Rob Parton

Rob Parton

@robparton.bsky.social

Molecular cell biology, electron microscopy. Endocytosis, caveolae, lipid droplets, nanoparticles. Cultured cells, zebrafish, tardigrades.

1.1K followers658 following22 posts

Pinned

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

Excited to share our work engineering caveolin-derived nanoparticles “caveospheres”. We show their use for targeted transfection in cultured cells and effective targeted delivery and tumor killing in vivo. pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

pubs.acs.orgA Modular Encapsulation System for Precision Delivery of Proteins, Nucleic Acids, and Small MoleculesTargeted nanoparticles have the potential to revolutionize therapeutics for medical applications. Here, we demonstrate the utility of a flexible precision nanovesicle delivery system for functional de...

Rob Parton reposted

Jez Carlton
@jezcarlton.bsky.social

Hey! Submit your papers, and spread the word, this will be great! Thanks for inviting us @jcellsci.bsky.social and great to work with @pihanson.bsky.social on this issue!

Journal of Cell Science@jcellsci.bsky.social

Our second special issue for 2027 will focus on the topic of membrane dynamics and repair. We invite you to submit your latest research to this issue, which will be coordinated by our Guest Editors @jezcarlton.bsky.social and @pihanson.bsky.social. journals.biologists.com/jcs/pages/me...

Rob Parton reposted

Marc Cooper
@ortgard.com

@philipcball.bsky.social Hi Philip, Would you consider reposting this, please? bsky.app/profile/astr...

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social

Help! Parton Community Council has 60 days to raise £70k to buy Parton Kirk (resting place of James Clerk Maxwell). They plan to turn it into a visitor centre celebrating our great hero! The other buyers could turn it into long-term storage 😬 Even £5 would help 🙏🧪⚛️ www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

justgiving.comHelp raise £70000 to Save Parton Kirk – JustGiving CrowdfundingIʼm raising money to Save Parton Kirk. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

Rob Parton reposted

Mark Peifer (He, him)
@peiferlabunc.bsky.social

Pro tip: Most of these @dshb-antibodies.bsky.social Abs are documented in dozens of publications and are also substantially cheaper.

Kurianlab@kurianlab.bsky.social

dshb.biology.uiowa.edu We should support and make better use of hybridoma bank Maintained by a small team at the University of Iowa’s Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank

dshb.biology.uiowa.eduDevelopmental Studies Hybridoma Bank - DSHBHigh quality, low cost antibodies.

Rob Parton reposted

Ben Hogan
@benjhogan.bsky.social

Final version of our paper on zebrafish pericytes and BBB function is now out in Elife! Congrats to Oz the first author and all contributors. elifesciences.org/articles/104...

elifesciences.orgMural cells protect the adult brain from hemorrhage but do not control the blood–brain barrier in developing zebrafishPericytes regulate cerebrovascular development, while vascular smooth muscle cells prevent hemorrhage and blood–brain barrier breakdown at vascular hotspots in juvenile and adult zebrafish.

Rob Parton reposted

Fran Bottanelli
@franbottanelli.bsky.social

Get in touch if you need more info or have questions!

Journal of Cell Science@jcellsci.bsky.social

We are accepting submissions for our upcoming special issue - Imaging Cell Architecture and Dynamics. This issue will be coordinated by @franbottanelli.bsky.social & Giulia Zanetti alongside our Editor @guijacquemet.bsky.social. Extended deadline: 1 May 2026 journals.biologists.com/jcs/pages/im...

Rob Parton reposted

Ben Weger
@benweger.bsky.social

Our study is out today 🎉 in @natmetabolism.nature.com. The liver doesn’t secrete proteins nonstop; it follows a daily rhythm. Meal timing controls liver protein release via glycogen metabolism, and disrupted eating blunts these rhythms. A 🧵 ...

rebrand.lyFeeding-regulated glycogen metabolism drives rhythmic liver protein secretion - Nature MetabolismHepatic glycogenolysis is essential for protein glycosylation and rhythmic secretion by the liver. Disruptions to hepatic glycogenolysis, caused by congenital diseases or physiological factors such as...

Rob Parton reposted

Ebony Monson
@ebony-monson.bsky.social

First day back at work for 2026, and excited to share that @gurgaganveer's first paper from his PhD has been published in @acsnano! If you are interested in the biology of endosomal escape & strategies for enhanced delivery of therapeutics, check it out: bit.ly/4roRcnp

Rob Parton reposted

Brett Collins
@brettcollins.bsky.social

Do you want to know more about how Retromer regulates Rab7 activity in yeast? Of course you do. Check out the new collaboration with Andreas Mayer with work led by Catarina Alves and Kevin Chen.

biorxiv.orgThe GTPase activating protein Gyp6 binds Retromer and inactivates Rab7/Ypt7 to coordinate the formation of endosomal carriersThe Retromer coat is conserved in all eukaryotes and is crucial for the correct intracellular sorting of many transmembrane receptors and lysosomal hydrolases. Retromer is an effector of the late endosomal small GTPase RAB7 and is also implicated in its inactivation required for proper endosomal maturation. Here, we explore the role of controlled GTP hydrolysis by the RAB7 ortholog Ypt7 in the formation of Retromer-coated membrane carriers in yeast. Proximity labelling and genetic ablation identify the GTPase Activating Protein (GAP) Gyp6 as a critical regulator of Ypt7 activity in the context or Retromer. Structural studies show that Retromer recruits Gyp6 through its Vps29 subunit, which recognises a specific PL motif and a secondary binding site in the C-terminal domain of Gyp6. This interaction does not occur with other yeast GAPs. Ablation of the Gyp6-Retromer interface or the catalytic activity of Gyp6 leads to the accumulation of tubular structures on endo-lysosomal compartments and to increased association of Ypt7 with Retromer and its cargo Vps10. These results support a model in which Gyp6 controls the switch from Ypt7-dependent Retromer coat assembly and cargo collection to the departure of the carrier through membrane fission and uncoating. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Health and Medical Research Council, https://ror.org/011kf5r70, APP2016410 Swiss National Science Foundation, https://ror.org/00yjd3n13, 31003A_179306, 310030_204713, 10.006.083
Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

