Venkat Rao
@venkyrao.bsky.social
Currently Postdoc @ UVA, working on 🐸, interested in cilia, cytoskeleton, and development.BSc, MSc, University of Mumbai| PhD-UM-DAE CEBS| Postdoc 1-Instem, Bengaluru.
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Very excited to share the latest work from our lab in @insight.jci.org, highlighting a role for the #septin #cytoskeleton in protecting against "leaky gut", by recruiting non-muscle myosin II and stabilizing the tight junction.
Credit to @dominikrobak.bsky.social for the stunning cover image!
Credit to @dominikrobak.bsky.social for the stunning cover image!
This issue’s Cover: @ebrahim-lab.bsky.social @dominikrobak.bsky.social& team report on the septin cytoskeleton at apical junctions of intestinal epithelial cells, whereby it maintains barrier integrity & protects from inflammation: insight.jci.org/articles/vie...
November 24, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Very excited to share the latest work from our lab in @insight.jci.org, highlighting a role for the #septin #cytoskeleton in protecting against "leaky gut", by recruiting non-muscle myosin II and stabilizing the tight junction.
Credit to @dominikrobak.bsky.social for the stunning cover image!
Credit to @dominikrobak.bsky.social for the stunning cover image!
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Last call! Applications for the @crg.eu International PhD Programme 2025 in beautiful Barcelona close next week! Join us and our inspiring colleagues at the CRG - an exceptional environment for discovery, creativity, and scientific growth.
Apply here: www.crg.eu/en/content/t...
Apply here: www.crg.eu/en/content/t...
November 22, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Last call! Applications for the @crg.eu International PhD Programme 2025 in beautiful Barcelona close next week! Join us and our inspiring colleagues at the CRG - an exceptional environment for discovery, creativity, and scientific growth.
Apply here: www.crg.eu/en/content/t...
Apply here: www.crg.eu/en/content/t...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Our lab is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow. The position is intentionally broad, as we are looking for outstanding researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds to advance our understanding of cilia and ciliopathies: academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/15526
HMS - Postdoctoral Fellow in BCMP, Brown Lab
We invite applicants for a postdoctoral fellow position in the Brown lab at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. The Brown lab uses structural, biophysical, and biochemical approaches to d...
academicpositions.harvard.edu
November 18, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Our lab is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow. The position is intentionally broad, as we are looking for outstanding researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds to advance our understanding of cilia and ciliopathies: academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/15526
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Thrilled to share "in situ APEX activation" (iAPEX), a proximity labeling technology for subcellular #proteomics applied to primary #cilia. iAPEX uses an enzymatic cascade, in which a D-amino acid oxidase locally produces H2O2 to activate ascorbate peroxidase.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
An enzymatic cascade enables sensitive and specific proximity labeling proteomics in challenging biological systems - Nature Communications
Proximity labeling allows proteomic mapping of subcellular structures. Here, Sroka et al. develop in situ APEX activation (iAPEX) to overcome limitations of labeling specificity and H2O2 toxicity, app...
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Thrilled to share "in situ APEX activation" (iAPEX), a proximity labeling technology for subcellular #proteomics applied to primary #cilia. iAPEX uses an enzymatic cascade, in which a D-amino acid oxidase locally produces H2O2 to activate ascorbate peroxidase.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
The Loukil Lab has an opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher to study primary cilia in the brain and their roles in neurological disease.
If you or someone you know might be interested, please share or reach out! 🧠✨
#Neuroscience #Cilia #Postdoc #neuro #SFN
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39311/po...
If you or someone you know might be interested, please share or reach out! 🧠✨
#Neuroscience #Cilia #Postdoc #neuro #SFN
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39311/po...
Postdoctoral Position in Cilia-Neuroscience, Sanford Research Institute - Sioux Falls, South Dakota job with Sanford Research Institute | 39311
Join a team combining molecular neuroscience, mouse genetics, and advanced imaging to pioneer discoveries at the underexplored cilia–brain interface.
neurojobs.sfn.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:44 PM
The Loukil Lab has an opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher to study primary cilia in the brain and their roles in neurological disease.
If you or someone you know might be interested, please share or reach out! 🧠✨
#Neuroscience #Cilia #Postdoc #neuro #SFN
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39311/po...
