@Thomashkidd

Geneticist interested in all aspects of neural development, especially Slit/Robo and axon guidance, as well as translational applications.

 Reno, Nevada
unr.edu/biology/faculty/thomas-kidd
Joined August 2017
  • Tweets923
  • Following1.4K
  • Followers559
31Media
Thomas Kidd retweeted
Theresa McKim@theresa_mckimOct 18
🧠🪰 Excited to share our paper in @eLife detailing the synaptic connectome of the neurosecretory network in Drosophila. We mapped the hormone-releasing neurosecretory cells (NSCs) in the fly brain and their connectivity. 🧵 doi.org/10.7554/eLife.102684
1
4
1
7
702
The top comment on massimo’s post about our work is killin me “50 million synapses, just to be an annoying little shit” 😝
Massimo
@Rainmaker1973Aug 20
Scientists have mapped the entire neural network of the fruit fly. 50 million synapses between 139,000 neurons.
1
8
1
230
25,425
Great resource:
Justin Bosch@jakboschJun 19
Excited to share that our tissue-secretome work is now PUBLISHED in @NatureComms! Original preprint tweetorial below 👇 Final paper expands bioinformatic analyses and details improved HDR donor plasmids for Gal4/GFP knock-ins (at @Addgene, @DrosDGRC). nature.com/articles/s41467-0…

Multi-omic mapping of Drosophila protein secretomes reveals tissue-specific origins and inter-organ...

Nature Communications - A Drosophila secretome atlas identifies the tissue origins of circulating proteins, revealing unusual sources, uncharacterized proteins, ectodomain shedding, and candidate...

nature.com
522
Thomas Kidd retweeted
Alexander Bates@as_batesJun 9
Just published yesterday, the #BANC! A full central nervous system (CNS) connectome of a limbed animal enables us to trace sensory-motor arcs and understand how the CNS controls the body. rdcu.be/fncjS #neuroscience @Nature, Video by @quorumetrix, sound on! 1/18
3
50
6
133
28,718
In vivo evidence that full-length Slits have biologically distinct activities compared to the proteolytic fragments. Cultured DRG axons branch in response to Slit2-N and this is opposed by Slit2-FL. In vivo, Slit2-N appears to promote fasciculation, not repulsion.
Development@Dev_journalMay 29
SLIT2 repellent is cleaved by TLL1 protease and promotes sensory axon fasciculation Read this Research Article from our special issue #DevSIextracellular by @laurenliz_j, @Thomashkidd, Grant Mastick & co from @unevadareno. doi.org/10.1242/dev.205124
The Slit2ΔTLS allele retains dorsal midline repulsion of DRGs axons. (A,F) Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) axons enter the spinal cord at the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) and bifurcate to project anterior and posterior in the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF), avoiding the SLIT2-expressing roof plate (RP). A, anterior; D, dorsal; P, posterior; V, ventral. (B-E) βIII-tubulin labeled transverse sections of E10.5 spinal cords. Dorsal midline projection errors were seen in Slit2−/− (arrowhead), but not in Slit2ΔTLS/− or Tll1−/− embryos (empty arrowheads). Dorsal is up in all images. (B′-E′) Magnifications of the DREZ region (arrowhead). Brackets indicate DRG axons in the spinal cord. (G-J) DiI tracer label was placed in DRGs (asterisk) of whole E11.5 embryos. (G) Wild-type embryos had no axons projecting towards the roof plate (n=4 embryos). (H) Slit2−/− embryos had overshooting DRG axons that invaded the ventricular zone toward the midline (arrowhead; n=2 embryos). (I) Slit2ΔTLS/− embryos lack over

ALT The Slit2ΔTLS allele retains dorsal midline repulsion of DRGs axons. (A,F) Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) axons enter the spinal cord at the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) and bifurcate to project anterior and posterior in the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF), avoiding the SLIT2-expressing roof plate (RP). A, anterior; D, dorsal; P, posterior; V, ventral. (B-E) βIII-tubulin labeled transverse sections of E10.5 spinal cords. Dorsal midline projection errors were seen in Slit2−/− (arrowhead), but not in Slit2ΔTLS/− or Tll1−/− embryos (empty arrowheads). Dorsal is up in all images. (B′-E′) Magnifications of the DREZ region (arrowhead). Brackets indicate DRG axons in the spinal cord. (G-J) DiI tracer label was placed in DRGs (asterisk) of whole E11.5 embryos. (G) Wild-type embryos had no axons projecting towards the roof plate (n=4 embryos). (H) Slit2−/− embryos had overshooting DRG axons that invaded the ventricular zone toward the midline (arrowhead; n=2 embryos). (I) Slit2ΔTLS/− embryos lack over

2
5
771
Thomas Kidd retweeted
nature
@NatureMar 18
The blood–brain barrier can be damaged and leaky decades after an athlete retires from contact sport. This leakiness seems to trigger a lasting immune response that is closely tied to cognitive decline go.nature.com/40ANaNB

Brain’s protective barrier stays leaky for years after playing contact sports

Nature - Damage to the blood–brain barrier is linked to immune changes and cognitive decline.