8. Cavin1 paralog is widely expressed across the zebrafish vasculature up to 15 dpf. Examination on Cavin1 double KOs show that caveolae do not mediate PEG-based NP transvascular transport in the zebrafish, and caveola loss similarly does not alter NP biodistribution in mice.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

9. Altogether, we show that trans-endothelial transport of PEG-based nanoparticles is size-dependent, dictating intracellular or intercellular routes, and further constrained by vesicle size limits and the level of activity of distinct intracellular pathways.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

6. We then examined the trans-endothelial transport pathways of 32 to 81 nm PEG-based micelles. These NPs extravasate via dynamin-dependent pathways, with some contribution from the macropinocytic pathway.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

7. As the PEG-based micelles increased in size to 109 nm, low basal macropinocytosis becomes the dominant trans-endothelial transport pathway, with minimal dynamin-dependent contribution, likely due to vesicle size constraints.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

4. Next, we identified steady-state extravasation pathways by priming vessels with inhibitors and using a Cavin1 KO. Fluid-phase solutes cross the embryonic endothelium via paracellular routes (≤15 nm), dynamin-dependent mechanisms, and low basal macropinocytosis, with minimal caveola contribution.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

5. Having mapped these physiological pathways, we injected zebrafish embryos and juveniles with PEG-based NPs. Small (3-7 nm) PEG-based hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) rapidly extravasate via paracellular routes as determined by cAMP treatment, with minimal intracellular contributions.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

2. Co-injecting 2000 kDa dextran with NPs allowed us to 1. control injection variability, 2. flag embryos with abnormal leakage, 3. parse vascular vs EVS regions and 4. provide a normalization reference for unbiased quantitation. As a proof of concept, we quantified 40 kDa dextran extravasation.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

3. We discovered that trans-endothelial transport involves dynamic intracellular vesicles within intersegmental vessels (ISVs). These endocytic vesicles localize to venous ISVs and appear influenced by arterial-venous mechanical diffs, which we probed by modulating shear stress with epinephrine.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

1. First, we set up a standardized protocol to assess trans-endothelial transport. We looked at NP signal changes in the blood vessels and extravascular space (EVS) and thought that co-injecting a tracer would be an ideal control. We surveyed dextran tracers across a range of sizes.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

3. The caveospheres can be further engineered to mimic virus particles, with the spike protein of SARS-Cov-2 used to target a human bronchial epithelial cell line.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

4. The high specificity of caveospheres in delivering highly toxic molecules to tumor cells in mice highlights the potential for utilizing caveospheres in chemotherapeutic targeting of cancer cells as well as in imaging and diagnosis.

Rob Parton
@robparton.bsky.social

2. The Z-domain displayed on the surface of caveospheres provides a specific antibody-binding site, allowing modular labelling and targeting to defined cell types, including hard-to-transfect T cells.

Rob Parton reposted

Current Biology
@currentbiology.bsky.social

Latest issue of Cowrent Biology is up! www.cell.com/current-biol...

cell.comCurrent issue: Current Biology
Alice Auersperg@auersperga.bsky.social

Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments. www.cell.com/current-biol...

Rob Parton reposted

Brett Collins
@brettcollins.bsky.social

The Institute for Molecular Bioscience is seeking an exceptional academic leader to be the new Director of the Centre for Chemistry and Drug Discovery and lead our centre consisting of 10 group leaders, 40 staff and approximately 50 HDR students. Come and join us in sunny Brisbane!

uq.wd3.myworkdayjobs.comDirector, Centre for Chemistry and Drug DiscoveryInstitute for Molecular Bioscience Join a university ranked in the world’s top 50 Australia’s #1 research institute Based at St Lucia Campus About UQ What started as Queensland's first university in 1...

Rob Parton reposted

Margot Finn
@eicathomefinn.bsky.social

'The study...found that the main driver of increased red tape was university efficiency reforms. It threw doubt on the idea that increasing automation results in real efficiency, and suggested that Australian universities...had recently shifted towards stronger central executive management.' 1/2

Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social

University efficiency drives may have opposite effect, study finds. The administrative burden in Australian universities is most keenly felt by teaching and research staff, according to a study from the University of Melbourne’s faculty of education. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-aust...

researchprofessionalnews.comUniversity efficiency drives may have opposite effect, study finds - Research Professional NewsTeaching and research staff say reforms mean more red tape for them, Australian survey reports

Rob Parton reposted

Ian Henderson
@hendersonlab.bsky.social

Dear Bluesky, some good news to brighten your day! We are recruiting for the Director of the Centre for Population and Disease Genomics!! I would be grateful if you could share across your networks! uq.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/uqcareers/jo...

uq.wd3.myworkdayjobs.comDirector, Centre for Population and Disease GenomicsCentre for Population & Disease Genomics - Institute for Molecular Bioscience Join a university ranked in the world’s top 50 Full-time, fixed-term position for up to 5 years at Academic Level E Ba...