Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaSvetlana Dodonova @dodonova-sveta.bsky.social · 12hNew preprint from Dodonova lab 🔔! Capturing multiple states by cryo-EM❄️, we show for the first time how archaeal RNA Polymerase engages a nucleosome and forms direct contacts with histones! 🧬 Great work by Gabriele & a fantastic collaboration with Dina Grohmann! 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 17626
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaSimonetta Gribaldo @sgribaldo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Interested in #archaea, #methane, #cell-envelopes? New paper out @nature.com ! We discovered an enzyme that specifically cleaves the cell wall of methanogens, revealing a new chemical structure of archaeal peptidoglycan, 50 yrs after its first description www.nature.com/articles/s41... #MicroSky 🧵👇nature.com 1412374
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaFlorent Waltz @florentwaltz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026... For the sponsoring the talk and poster prizes, that went to @fannyleblanc.bsky.social and Aurélien Gregor 🎊. And huge thanks to @sofie-dot-rec.bsky.social, @phaips.vd.st and Imre Gonda for teaching the workshop on sample prep, data collection and processing on the 2nd day. #cryoET #TeamTOMO 0101
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmabioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Ribosome profiling reveals translational dynamics between an archaeal virus and its host www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20… 032
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaCameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Molecular basis of N2 fixation in a hyperthermophilic archaeon www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubsnature.comMolecular basis of N2 fixation in a hyperthermophilic archaeon - Nature CommunicationsNitrogenases are enzymes that convert atmospheric N2 into ammonia, thus providing bioavailable nitrogen to living organisms. Here, Maslać et al. describe a highly thermostable, simple nitrogenase from... 082
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaRicardo D. Righetto @lifeonthewedge.bsky.social · 08/09/2026A wild publishing ride to get here... but finally! (first bioRxiv: January 5th, 2024 🙃) Amazing work from @lorenzlamm.bsky.social and colleagues 🤗 Special thanks to the community who jumped early on the boat, sharing feedback and training data to make MemBrain v2 a reality 🙏🏽nature.comMemBrain v2: an end-to-end tool for the analysis of membranes in cryo-electron tomography - Nature MethodsMemBrain v2 enables streamlined analysis of membranes in cryo-electron tomography by providing user-friendly tools for membrane segmentation, membrane protein localization and spatial analysis, suppor... 17125
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaEMBL @embl.org · 03/09/2026Congratulations to @florianwollweber.bsky.social, the recently appointed Group Leader at EMBL Grenoble, who received an ERC Starting Grant worth approximately €2 million to investigate the origins of eukaryotic cell complexity. bit.ly/4gNwEBk 0607
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaAlex Merz 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇦 @merz.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Our new paper with @ckellison.bsky.social. is finally out! We identify an ancient and widely conserved mechanism that promotes initiation of fiber polymerization in type IV pili and type II secretion systems.pnas.orgβ-strand addition within tip initiation complexes licenses assembly of diverse type IV filaments | PNASPilC/PilY1 proteins are tip-located adhesins of type IV pili (T4P) that are critical for T4P function in diverse behaviors including twitching moti... 57924
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaTanmay Bharat @tbharat-lab.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Molecular architecture of colossal surface layers from hyperthermophilic archaea Led by @idocaspy.bsky.social (Ido) In collaboration with @mkrupovic.bsky.social and @vikramalva.bsky.social labs doi.org/10.64898/202... 215450
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaJulia Meltzer @juliameltzer.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Excited to share what I've been working on with an incredible team! Visualisation of Asgard viruses on cell surfaces and vesicles, and a story of complex viral interactions. Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @brendanburns999.bsky.social @belindaferrari.bsky.social @xabivc.bsky.social 48132
Shamphavi Sivabalasarma @sshamphavi.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Hot, acidic and an endlessly fascinating archaeal model organism! Check out our review on Sulfolobus acidocaldarius🥳 0115
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaPedro Leão @pedroleao.bsky.social · 27/07/2026The manuscript introducing ArchaeaHQ is still under review😴 As science can't wait... I'm making available a version of the dashboard we use. vee-lab.eu/archaeahq Here the user can have quick access to the information in the database, and select specific genomes of interest. Enjoy 🎉 1248