If you or someone you know might be interested, please share or reach out! 🧠✨
#Neuroscience #Cilia #Postdoc #neuro #SFN
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39311/po...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Amanda Smith, Lawrence Ostrowski and colleagues find that lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated Dnai1 mRNA rescues ciliary activity in primary ciliary dyskinesia mouse cell models.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
November 5, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Amanda Smith, Lawrence Ostrowski and colleagues find that lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated Dnai1 mRNA rescues ciliary activity in primary ciliary dyskinesia mouse cell models.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
I am excited to share our preprint on the use of machine learning to identify abnormal cilia function. I am proud of Nicholas Hadas, a talented PhD candidate, for his hard work in compiling the code and preparing this manuscript.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Machine Learning Analysis of Cilia-Driven Particle Transport Distinguishes Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Cilia from Normal Cilia
Rational. Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic condition that results in dysmotile cilia and abnormal mucociliary clearance. Despite advances in understanding the pathogenesis of PCD, diagnos...
www.biorxiv.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I am excited to share our preprint on the use of machine learning to identify abnormal cilia function. I am proud of Nicholas Hadas, a talented PhD candidate, for his hard work in compiling the code and preparing this manuscript.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
🐸 Xenopus laevis 💚 The frog that shaped modern developmental biology! ✨ Xenopus embryos have revealed how the body axis forms, cells choose their fate, and tissues self-organize during early development 📹 Video by Bioquest Sudio and Xenbase #ModelMonday #DevBio
November 3, 2025 at 8:01 PM
🐸 Xenopus laevis 💚 The frog that shaped modern developmental biology! ✨ Xenopus embryos have revealed how the body axis forms, cells choose their fate, and tissues self-organize during early development 📹 Video by Bioquest Sudio and Xenbase #ModelMonday #DevBio
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Yongli Zhang, Xuecheng Li, Zhengmao Wang and Junmin Pan find that SAXO proteins stabilise axonemal microtubules by reducing tubulin turnover to regulate ciliary length and assembly, without affecting ciliary motility.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
October 28, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Yongli Zhang, Xuecheng Li, Zhengmao Wang and Junmin Pan find that SAXO proteins stabilise axonemal microtubules by reducing tubulin turnover to regulate ciliary length and assembly, without affecting ciliary motility.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Taiju Fujii, Norihito Murai, Kazuhisa Nakayama and colleagues find that β-arrestin connects the BBSome and GPR161, mediating the export of GPR161 from cilia upon Hedgehog signalling activation.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
October 27, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Taiju Fujii, Norihito Murai, Kazuhisa Nakayama and colleagues find that β-arrestin connects the BBSome and GPR161, mediating the export of GPR161 from cilia upon Hedgehog signalling activation.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
We have PhD and Postdoc positions open in our group. Join us in Lausanne to explore how cells pull off extreme shape changes and how cilia drive biological flows.
You can find more details on the projects available and how to apply in our website:
www.epfl.ch/labs/lpl/joi...
You can find more details on the projects available and how to apply in our website:
www.epfl.ch/labs/lpl/joi...
Join us !
We are looking for creative and motivated scientists at to join the group. We are recruiting candidates from various scientific backgrounds including, but not limited to: biophysics, physics, biochemi...
www.epfl.ch
October 15, 2025 at 11:20 AM
We have PhD and Postdoc positions open in our group. Join us in Lausanne to explore how cells pull off extreme shape changes and how cilia drive biological flows.
You can find more details on the projects available and how to apply in our website:
www.epfl.ch/labs/lpl/joi...
You can find more details on the projects available and how to apply in our website:
www.epfl.ch/labs/lpl/joi...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Course - Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus: Gene Discovery & Disease, April 7 - 21, 2026. Application Deadline: January 16, 2026 xenbase.org/xenbase/doNe... #science #devbio #xenopus #frogs
October 14, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Course - Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus: Gene Discovery & Disease, April 7 - 21, 2026. Application Deadline: January 16, 2026 xenbase.org/xenbase/doNe... #science #devbio #xenopus #frogs
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Singh, A., Thale, S., Leibner, T., Lamparter, L., Ricker, A., Nüsse, H., Klingauf, J., Galic, M., Ohlberger, M., & Matis, M. (2024). Dynamic interplay of microtubule and actomyosin forces drive tissue extension. Nature communications, 15(1), 3198. #EpithelialMechanics
buff.ly/Nwi5TVv
buff.ly/Nwi5TVv
October 13, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Singh, A., Thale, S., Leibner, T., Lamparter, L., Ricker, A., Nüsse, H., Klingauf, J., Galic, M., Ohlberger, M., & Matis, M. (2024). Dynamic interplay of microtubule and actomyosin forces drive tissue extension. Nature communications, 15(1), 3198. #EpithelialMechanics
buff.ly/Nwi5TVv
buff.ly/Nwi5TVv
Reposted by Venkat Rao
PAK4 dynamics at actively remodeling vertices 🌟 ⚡👀
Check out our recent preprint
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Check out our recent preprint
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
PAK4 dynamics at actively remodeling vertices 🌟 ⚡👀
Check out our recent preprint
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Check out our recent preprint
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation of MCIDAS couples transcription with massive de novo centriole biogenesis in multiciliated cells
Nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation of MCIDAS couples transcription with massive de novo centriole biogenesis in multiciliated cells
How multiciliated cells (MCCs) generate hundreds of centrioles for multiciliation has remained an unresolved problem in cell biology. Lu et al. show that the MCC “master” transcriptional regulator, MCIDAS, not only functions in the nucleus to induce genes for multiciliation but also undergoes cytoplasmic translocation to organize explosive centriole biogenesis.
