Michael Prigge
@mjprigge.bsky.social
Plant biologist at UCSD (how auxin regulates transcription across land plants, from receptors to pol II and the steps in between). Mostly, moss⬌Arabidopsis. Grew up in Minnesota, attended/worked at UMinn, UO, UM, and IU.
Combined with Table 1 that showed that bud cells have >10× more RNA than protonemal cells, that’d be a huge jump in the amount of G bases. (I like the use of "µµg" instead of pg!)
November 13, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Combined with Table 1 that showed that bud cells have >10× more RNA than protonemal cells, that’d be a huge jump in the amount of G bases. (I like the use of "µµg" instead of pg!)
This table from a 1969 paper on moss from Folke Skoog’s lab has lived in the back of my head for the almost 20 years since I noticed it. I think it might finally be getting evicted.
They showed that Funaria 3D bud formation was correlated with a huge jump in guanine bases in RNA. (1/6)
They showed that Funaria 3D bud formation was correlated with a huge jump in guanine bases in RNA. (1/6)
November 13, 2025 at 12:33 AM
This table from a 1969 paper on moss from Folke Skoog’s lab has lived in the back of my head for the almost 20 years since I noticed it. I think it might finally be getting evicted.
They showed that Funaria 3D bud formation was correlated with a huge jump in guanine bases in RNA. (1/6)
They showed that Funaria 3D bud formation was correlated with a huge jump in guanine bases in RNA. (1/6)
Here is the script's output for a 24-capacity rotor, for example
October 10, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Here is the script's output for a 24-capacity rotor, for example
Oh well. I like this close-up picture with a black fly taking a break from biting humans to pollinate an A. lyrata flower.
September 16, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Oh well. I like this close-up picture with a black fly taking a break from biting humans to pollinate an A. lyrata flower.
Took some time off to visit family and to see Courtney Barnett for the first time this weekend. Amazing show! (Picture from @tbobrowsky.bsky.social blows all my phone-snaps out of the water.)
September 7, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Took some time off to visit family and to see Courtney Barnett for the first time this weekend. Amazing show! (Picture from @tbobrowsky.bsky.social blows all my phone-snaps out of the water.)
I just sat down to watch the news and noticed this plant science discovery made the highlights for tonight’s episode of the CBS Evening News.
August 1, 2025 at 7:37 AM
I just sat down to watch the news and noticed this plant science discovery made the highlights for tonight’s episode of the CBS Evening News.
The second new paper from the Estelle lab out this week describes the phenotype of moss lines lacking all seven Class-A ARFs (Activating ARFs) and was lead former postdoc Carlisle Bascom, Jr.
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
May 5, 2025 at 10:39 PM
The second new paper from the Estelle lab out this week describes the phenotype of moss lines lacking all seven Class-A ARFs (Activating ARFs) and was lead former postdoc Carlisle Bascom, Jr.
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
We got this moss CRISPR mutant, with a 10-base deletion right after the annotated start codon. The mutant gene appears to be completely functional. (I'm guessing the true start codon is Met-18.)
This is why I almost usually make full deletions.
This is why I almost usually make full deletions.
March 1, 2025 at 4:37 AM
We got this moss CRISPR mutant, with a 10-base deletion right after the annotated start codon. The mutant gene appears to be completely functional. (I'm guessing the true start codon is Met-18.)
This is why I almost usually make full deletions.
This is why I almost usually make full deletions.
About to get some Mimulus (and Columbine) propaganda
January 29, 2025 at 6:59 PM
About to get some Mimulus (and Columbine) propaganda
Your post reminds me that I once ordered what I thought was 20-feet of rigid-walled hose for a vacuum pump. I actually ordered two 10-foot pipes.
December 17, 2024 at 10:15 AM
Your post reminds me that I once ordered what I thought was 20-feet of rigid-walled hose for a vacuum pump. I actually ordered two 10-foot pipes.
Should I be surprised how easy and inconsequential it is to lop off the end of a moss chromosome? My students tagged a gene (that happens to be near a telomere) at both ends and internally (using CRISPR+homology plasmid). Weird things happened when tagging the gene at the distal end (C-term).
