MCDuncanLab

Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. I frequently post photos of my cat and garden, and helpful tips for running a lab.

Science: Cell Biology, Membrane Traffic, Clathrin, Golgi
Interests: Gardening, Education, Biking, Environment, Art

Public Key

npub14k3sv7gtyhujmep00nkx86m4h6yv2rsna740rasupl93h00d2fvq26yep4

NIP-05 Address

mcduncanlab_at_mstdn.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs2mgcx0y9jt7fdushhemrrad6mazx9pcf7l2h37cwqljcmhhk4ykqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsjwutmn

Publishing to

nostr.wine

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub14k3sv7gtyhujmep00nkx86m4h6yv2rsna740rasupl93h00d2fvq26yep4

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Last Notes

2025-10-07 18:38:49 UTC

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This is my first one.
I'd heard prep wasn't 'so onerous anymore'.
This seems onerous: no popcorn, corn, beans, nuts, fruits with small seeds, tomatoes, and celery for three days, no solids for one day, and then drinking, I kid you not, 1/2 gallon of PEG solution the night before and 1/2 gallon 5 hours before the exam.
I'm hoping that I've got the super difficult prep because I'm getting checked for IBS, and it's typically less of a chore.

2025-09-19 16:56:39 UTC

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More mushroom mayhem
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2025-09-18 14:12:54 UTC

#mushroom mayhem continues
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2025-09-15 00:18:14 UTC

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Dinner!
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2025-09-13 16:34:34 UTC

Fall mushroom season is here!!
Chestnuts on logs, shiitakes on wood bricks and logs, snow oyster in buckets and logs, and I think I see lions mane pins!
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2025-08-23 18:24:59 UTC

#garden haul.
Bucket of windfall apples from the yard is going to be apple butter. Various goodies from the gardens.
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2025-08-06 20:35:19 UTC

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So, what is Rab35 doing for apicosome formation? We noticed that the massive lysosome does not form in cells lacking Rab35. Does that mean Rab35 is diverting excess apical proteins to the lysosome? We believe so. In cells lacking Rab35, we see higher levels of apical proteins by western blot, which could mean a defect in traffic to the lysosome. 8/

2025-08-06 20:35:04 UTC

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So, this Rab35 localization is intriguing, but is Rab35 important? Yes. When we get rid of Rab35, we see dramatic effects on the formation of the apicosome. Instead of a single apicosome full of apical markers, we find that the apical markers accumulate multiple smaller structures, and primary cilium formation is disrupted. 7/
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2025-08-06 20:19:19 UTC

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In the epiblast, lumen formation initiates from unique organelle called the apicosome that contains apical proteins like podocalyxin and a primary cilium. But how does the apicosomes form? We knew that the apicosome was closely associated with various types of endosomes and also with lysosomes, and that it contains endocytosed material. Here, we explored the involvement of endosomes and lysosomes in the formation of the apicosome in a cellular model of early development. 3/
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2025-08-06 20:13:01 UTC

I'm pleased to share collaborative work with @taniguchi-lab.bsky.social led by amazing graduate student Anusha. Here, we reveal unexpected dynamics in the endolysosomal system regulated by Rab35 that are critical for lumen formation in a model of early development.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.04.668503v1
1/
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2025-06-27 21:56:13 UTC

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I’m doing some indoor lettuce and will try radishes but I’m not sure the grow light is strong enough for radishes.

2025-06-27 19:48:24 UTC

In-laws visiting for the first time since 2018. So Molly the cat is a new addition to the house for them. They’re from a generation where cats were not pets and dogs got leftovers of rice and lentils rather than dog food.
So far no notice of the renovations we’ve done. Instead it’s, ‘what’s that carpeted stand’ ‘it’s a cat tree’ ‘oh just for the cat?’ ‘Yes’
‘What’s this mouse looking toy’ ‘it’s a cat toy’ ‘just for the cat?’ ‘Yes’
‘What’s this post thing covered in rope’ you get the picture.

2025-06-19 00:23:46 UTC

Assortment of garden mushrooms. I harvested the bigger oysters before the rain, I hope the little oysters and the lions mane survived the deluge.
#mushrooms #Gardening
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2025-06-10 17:08:24 UTC

Junior Academics, don't be this guy.
A colleague has a grant trapped in NIH hell good score, no decision. Needs to apply for bridge funding. I'm the last person who applied, so asks me for my proposal.
I share it. Then he comes and complains to me about what I did and argues that it's a waste of his time.

2025-05-31 22:34:04 UTC

Hubs has been loving Bonnie’s jams bourbon berry jam. I just nabbed 4 packs of blackberries at Meijer for 99 cents each.
I’m seeing if I can do a rough approximation of the Bonnie’s jam. First issue, we don’t have bourbon, hoping some rum will pass muster.

2025-04-28 14:55:37 UTC

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Also make local gardening buddies, generally someone has extras.

2025-04-15 23:41:32 UTC

Someday, a mistake will be made.
Some directions will be worse than others.
*psst those pour caps are olive and veg oil.
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2025-02-08 14:21:07 UTC

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So in summary, the new administration is attacking biomedical research. This will hurt our research competitiveness and our economy.
I'm not sure whether this attack is going to stick. There are many reasons to believe that it is unlawful or will be so vastly unpopular that it will be reversed.
Please share this information with your network online and offline. Everyone needs to know about this attack on science in the US.
🧵/end

2024-08-17 15:43:56 UTC

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Some years, I'm lucky, and the guy whose leaves I collect for compost will run them over with his lawnmower a few times to chop them up. We don't have a motorized mower so I can't do it myself.
If you have a mower, you can chop leaves with it, which, for me, are the majority of my compost pile.
I'm slightly tempted to get an electric mower simply for the leaf chopping.
I tried using a string trimmer in a barrel, but it wasn't very effective.