I’m Gant. My lab studies how the structure of cells affects disease progression. Allen Distinguished Investigator in Molecular and Celular Biology at @UCDavis. https://luxton.faculty.ucdavis.eduhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3mraxx3xbwc2qThe nucleolus is the largest condensate in the nucleus and the site where ribosomes are built. It has no membrane. It assembles by phase separation, components demixing from the nucleoplasm into a droplet. So what decides when it forms? 🧵🪱💧 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.20.739428v122 Jul 2026 18:40 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mraxx3xbwc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3mfanoeob4c2bNew in @quantamagazine.bsky.social: the science of cytoplasmic crowding. From Liam Holt & Simone Reber's work to our discovery that in vivo cytoplasm is 50x more crowded than cultured cells. Thanks @danstarrucdavis.bsky.social & @gabepopkin.bsky.social! https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biophysical-world-inside-a-jam-packed-cell-20260218/19 Feb 2026 22:34 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfanoeob4c2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3mdjgv6oje22xThe call for session proposals for Cell Bio 2026 is open. ASCB gives priority to organizers who haven't run a session in the last two years, and they encourage trainees to submit with an experienced co-chair. Deadline: Feb 22. @ascbiology.bsky.social https://www.ascb.org/cellbio2026/session-proposals/28 Jan 2026 23:36 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdjgv6oje22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3m77bojm2tc2sGrateful to be featured in Nature Methods discussing how @danstarrucdavis.bsky.social and I run the joint Starr-Luxton Lab @ucdavis.bsky.social together. Thanks to Vivien Marx for the thoughtful interview - she really captured what makes this model work. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02938-205 Dec 2025 00:56 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3m77bojm2tc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3lzjkcy4vlc2n🧬 NEW Starr-Luxton Lab PREPRINT: Our 🌠grad student @XiangyiDing figured out why muscular dystrophy mutations cause such widespread cellular chaos. The answer wasn't what we expected - and it changes how we think about the disease. Thread🧵 (1/6). https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.22.677926v123 Sep 2025 18:26 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzjkcy4vlc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3lyixbaprrc2c🧬Want the full story of our paper without the science jargon? Our @ucdavis.bsky.social department broke down our "cells are crowded AND constrained" findings in plain English! Perfect explanation of why worm cells are nothing like cultured cells 🪱🌠10 Sep 2025 19:19 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyixbaprrc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3lyix6dvzk22c🧬BREAKING!🪱Plot twist: Cells aren't meditation pools, they're overcrowded concerts with VIP ropes everywhere! Our study reveals worm cells are insanely crowded AND compartmentalized. Ribosomes = packing peanuts, ANC-1 = the bouncer! https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx095210 Sep 2025 19:18 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyix6dvzk22chttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3lygpn3gyk22j🚨Our fabulous graduate student Selin's paper on how the KASH protein UNC-83 regulates the activity of kinesin-1 to control developmental stage-specific nuclear migration is out! Another great collaboration between the Starr-Luxton and MOM labs. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098222501091709 Sep 2025 21:58 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3lygpn3gyk22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3lstl3i2ni22qCongratulations to Dr. Gümüşderelioğlum from the Starr-Luxton Lab @ucdavis.bsky.social! 🎓 Fresh off her recent PhD defense, she gave an excellent talk this morning at the Cell Biology session of #Worm2025 on UNC-83 molecular switches in nuclear migration. So proud! 👏 #NewPhD #CellBiology30 Jun 2025 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3lstl3i2ni22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/gwgl.bsky.social/post/3lssjlpqgss2rIncredible plenary presentation by Starr-Luxton Lab student @xiangyiding.bsky.social at the International Worm Meeting! Who knew C. elegans cytoplasm has the viscosity of strawberry jam? 🍓 So proud! #Worm2025 #frontierscience @danstarrucdavis.bsky.social30 Jun 2025 06:10 +0000at://did:plc:4vbb75hwvsovcbj6zm6p7y2k/app.bsky.feed.post/3lssjlpqgss2r