Multi-lab, Multi-enzyme Study Demonstrates the Versatility of Bacterial Microcompartment Shells as a Modular Platform for Confined Biocatalysis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.18.712704v1

New preprint from our group! When we first started working with affordable, continuous-culture mini-bioreactors a few years ago, we realized they offered a unique solution for CRISPRi experiments, which rely on cell growth to dilute targeted proteins. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Our work on #hornwort #pyrenoids is finally out in @science.org! 🎉 We uncovered how hornworts pack their Rubisco into pyrenoids and successfully recreated them in Arabidopsis. A key step toward engineering more efficient photosynthesis in crops @btiscience.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

An unconventional Rubisco small subunit underpins the CO2-concentrating organelle in land plants

In many algae, photosynthesis is boosted by biophysical CO2-concentrating mechanisms, which pack the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco into liquid-like organelles called pyrenoids. Engineering C3 crops with a...

science.org

Cool Preprint led by @mirbachh on comparing machine learning based engineering of a synthetic C1 fixation pathway vs the classic ALE based approach. ML allowed way faster pathway establishment and when combined with the evolved background improved growth by a factor of 3.🔥🎉

Helena Schulz-Mirbach@helenasm.bsky.social · 7mo ago

How do we engineer metabolism more efficiently ❓ The core work of my PhD focussed on this question, and I am thrilled to now share the respective Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Looking for a #PhDposition in #PlantScience ? Our #IMPRS @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social and @unipotsdam.bsky.social is #hiring ! 📅 Apply by 10 January 2026 More info: 👉 www.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/IMPRS-PhD Please share this post to plant it in the right feed 🌱 #PlantSciJobs

Our new paper is out: we present a quantitative framework to assess how (bio)tech interventions in plant agriculture could meaningfully contribute to climate mitigation. This may be the most important paper I ever publish #SyntheticBiology #ClimateAction #Agriculture #Biochar doi.org/10.1093/plph...

Harnessing plant agriculture to mitigate climate change: A framework to evaluate synthetic biology (and other) interventions

The scale of plant agriculture can be used to mitigate climate change, and meaningful targets (synthetic biology and comparators) can be selected to increa

doi.org

Newest preprint from our lab: a new family of promising synthetic CO2 fixation cycles that may outcompete the Calvin cycle and that Vittorio Rainaldi realized to a great extent in E. coli! Up to 11 heterologous enzymes in a cascade supporting CO2 fixation & growth! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Modular in vivo engineering of the reductive methylaspartate cycles for synthetic CO2 fixation

Biological carbon fixation is currently limited to seven naturally occurring pathways. Synthetic carbon fixation pathways have the potential to surpass aerobic natural pathways in efficiency, but none...

biorxiv.org

Very excited to finally share my PhD paper, about advancing #chloroplast #synbio through high-throughput plastome engineering of #Chlamydomonas. Huge thanks to the whole team! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A modular high-throughput approach for advancing synthetic biology in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas - Nature Plants

This study reports a modular-cloning-based platform for high-throughput chloroplast engineering in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that allows large-scale characterization of genetic parts and prototyping o...

nature.com

Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology@mpimicrobiomarburg.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Turbo platform for plant research 🚀🪴 Extreme weather events due to #climatechange reduce crop yields. @reneinckemann.bsky.social & team led by Tobias Erb @synmikro.bsky.social has now developed a microalgae platform for fast and efficient tests of chloroplast gene variants s.gwdg.de/hznfNe

Please check out our improved #preprint: CRISPR/Cas9 targeted genetic screening in Physcomitrella identifies novel cell division genes Thank you, Elena Kozgunova for taking the lead. #Physcomitrella #celldivision www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

CRISPR/Cas9 targeted genetic screening in Physcomitrella identifies novel cell division genes

Although plants share core cell division mechanisms with other eukaryotes, their unique features, such as acentrosomal spindle formation and cytokinesis via the phragmoplast, suggest the existence of ...

biorxiv.org

🔥🔥🔥 Friday Evening, Paper Out, Feierabend 🔥🔥🔥 When evolution and enzyme engineering team up, they can convince microbes to assimilate sustainable carbon substrates preparing them for a life in a circular bioeconomy. doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...