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaEvgenii Protasov @evgenii-protasov.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Two types of sheathed archaellum structures from Haloarcula marismortui differ in their outer layer architectures #microbiology #archaea #MicroSky #ArchaeaSky @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comTwo types of sheathed archaellum structures from Haloarcula marismortui differ in their outer layer architectures - Nature CommunicationsArchaea can swim using rotating helical filaments called archaella. Here, Meshcheryakov et al. report that the cryo-EM structures of two types of archaella from Haloarcula marismortui display a unique... 0124
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaBrett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 23/07/2026www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgEukaryotic-like microtubules and dynamic instability of Asgard archaeal tubulinsAsgard archaeal mini microtubules suggest an archaeal origin of eukaryotic microtubules. 03518
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmabioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Systematic identification of cell division proteins in haloarchaea and the discovery of a membrane anchor for the Z ring www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20… 075
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaGregor Weiss @weiss-lab.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Some bacteria do not live as individuals. They build multicellular filaments and connect neighboring cells through tiny cell-cell junctions. Cyanobacteria are among the most beautiful examples 😍 In our new paper, we reveal first molecuar insights on the cyanobacterial septal junction architecture 🧵 311527
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaPaula Navarro @navarropaula.bsky.social · 03/07/2026🚨 New in @natmicrobiol.nature.com! We reveal how the antibiotic target PBP1b fortifies the E.coli division site against osmotic rupture. Proud this was completed in our independent labs @dmf-unil.bsky.social, with @avettiger.bsky.social. Congratulations to all authors! 🦠❄️🔬 #teamtomo bit.ly/3SCbOg1 👇doi.orgThe penicillin-binding protein PBP1b fortifies the Escherichia coli division site against osmotic rupture - Nature MicrobiologyA specific isoform of PBP1b functions independently of the activator protein, LpoB, to drive generation of a wedge-like peptidoglycan structure that strengthens the division site in Escherichia coli. 39333
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaAlex Crits-Christoph @acritschristoph.bsky.social · 23/06/2026ohhhhh man it is another amazing paper from @masarunobu.bsky.social that's a Microgenomates growing on a Chloroflexi: 0104
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaFaculty of Biology - University of Freiburg @biologyunifreiburg.bsky.social · 21/06/2026Diese ausführliche und äußerst informative Dokumentation zeigt, welche Rolle Stickstoffdünger in der Landwirtschaft spielen und wie die Arbeit von Thomas Ott und seinem Team dazu beiträgt, die Lebensmittelproduktion nachhaltiger zu machen. Schauen Sie doch mal rein! 🌱🍅🧪 084
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaSvetlana Dodonova @dodonova-sveta.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Excited to share our new preprint! 🧬❄️ by brilliant @mdreimann.bsky.social and great collaborators! Using cryo-ET&EM, we reveal archaeal chromatin in a near-native state: variable-beads-on-a-string fibers shaped by growth phase and histone composition #ArchaeaSky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 815363
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaEvgenii Protasov @evgenii-protasov.bsky.social · 17/06/2026A multilayered cell envelope of a member of the Chloroflexota offers an anchoring platform for the archaellum #microbiology #archaea #bacteria #MicroSky doi.org/10.3389/fmic... 0188
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaPilhofer Lab 🦠❄️🔬 @pilhoferlab.bsky.social · 01/06/2026🛠️💉It's time for engineering contractile injection systems! @chipericson.bsky.social & @davidschaumann.bsky.social introduce programmable CIS - PROCIS, combining tail length control, non-native cargo loading, and cell retargeting all in one system! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵 1/5 26429
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaBejaLabTechnion @bejalab.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Active virus-host system in a Lokiarchaeon culture www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 0219
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology @mrclmb.ac.uk · 26/05/2026Led by Hannah Ochner, @tbharat-lab.bsky.social’s group have developed correlated #cryoEM & mass spectrometry imaging, capable of sub-cellular chemical mapping. With @kiranrpatil.bsky.social’s group, they have imaged the cellular uptake of forever chemicals. mrclmb.ac.uk/news-events/... #LMBResearch 1184
