencenews.bsky.social , which covered our study’s implications for ICU practice, surprise diagnoses, and what must change for genetic testing to help more adults.
📰 Read the feature:
www.science.org/content/arti...
📰 Read the feature:
www.science.org/content/arti...
Genetic testing of critically ill adults can yield surprises—and reveal disparities in treatment of Black patients
Adults in the ICU often don’t know about the genetic diagnoses related to their symptoms, DNA sequencing study shows
www.science.org
July 11, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Powerful stuff!
Saw a family of quails! How many do you see?
July 11, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Saw a family of quails! How many do you see?
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
Deepika Dogra, Karin Tuschl, and I are thrilled to host the Neural Disorders RIG meeting of the @ZDMSociety on July 30, 10:00-11:30 am ET. We have a fantastic line-up of speakers. Register here: zdmsociety.org/2025-zdms-ri....
July 8, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Deepika Dogra, Karin Tuschl, and I are thrilled to host the Neural Disorders RIG meeting of the @ZDMSociety on July 30, 10:00-11:30 am ET. We have a fantastic line-up of speakers. Register here: zdmsociety.org/2025-zdms-ri....
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
This week, we welcome Lana Ho (right), PhD student from @mengmengfu.bsky.social's lab at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social, to our lab to teach us some cool smFISH (in a heatwave) as part of a lab exchange in the @hfspo.bsky.social Early Career Award.
July 1, 2025 at 7:14 PM
This week, we welcome Lana Ho (right), PhD student from @mengmengfu.bsky.social's lab at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social, to our lab to teach us some cool smFISH (in a heatwave) as part of a lab exchange in the @hfspo.bsky.social Early Career Award.
Vaults are cool!
What do they do?
We don’t know!
What do they do?
We don’t know!
1/x New story - the structure of the Vault cap, at 2.3Å! Matching a beautiful preprint from @sjorsscheres.bsky.social, we show that the cap of the vault particle has C13 symmetry, in contrast to the 39-fold symmetry of the body. Study lead by talented postdoc @huanli00.bsky.social from my group! ⬇️
June 12, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Vaults are cool!
What do they do?
We don’t know!
What do they do?
We don’t know!
Really beautiful study from Mike & collaborators!
Basic cell biology question: how do axons know how long to grow? Important implications for PNS & CNS injury.
Unexpected link between retrograde signaling & transposon/lncRNA mediated feedback!
Wonderful demonstration of omics use & team science!
Basic cell biology question: how do axons know how long to grow? Important implications for PNS & CNS injury.
Unexpected link between retrograde signaling & transposon/lncRNA mediated feedback!
Wonderful demonstration of omics use & team science!
A 🧵 to walk those interested through this paper...
Online now at @cp-cell.bsky.social , the culmination of a 12-year effort. 🧵 to follow later this evening
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
May 18, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Really beautiful study from Mike & collaborators!
Basic cell biology question: how do axons know how long to grow? Important implications for PNS & CNS injury.
Unexpected link between retrograde signaling & transposon/lncRNA mediated feedback!
Wonderful demonstration of omics use & team science!
Basic cell biology question: how do axons know how long to grow? Important implications for PNS & CNS injury.
Unexpected link between retrograde signaling & transposon/lncRNA mediated feedback!
Wonderful demonstration of omics use & team science!
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
As the incoming Chair of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine, I am looking for a Director of Research. Exciting opportunity for a PhD scientist to shape the future of this new Department! Apply here: jobs.weill.cornell.edu/NY/job/New-Y...
Director of Research, Biochemistry & Biophysics
Director of Research, Biochemistry & Biophysics
jobs.weill.cornell.edu
May 13, 2025 at 5:01 PM
As the incoming Chair of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine, I am looking for a Director of Research. Exciting opportunity for a PhD scientist to shape the future of this new Department! Apply here: jobs.weill.cornell.edu/NY/job/New-Y...
May 5, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by Meng-meng Fu
The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants.
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program
In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...
www.spencer.org
May 2, 2025 at 9:07 PM
The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants.
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...