nature.com
3
63
9
151
54,959
Axon guidance molecules in fat!
Dr Kristy Townsend@neuroadipoFeb 5
Sharing our latest paper in Molecular Metabolism, led by Jake Willows w our dental school collaborator Sarah Peters. A semaphorin 7a KO had altered adipose innervation, especially across development, showing Sema acts on the nerves, not just adipocytes. tinyurl.com/3x8x6yy2
1
3
507
This Is What Drives Axon Growth. Axon growth is powered by the actin cytoskeleton at the growth cone. Here, filamentous actin dynamics drive fast, directed axon extension in real time. #Fluorescencefriday #science #neuroscience
1
4
19
706
Thomas Kidd retweeted
Žiga Avsec
@AvseczJan 28
AlphaGenome is out in @nature today along with model weights! 🧬 📄 Paper: nature.com/articles/s41586-0… 💻 Weights: github.com/google-deepmind/a… Getting here wasn’t a straight path. We sat down @googledeepmind to discuss the story behind the model, paper & API: youtu.be/V8lhUqKqzUc
29
475
29
1,856
227,473
New paper: in which we show there's really no evidence for a link between the gut microbiome and autism cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S08…

Conceptual and methodological flaws undermine claims of a link between the gut microbiome and autism

Claims that the gut microbiome causally contributes to autism regularly appear in the scientific literature and popular press. Mitchell et al. critically examine influential studies underpinning...

cell.com
13
55
6
240
26,610
Ascidians (Ciona intestinalis)🪸Our distant chordate cousins! 🌊 Simple sea squirts that reveal how vertebrate body plans evolved 🧬 A key model for notochord formation, neural induction, and cell lineage mapping 📸 Video by MBL Embryology 2019 #ModelMonday #DevBio #EvoDevo
1
17
1
63
3,450
Lots of pretty growth cones inside:
Journal of Cell Biology@JCellBiol14 Oct 2025
Chris Ho, Stephanie Gupton et al @UNC_Lineberger find that coronin 1A mediates neuronal growth cone & filopodial dynamics, & its interaction with E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM67 is required for morphological responses to the guidance cue netrin-1 hubs.la/Q03NvjwC0 #Neuroscience
1
1
2
302
Just found out my colleague had a pet quail... and a lot more.
Development@Dev_journal11 Sep 2025
Transitions in development – an interview with Misty Riddle We caught up with Misty from @UNRScience to find out about her path from the vet clinic to the lab bench, her research into cavefish and her transition to becoming a group leader: journals.biologists.com/dev/…
Image of Misty Riddle

ALT Image of Misty Riddle

1
281
1/ 🚨 Our new paper is online in @Nature ! As its first author, I’m enthusiastic to finally share it with you all!🎉 🧠 We discovered a mechanistic link between cellular energy metabolism and the control of the need to sleep 💤 👉 nature.com/articles/s41586-0… @OxfordDPAG 🧵👇

Mitochondrial origins of the pressure to sleep

Nature - Research on Drosophila neurons shows links between the need to sleep and aerobic metabolism, indicating that the pressure to sleep may have a mitochondrial origin.

nature.com
13
128
6
687
52,076
Thrilled to collaborate with @ZhixingChen2 Lab @PKU1898! We tested new PK Mem dyes—gentle, photostable tools to label the plasma membrane in live neurons, making it easier to track growth cone motility & axonal transport. #liveimaging #neuroscience tiny.cc/3qhp001
1
9
2
49
5,326
🎉 The overall winner of this year’s #DanceYourPhD contest is Sulo Roukka, who meshed lab experiments with dance moves under flashing lights as sequined lab mates analyzed hot chilies and mint with fancy footwork. Watch the winning work and learn more about the category winners: scim.ag/3YOZhG8
7
23
6
86
28,647
Love this work.
Tomás Ryan@TJRyan_7724 Apr 2025
Excited to share our new study: "Cold memories control whole-body thermoregulatory responses" by @Andrea_MZamora, @Akaron0884 & team at @tcddublin, in collaboration with @lynchielydia & @DrChristineAnnD @RyanLabTCD @Nature nature.com/articles/s41586-0…

Cold memories control whole-body thermoregulatory responses

Nature - Cold-sensitive engrams contribute to learned thermoregulation in mice that are returned to an environment in which they previously experienced a cold challenge, through a network formed...

nature.com
6
348
Proud to have contributed a chapter (with Tim Evans) to this new edition.
Bing Zhang@Goodflies6 Mar 2025
Much delayed but never never. Full of genetics and TRANSgenetics. And fly brains are smarter than orange. Enjoy!! @CSHLPress @CSHLflycourse @GeneticsGSA
4
1
18
1,293
This is the best in vivo AP propagation movie we got so far. Recorded at 1k Hz from the axonal branches of a fly CNS neuron, using voltage indicator pAce.
13
82
6
435
32,223
Thomas Kidd retweeted
Dylan Burnette
@MAG2ART14 Feb 2025
Neuronal growth cones videoed through a differential interference contrast (DIC) microscope. #CellBiology
4
69
6
296
17,220
Load more