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaWei He (何炜) @weiwaer.bsky.social · 20/05/2026My first story about Archaea cell division comes out !!! A three protein system (Dip system) positions H. volcanii divisome to midcell. Dip system works like bacterial Min sytem, but they share NO sequence homology "All roads lead to Rome😊". 192
Shamphavi Sivabalasarma @sshamphavi.bsky.social · 20/05/2026How do archaea find mid cell? They invent their own new system! Check out the preprint and admire those beautiful fluorescence images of @weiwaer.bsky.social Happy to have been part of it🎉 070
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmabioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 20/05/2026A conserved oscillatory system that positions the divisome in Archaea www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20… 084
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaJoshua Hamm @joshnhamm.bsky.social · 19/05/2026Our paper examining the evolution of halophily in DPANN is out now in MBE! academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-... 1198
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmacryoEM papers @cryoempapers.bsky.social · 15/05/2026Recent advances in integrative cryoEM/ET toward visualizing the molecular sociology of cellular organelles pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42134003/ #cryoEM 065
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaMichael Wagner @michiwagner4.bsky.social · 10/05/2026Cool discovery. Hydrogenobodies in rumen protozoa support methanogenesis #MicroSky 🧪 #ArchaeaSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgRumen ciliates modulate methane emissions in ruminantsRumen ciliates are major contributors to enteric methane emissions from ruminant animals, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We present a catalog of 450 rumen ciliate genomes, wit... 0131
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaArchaea Biology Vienna @archaea-vienna.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Do biofilms give an ecological advantage? Yes! A fantastic follow-up to our previous biofilm work in ammonia-oxidizing archaea: "Biofilm Lifestyle Drives Ecophysiological Niche Expansion in an Archaeal Soil Nitrifier" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Congratulations to all authors! #archaea 12315
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaEvgenii Protasov @evgenii-protasov.bsky.social · 10/05/2026Some archaea like coffee too 🤓☕️ Using coffee waste as feedstock for continuous cultivation of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius #microbiology #archaea #coffee #Sulfolobus #MicroSky #ArchaeaSky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.comUsing coffee waste as feedstock for continuous cultivation of Sulfolobus acidocaldariusSulfolobus acidocaldarius is a thermoacidophilic archaeon with high potential for robust continuous bioprocesses under extreme conditions. In this stu… 194
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaEvgenii Protasov @evgenii-protasov.bsky.social · 04/05/2026Do #archaea and #bacteria follow the same evolutionary "rules" when moving into a host🧐? Our latest study shows striking parallels in how intestinal and endosymbiotic archaea evolved compared to bacteria! #microbiology #methanogens @microbiomej.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1... 2124
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaSonja-Verena Albers @archaellum.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Indeed, a lot of fun, and I would have not thought that I would publish anything about the bindosome ever again! 😁 011
Shamphavi Sivabalasarma @sshamphavi.bsky.social · 27/04/2026You ever wondered whether your favorite archaeon has a surface structure or even an archaellum? Say no more! We screened for the presence of archaeal TFF machineries in all archaeal phyla and help you with that! Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (1/n)biorxiv.org 1197
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaBejaLabTechnion @bejalab.bsky.social · 20/04/2026Bridging the membrane lipid divide: bacteria of the FCB group superphylum have the potential to synthesize archaeal ether lipids pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... 063
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaMartin Loose @nartimsoole.bsky.social · 16/04/2026Now out in its final form! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgScience | AAAS 35217
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaTomas Pascoa @tomaspascoa.bsky.social · 14/04/20261/ Excited to share our preprint! 🥳 Degradation of aromatic compounds, including BTEX pollutants, requires highly endergonic aromatic ring reduction. Using #cryoEM and in situ #cryoET, we show how BCRII couples electron bifurcation modules in one giant redox machine www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 510237
