iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

A starch sheath surrounds many pyrenoids to enhance CO2 fixation, but how the sheath is shaped was unknown. We discovered that the starch-branching enzyme SBE1 promotes lateral growth of starch to shape the sheath! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Engineering a pyrenoid into crops could boost yields, but testing components in plants takes months. To accelerate engineering, we made Nicotiana benthamiana with hybrid algal Rubisco, enabling the reconstitution of pyrenoid number regulation in a plant! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

The algal pyrenoid turbocharges global CO2 fixation. Central to its function are specialized membranes that deliver CO2. We discovered that the protein RBMP2 makes these membranes—and found that the mysterious minitubules appear to enhance CO₂ delivery! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Pyrenoid tubules are essential for supercharging CO₂ fixation, but they're hard to resolve by microscopy. So, we physically expanded cells to see where different proteins go (3 examples below). The central tubule region appears specialized for CO₂ delivery! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

The algal pyrenoid fixes ~1/3 of global carbon, relying on a unique membrane-within-condensate architecture. How is this architecture built? We discovered that the protein MITH1 draws membranes into the pyrenoid condensate by promoting wetting! 🌿💧 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Reposted by Martin Jonikas

The Vilcek Foundation @vilcekfoundation.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Are you an immigrant leading scientific advancements through your research? Then apply today for a Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science! These $50,000 cash awards are given as part of the Vilcek Foundation Prizes program. Apply by May 4, 2026: vilcek.co/4kXM6fY

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Now published @natcellbio.nature.com! Kinase KEY1 controls pyrenoid condensate size throughout the cell cycle by disrupting phase separation interactions www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Congratulations, Shan and Linnea!

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Congrats to Tori, Micah, Aastha, and Lianyong! Grateful to @hhmi-science.bsky.social, NIH, NSF, Gates Foundation, and UK FCDO for supporting the work.

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

We genetically disconnected starch from the matrix in the algal pyrenoid! A saga1;saga2 double mutant lacks a starch sheath! Our model: SAGA1 & SAGA2 locally initiate starch on the pyrenoid surface by enriching starch precursors. 🌞🦠🔬🔌👀 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Algal pyrenoids—condensates that mediate ~1/3 of Earth’s CO2 fixation—change size and number as cells divide. Our data suggest a simple control mechanism: a kinase that continuously ejects material from the condensate! ☀️🌍🔬💧 #Biophysics #Photosynthesis www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

I was deeply saddened today to learn of the passing of Steve Long. He was a pioneer and an inspiration to so many of us. Find his obituary here: www.renner-wikoffchapel.com/obituary/Ste...

renner-wikoffchapel.com

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, I wanted to share a photo of my great-grandfather, Zygmunt Górski, who was murdered there - shot in a gravel pit on March 14, 1941. He was a leader in the Polish underground resistance in WWI and WWII.

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

We are excited to share 71,700 new #Chlamy mutants from the CLiP2 collection pre-publication! Nearly-saturating genome coverage. Please note: new background strain, mating type, and antibiotic resistance. Read: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Search and order: www.chlamylibrary.org

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

!!Just learned that faculty from Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and others won't be eligible in the upcoming HHMI Investigator competition (2026?). It will be dedicated to bringing in people from institutions not currently well-represented at HHMI - max 1 current Investigator.

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

#Postdoc position available in dual-comb #spectroscopy! puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app... In collaboration with the Rabitz Lab, we are developing a novel instrument that will allow the visualization of the spatial distribution of CO2 and other small molecules in cells!

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Our paper describing the discovery of proteins that make pyrenoid-traversing membranes is finally out! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Martin Jonikas @mjonikas.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Excited to share our latest preprint! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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