dlvr.it
October 2, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation of MCIDAS couples transcription with massive de novo centriole biogenesis in multiciliated cells
Reposted by Venkat Rao
A new platform enables the creation of customizable, cilia-powered biobots from human lung cells, offering potential for precise therapeutic delivery and disease modeling in complex biological environments. doi.org/g9462c
AggreBots: Tiny living robots made from lung cells could one day deliver medicine inside the body
A brand-new engineering approach to generate "designer" biological robots using human lung cells is underway in Carnegie Mellon University's Ren lab.
phys.org
September 27, 2025 at 11:18 AM
A new platform enables the creation of customizable, cilia-powered biobots from human lung cells, offering potential for precise therapeutic delivery and disease modeling in complex biological environments. doi.org/g9462c
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Beautiful drawing of ciliogenesis in airway cells from Sorokin, 1968: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/.... Just shown on stage by @mahjoublab.bsky.social at #GEF25
September 30, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Beautiful drawing of ciliogenesis in airway cells from Sorokin, 1968: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/.... Just shown on stage by @mahjoublab.bsky.social at #GEF25
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Happy to share the inaugural paper from the lab. We describe a molecular mechanism for the activation of outer dynein arm motors that power the vital motion of cilia.
Open access link below:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here's a cool animated summary
Open access link below:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here's a cool animated summary
September 29, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Happy to share the inaugural paper from the lab. We describe a molecular mechanism for the activation of outer dynein arm motors that power the vital motion of cilia.
Open access link below:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here's a cool animated summary
Open access link below:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here's a cool animated summary
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Our new preprint 😅 ! We show cytokinetic abscission completion is important to maintain polarized epithelial structure, and p53-mediated apoptosis guards the structure when there are failures of abscission. In vivo in brain. #cellbio #abscission #devbio #cilia www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Cytokinetic abscission failures in a polarized epithelium affect apical membrane size and cilia
Cytokinetic abscission is the last step of cell division, during which the intercellular bridge between daughter cells is severed. While abscission genes are linked to cancers and developmental disord...
www.biorxiv.org
September 23, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Our new preprint 😅 ! We show cytokinetic abscission completion is important to maintain polarized epithelial structure, and p53-mediated apoptosis guards the structure when there are failures of abscission. In vivo in brain. #cellbio #abscission #devbio #cilia www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
I am delighted to see this amazing collaborative paper out in press. Using gene edited human ES cells differentiated into airway epithelium to uncover a novel role for MCIDAS in multiciliogenesis.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation of MCIDAS couples transcription with massive de novo centriole biogenesis in multiciliated cells
How multiciliated cells (MCCs) generate hundreds of centrioles for multiciliation
has remained an unresolved problem in cell biology. Lu et al. show that the MCC “master”
transcriptional regulator, MC...
www.cell.com
September 22, 2025 at 3:20 PM
I am delighted to see this amazing collaborative paper out in press. Using gene edited human ES cells differentiated into airway epithelium to uncover a novel role for MCIDAS in multiciliogenesis.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Single-cell morphodynamics predict cell fate decisions during mucociliary epithelial differentiation. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.17.676780v1
September 17, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Single-cell morphodynamics predict cell fate decisions during mucociliary epithelial differentiation. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.17.676780v1
Reposted by Venkat Rao
Functionally Essential and Structurally Diverse: Insights into the zebrafish Left-Right Organizers Cilia via Optogenetic IFT88 Perturbation and Volume Electron Microscopy https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.08.674930v1
September 9, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Functionally Essential and Structurally Diverse: Insights into the zebrafish Left-Right Organizers Cilia via Optogenetic IFT88 Perturbation and Volume Electron Microscopy https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.08.674930v1
Reposted by Venkat Rao
KIF13B controls ciliary protein content by promoting endocytic retrieval and suppressing release of large extracellular vesicles from cilia: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
KIF13B controls ciliary protein content by promoting endocytic retrieval and suppressing release of large extracellular vesicles from cilia
Rezi et al. show that kinesin-3 KIF13B regulates ciliary protein content by promoting
endocytic retrieval and small extracellular vesicle (EV) release of ciliary proteins
while suppressing their relea...
www.cell.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:26 AM
KIF13B controls ciliary protein content by promoting endocytic retrieval and suppressing release of large extracellular vesicles from cilia: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Microtubule organization and molecular architecture of ciliary basal bodies in multiciliated airway cells https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.04.674302v1
September 5, 2025 at 12:53 PM