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaAnuj @rnfr2d2.bsky.social · 14/04/2026How do “LEGO-like” electron-bifurcating modules combine to drive degradation in BTEX-contaminated ecosystems? Check out our latest preprint, where we use cryo-EM and cryo-ET to reveal how the 1 MDa BCRII complex powers extremely endergonic aromatic ring reduction. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...biorxiv.org 12714
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaDebnath Ghosal @debnathghosal.bsky.social · 12/04/2026One of biggest mysteries in biology: how did complex eukaryotic cells evolve from simple microbes? ~1.8 billion years ago, an archaeal cell likely merged with a bacterium to form the first eukaryotic cell, but can we ever find direct evidence of this transformative event? 🦠 🚶♂️ 310840
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaRobert Grosse @ grosselab @grosselab.bsky.social · 19/03/2026Hong's @bdyxwh.bsky.social paper is out with help from @sshamphavi.bsky.social and @archaellum.bsky.social. We discovered a link between nuclear actin and YAP/TAZ: G-actin forms a complex with YAP-TEAD for transcription. academic.oup.com/nar/article/...academic.oup.comRegulation of YAP activity by nuclear G-actin bindingAbstract. The Yes-associated protein YAP belongs to the TEAD (TEA/ATTS domain) transcriptional co-activators that shuttle between the cytoplasm and the nuc 22514
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaEduardo Rocha @epcrocha.bsky.social · 17/03/2026Horizontal gene transfer is often depicted as a process distributing pre-existing functions to novel genetic backgrounds. Yet HGT can also increase the rate of functional innovation after transfer. Here's a brief review on the topic: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... #evosky #microskyecoevorxiv.orgFrom Trading Genes to Crafting New Tricks: How Horizontal Gene Transfer Potentiates the Emergence of Novel Functions 19042
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaArchaea Biology Vienna @archaea-vienna.bsky.social · 06/03/2026Our 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...link.springer.comAsgard archaea: have we found our microbial ancestors? - The EMBO JournalThe discovery of Asgard archaea about a decade ago has greatly reshaped our understanding of archaeal evolution and the origin of eukaryotes. Asgards are currently thought to be the closest prokaryoti... 041
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaStephan Köstlbacher @stephkoe.bsky.social · 05/03/2026🧵 1/10 New paper out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com from my postdoc at @mib-wur.bsky.social! 🎉 How eukaryote-like was the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes? Sequence searches alone can't tell us — so we used protein structure prediction to look deeper. 🧬 www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comPrediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling - Nature MicrobiologyA structural catalogue of the Asgard archaeal pangenome reveals hundreds of eukaryotic-like proteins that suggest a higher degree of cellular complexity in the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes. 36936
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaCameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Prediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubsnature.comPrediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling - Nature MicrobiologyA structural catalogue of the Asgard archaeal pangenome reveals hundreds of eukaryotic-like proteins that suggest a higher degree of cellular complexity in the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes. 071
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaEvgenii Protasov @evgenii-protasov.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Diversity, ecology, cell biology and evolution of the Asgard archaea #microbiology #archaea #eukaryotes #evolution #MicroSky #ArchaeaSky @natrevmicro.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comDiversity, ecology, cell biology and evolution of the Asgard archaea - Nature Reviews MicrobiologyThe Asgard archaea have become a cornerstone of archaeal research, particularly for studies aiming to unravel the origin and early evolution of eukaryotes. This Review outlines the current state of th... 031
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaYves Brun lab @brunlabcaulo.bsky.social · 26/02/2026🧵 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...biorxiv.org 14617
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaVikram Alva @vikramalva.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Very 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, it’s an exciting moment for the field! 0124
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaKathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026Beyond 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 87330
Reposted by Shamphavi SivabalasarmaAlex Merz 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇦 @merz.bsky.social · 16/02/2026Here's the preprint. Looking forward to seeing what the type 4 filament community thinks! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 20/20 2175