Manuel Ascano
Vanderbilt University, TN·Biochemistry
Cells send messages to one another by packaging RNA into extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny membrane bubbles that travel to other cells and can change which genes those cells switch on. EV-carried RNAs (EV-RNAs) are found in bacteria, plants, parasites and mammals, yet how they are loaded into vesicles and unpacked by recipient cells is poorly understood.
- Fields
Biochemistry
Biology
Genetics
- Topics
extracellular vesicles
exosomes
RNA-binding proteins
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Feb 2027
What they work on
- Identify RNA–protein complexes sorted into extracellular vesicles using EV-CLASP, which crosslinks 4SU-labeled RNAs to their binding proteins, combined with biotin-dependent proximity labeling.
- Determine how the ER contact-site protein VAP-A and the RNA-binding protein Ago2 control the assembly of RNA–protein complexes and their sorting into vesicles.
- Define the first proteins that EV-delivered microRNAs and messenger RNAs contact after entering recipient cells, and the timing of entry, using EV-CLASP and proximity labeling assays.
More about the research
This collaborative project between the Ascano and Weaver laboratories builds on the Weaver lab's discovery of a class of EVs rich in diverse RNAs. It applies a photochemical method from the Ascano lab that uses light to lock labeled RNAs onto the proteins bound to them.
Why it matters
Understanding how cells package and deliver RNA in vesicles could guide the design of engineered "designer" EVs. The grant names possible biotechnology uses in agriculture, environmental monitoring and human health. The EV-CLASP method itself gives researchers a precise new way to track RNA–protein exchange between cells.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Jiahui Wu
University of Massachusetts, MA·Biochemistry
Develop an RNA tag with ultrahigh affinity to accurately identify the RNA-binding proteins that make up ribonucleoprotein complexes and trigger condensate formation.
Emanuele Cocucci
Ohio State University, OH·Biology
Perform an unbiased calibration of how the number of circulating extracellular vesicles relates to their cells of origin, using enCD63, an engineered version of the vesicle protein CD63, expressed in specific cells of genetically engineered mice.
Dennis Bong
Ohio State University, OH·Chemistry
Synthesize bifacial peptide nucleic acid probes that bind U-rich internal loops in folded RNA by forming base triples, and test how broadly this loop motif works as a general targeting handle in structured RNAs.
The school
Vanderbilt University: 22 labs on PI Pages, $1.3B a year on research, 494 research doctorates a year.
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