Our Review Article is online!
We are happy to share our summary about molecular and cellular biological discoveries in archaea that have long foreshadowed a close relationship to eukaryotes, which is now so well manifested in the Asgard archaea.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
𧡠1/10 New paper out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com from my postdoc at @mib-wur.bsky.social! π
How eukaryote-like was the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes? Sequence searches alone can't tell us β so we used protein structure prediction to look deeper. π§¬
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Prediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs
Diversity, ecology, cell biology and evolution of the Asgard archaea
#microbiology #archaea #eukaryotes #evolution #MicroSky #ArchaeaSky
@natrevmicro.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
𧡠Proud to present a tour de force by postdoc @gregbwhitfield.bsky.social solving the mystery of how bacterial Tad pili can extend and retract with a single motor ATPase. Great collaboration with Lynne Howell, @dr-lori-burrows.bsky.social, @ianyyen.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Very cool work led by @diorgeps.bsky.social from the labs of @archaeon-alex.bsky.social & Joey Davis (MIT)!
They solved the Haloferax volcanii ribosome and characterize AHA, a conserved archaeal hibernation factor.
With several recent related preprints, itβs an exciting moment for the field!
Beyond thrilled to share that our study has been published!
This project encompasses years of work, including my thesis research on Asgard archaea in the @archaeal.bsky.social lab at @utmsi.bsky.social and
@texasscience.bsky.social!!!
#MicroSky #ArchaeaSky 1/12
Ξ²-strand complementation within tip initiation complexes licenses assembly of diverse type IV filaments SIGNIFICANCE Prokaryotic type IV filaments are ancient, diverse, and broadly distributed nanomachines that assemble and retract to execute diverse microbial functions. They include type IV pili and type II secretion systems, mediating toxin secretion, motility, surface adhesion, biofilm formation, DNA uptake, and other functions. Here, we show that two widely conserved subunits of the tip, PilI and PilJ, form a module that recognizes the folding of a Ξ²-sheet in a third subunit, PilK. The final Ξ²-strand in this sheet can be supplied in trans by the last ~10 aminoacyl residues of large PilC/PilY1 adhesins, or in cis by PilK itself. In a working model, this recognition results in formation of a PilIJK trimer, which then licenses fiber polymerization through a templating mechanism.
Here's the preprint. Looking forward to seeing what the type 4 filament community thinks!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
20/20
Contractile Injection Systems - Hot Springs - cryoET: Read the final version of our paper here:
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
#microsky #teamtomo
Postdoc position on Asgard archaea in Thiagoβs new lab for someone well trained in biochemistry, cloning, and protein purification:
international.au.dk/about/profil...
This work started as a bachelor project and @1nussi1.bsky.social and @felixgrunberger.bsky.social showed that CsmR is a very interesting regulator important for controlling motiliy and cellshape in Haloferax volcanii.
The preprint is out now: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
FoldMason is out now in @science.org. It generates accurate multiple structure alignments for thousands of protein structures in seconds. Great work by Cameron L. M. Gilchrist and @milot.bsky.social.
π www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
π search.foldseek.com/foldmason
πΎ github.com/steineggerla...
Archaea may not be well known, nor well studied, but these microorganisms can live in the most extreme environments, but also right on our skin. Theyβre everywhere.
EMBL researchers are now exploring their unique ecosystem adaptability and link to evolution.
www.embl.org/news/science...
Researcher Florian Wollweber standing next to a cryo-focused ion beam microscope in a laboratory, with technical infrastructure visible in the background.
The origin of eukaryotic cells continues to be one of the greatest mysteries in biology.
EMBL Grenoble is excited to welcome Florian Wollweber, who will use cutting-edge imaging techniques to study Asgard archaea β microbes closely related to our earliest ancestors. π¦ π¬
www.embl.org/news/people-...
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.
Take a lookβthe numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
Thank you!!
Thank you Ariane!
Thank you!!
Congrats! It has been a pleasure to have you in the lab and I am lokking forward seeing what you will achieve in the future!
Finally done! Huge thanks to @sfb1381.bsky.social @archaellum.bsky.social at the @biologyunifreiburg.bsky.social and @uni-freiburg.de and all my collaborators over the last years. It was a lot of fun πππ and now soon off to new challenges!
How did eukaryotic cells with complex architecture evolve from simpler prokaryotic cells? DNA analyses offer possible answers
go.nature.com/4sEMwLH
Nice to see our story on the bacterial archaellum as one of the #editorpicks of 2025!
A big thanks to all the authors, reviewers, and readers of Nature Microbiology for their love and support throughout the year.
We are on a break & will be back on Jan 2nd, in what will be a very special year for us!
In the meantime, enjoy a collage made by @francoismayer.bsky.social
#MicroSky π¦
1. As we recently joined BlueSky, we want to repost this story for all newcomers!
We sat down with @radler92.bsky.social to get more insight into the unique videos from his recent preprint on Promethearchaeota (formerly Asgard archaea).
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
(Videos and info below)
Calling all archaeal enthusiasts! π¬π₯ From molecular machines to microbial communities, Archaea never fail to surprise us!
We are excited to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on the Molecular Biology of Archaea, 6β10 July in Cambridge, UK!
Sign up here: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc...
#ArchaeaSky
Are you a long-time fan of Archaea, an extremophile-phile, or are you simply curious?
Either way, we have good news.
Weβre delighted to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on Archaea, 6β10 July.
Sign up: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc...
We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge, UK.
Please repost!
Like last year, I compiled a little collage of all our monthly issue covers published in @natmicrobiol.nature.com Another year full of new discoveries, stunning advances and marvelous #microbiology. Thanks to all our authors for all their hard work in pushing the field of microbiology forward.
Asgard on the move ! Watch our videos!
Biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.30.690169v1
Ever since publishing our observations of the predatory behaviour of Ca. Nha. antarcticus people have asked me why it would want to kill its host. My perspective discussing the ecological factors that I believe led to this behaviour is out now in mSystems:
doi.org/10.1128/msystems.01475-25
Pleased to share our review on S-layers with @bupbuse.bsky.social, Andriko von KΓΌgelgen, and @tbharat-lab.bsky.social, where we explore recent advances and argue that deeper insight into S-layers is key to deciphering microbial interactions and community organization. @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
