iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Tintinnidorin proteins link sequence, self-assembly and remarkable material properties. Tintinnid ciliates may help us understand these principles and inspire future #biomaterial design. 3/3

Structure model of a Tintinnidorin protein showing the conserved beta-sheet core, the flexible linker regions, and the distribution of the abundant (15%) aromatic amino acids.

130

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Tintinnids are single-celled planktonic organisms that build shells whose composition has remained mysterious for over 200 years. We combined single-cell #transcriptomics with #proteomics of isolated shells (loricae), revealing a new family of structural proteins: Tintinnidorins. 2/3

Schematic of late division stage in the tintinnid Schmidingerella showing the proter (anterior division product) with the shell-forming granules, and the opisthe (posterior division product). Overview of applied methods for single-cell transcriptomics and lorica proteomics.

140

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Tiny unicellular #eukaryotes, big #biomaterial inspiration. Excited to share our Nature Communications study showing that tintinnid ciliates build their chemical- and heat-resistant shells from self-assembling proteins we call Tintinnidorins. doi.org/10.1038/s414... #protistsonsky 1/3

Swimming tintinnid ciliate in its transparent showing the shell-material granules containing the Tintinnidorin proteins accumulated around the circular zone of membranelles of the newly developing cell.

24514

Reposted by Maximilian Ganser

John Dolan @tintinnman.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Over the last nearly 100 years, these folks have made remarkable contributions to our knowledge of the microscopic wonders, Tintinnid Ciliates! Find out about these folks: ejournals.eu/en/journal/a...

083

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Tintinnidorin, the name we have chosen for the shell proteins, has roots in different languages (Greek: dôron, neuter, noun). Its core meaning revolves around the concept of a gift handed down through generations.

010

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

Thank you Kenneth. I am super proud of this discovery. What tintinnids can do is just amazing!

110

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

Finally, we’ve solved a long-standing mystery: what tintinnid shells are actually made of: A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids. A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202... #ProtistsOnSky

49735

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Currently, we have no culture unfortunately. There might be an opportunity in spring next year, so we should keep it in mind!

100

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

We recently investigated how much and when tintinnid ciliates produce shell material during the cell cycle to construct a new shell (lorica) after division: tinyurl.com/49usp8xw We adapted a classical staining technique. Still no #UExM for tintinnids dudinlab.bsky.social‬? (wink) #protistsonsky

Top row images showing cells of the tintinnid ciliate Schmidingerella from early to late division stages. Shell-forming material ist stained in purple/red. Bottom row images show 3D models of the material for volumetric analyses.

2144

Maximilian Ganser @mhganser.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Tinntinid ciliates are known because of their remarkable and taxonomically relevant shells. Can you spot the #tintinnids we sampled in Villefranche-sur-Mer (visiting @tintinnman.bsky.social) among the other planktonic organisms? Do you want to know how tintinnids build their shells? #protistsonsky

Plankton sampled in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Animal larval stages, copepods, ciliates, tintinnids, foraminifera, and radiolarians.

080