December 10, 2024 at 10:28 PM
Should I be surprised how easy and inconsequential it is to lop off the end of a moss chromosome? My students tagged a gene (that happens to be near a telomere) at both ends and internally (using CRISPR+homology plasmid). Weird things happened when tagging the gene at the distal end (C-term).
Here's a comparison I use to introduce phenotypes of moss grown on auxin & NH4.
November 28, 2024 at 12:10 AM
Here's a comparison I use to introduce phenotypes of moss grown on auxin & NH4.
It's the template that is (often) used to repair the double-strand breaks. Here is one of my undergrads first transformations, knocking in a dominant mutation into an Aux/IAA, which blocks differentiation.
June 29, 2024 at 10:45 PM
It's the template that is (often) used to repair the double-strand breaks. Here is one of my undergrads first transformations, knocking in a dominant mutation into an Aux/IAA, which blocks differentiation.
AI does eventually get to my question about the genome, but implies humans are yeast.
May 26, 2024 at 11:36 PM
AI does eventually get to my question about the genome, but implies humans are yeast.
Our university just surpassed 1 million PCR COVID tests for students & employees.
April 24, 2024 at 1:21 AM
Our university just surpassed 1 million PCR COVID tests for students & employees.
First time at a Spring Training game. Go (Oakland?) A’s!
March 23, 2024 at 6:46 PM
First time at a Spring Training game. Go (Oakland?) A’s!
Here's my word cloud. shiny.rcg.sfu.ca/u/rdmorin/sc...
February 5, 2024 at 4:03 AM
Here's my word cloud. shiny.rcg.sfu.ca/u/rdmorin/sc...
Decided to break out the festive PCR buffers for my last plate before the holiday
December 22, 2023 at 11:43 PM
Decided to break out the festive PCR buffers for my last plate before the holiday
I got to walk a certain National Academy member through his first floral-dip transformation recently (with the help of our new lab assistant Helen). He’ll be setting up his first PCR reaction this week!
December 18, 2023 at 6:54 PM
I got to walk a certain National Academy member through his first floral-dip transformation recently (with the help of our new lab assistant Helen). He’ll be setting up his first PCR reaction this week!
On the moss side, it highlights two strengths of moss, old-fashioned forward genetics and new-fangled CRISPR+oligo-mediated genome editing. To illustrate how efficient the latter can be (given a good sgRNA), here is a plate of transformants creating E266K+R269Q mutants (the round ones).
November 22, 2023 at 6:57 PM
On the moss side, it highlights two strengths of moss, old-fashioned forward genetics and new-fangled CRISPR+oligo-mediated genome editing. To illustrate how efficient the latter can be (given a good sgRNA), here is a plate of transformants creating E266K+R269Q mutants (the round ones).
A couple years after @mossmatters.bsky.social (I think) planted the idea, I ordered a Lichen candelaris. Hopefully, it gets some use in the real world and not just in the growth chamber. Second pic is my 1st attempt holding my phone up to it to photograph some (sad) Physco.
November 11, 2023 at 11:47 AM
A couple years after @mossmatters.bsky.social (I think) planted the idea, I ordered a Lichen candelaris. Hopefully, it gets some use in the real world and not just in the growth chamber. Second pic is my 1st attempt holding my phone up to it to photograph some (sad) Physco.
I uploaded my list of published Aux/IAA degron mutants in case anyone finds it useful. Please let me know if I missed any!
labs.biology.ucsd.edu/estelle/Moss...
labs.biology.ucsd.edu/estelle/Moss...
November 9, 2023 at 8:08 AM
I uploaded my list of published Aux/IAA degron mutants in case anyone finds it useful. Please let me know if I missed any!
labs.biology.ucsd.edu/estelle/Moss...
labs.biology.ucsd.edu/estelle/Moss...
TIL that the tiny phyllid ('leaf') scales of dark-grown moss restart growing when exposed to light. micropublication.org/journals/bio...
September 29, 2023 at 9:46 PM
TIL that the tiny phyllid ('leaf') scales of dark-grown moss restart growing when exposed to light. micropublication.org/journals/bio...
September 11, 2023 at 9:44 PM