🚀 Thrilled to share our new Nature Communications article: “A blueprint for designing the next-generation of synthetic C1 microbes” We propose a framework to unlock sustainable, carbon-efficient biomanufacturing using non-canonical hosts. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... A short 🧵1/4

A blueprint for designing the next-generation of synthetic C1 microbes - Nature Communications

Synthetic one-carbon assimilation could contribute to a more sustainable and circular carbon economy, but much work in this field has focused on model microorganisms. Here the authors provide their perspective on the potential value of non-model microbes, and how that potential could be realised.

nature.com

1/ 🚨 New preprint! We've developed a robust IDMS-based LC-MS/MS workflow for high-throughput intracellular metabolomics in diverse bacteria. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #Metabolomics #MassSpec #SystemsBiology

A Robust Isotope Ratio LC-MS/MS Workflow for High-Throughput Metabolic Profiling of Bacteria

Stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) has become a cornerstone of quantitative metabolomics, enabling accurate intracellular metabolite quantification across a range of biological systems. ...

biorxiv.org

EMBL is back on hiring faculty! Check out the multiple open positions: 3 PIs- 2 in Heidelberg incl. our Molecular Systems Biology Unit, 1 in Grenoble 1 Head of Unit (Cell Biology & Biophysics, Heidelberg). Closing deadlines in Sep! +3 more positions to come out then, stay tuned... @embl.org

EMBL@embl.org · 12mo ago

We’re looking for curious, innovative science leaders at EMBL Heidelberg! 🔬🧬🦠 Join a vibrant, interdisciplinary community where collaboration and innovation are nurtured at all levels. Take a look at these four open positions 👇

Now published in Microbial Biotechnology! enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Stefano Donati@stefanodonati.bsky.social · last yr.

📢 Preprint alert! In this study we provide new genomic insights into #CupriavidusNecator for #C1Biomanufacturing: - Genome assemblies for more strains - Species definition refined - Traits & methylation systems explored Great job by @magnusgj.bsky.social and team www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

#Growth-coupled #selection just got an update ! In the last years, E. coli selection strains for #central , #amino #acid and #energy metabolism intermediates were created by the community. So, we compiled them and revisit the core concepts of growth coupling. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Escherichia coli selection strains for growth-coupled metabolic engineering

Synthetic metabolism has the potential to transform carbon capture, bioremediation, or bioproduction strategies. To transfer metabolic designs from an…

sciencedirect.com

Ethylene glycol is widely used as monomer of the plastic PET. It is therefore highly relevant as sustainable feedstock for microbial biotechnology. In our new paper in @natcomms.nature.com, we characterize efficient enzymes for ethylene glycol oxidation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🎉 Excited to share that I’ve received an Emerging Investigator Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation! I’ll start my research group in Jan 2026 to develop universal cell factories for P2X & CO₂-based biomanufacturing 🌱🔬 👉 researchleaderprogramme.com/recipients/e...

Leveraging spectroscopic and structural approaches we obtained new insights into the role of #ferredoxins in N2 fixation. Just published in Chemistry – A European Journal: doi.org/10.1002/chem...! Great work by Holly Addison. Fantastic collaboration with Antonio Pierik on the EPR characterization.

Two Key Ferredoxins for Nitrogen Fixation Have Different Specificities and Biophysical Properties

Two ferredoxins, FdC and FdN, are collectively essential for the process of nitrogen fixation by the iron nitrogenase in R. capsulatus. We explore the biophysical factors, through spectroscopic and s....

doi.org

www.sciencenews.dk/en/designed-... Piece from ScienceNews.dk on our glyoxylate and glycolate sensor strains

Designed bacteria can detect specific molecules

Researchers have developed a computer-guided method for designing and engineering bacteria that can detect the presence of specific molecules in the environment. This method will advance the use...

sciencenews.dk

📢 We are proud and delighted that our Microbes for Climate (M4C) Cluster of Excellence has been selected for the 2025 Excellence Strategy! 🌟Together with @unimarburg.bsky.social, we look forward to exciting #microbe research – stay tuned! @unimarburg.bsky.social @maxplanck.de‬ @synmikro.bsky.social

🎉Doppelerfolg für die #UniMarburg in der Exzellenzstrategie! 🎉 Zwei Cluster zu Klimawandel und menschlicher Wahrnehmung sichern sich Förderung. Marburg beweist Forschungsstärke und Innovationskraft.🚀 @proloewe.bsky.social @synmikro.bsky.social @maxplanck.de @jlugiessen.bsky.social @tuda.bsky.social

Really impressive work from Ari and the team - going from an idea all the way to a functional pathway using the latest synbio tools! The CORE cycle is another carbon fixing route that could be used as an alternative to photorespiration in plants. Interested to see where this goes next! 🌱📈

Ari Satanowski@ari-satanowski.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in @naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝 We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱 nature.com/articles/s41... Take a look! Thread below... 🧵

Groundbreaking work just dropped🔥. @ari-satanowski.bsky.social and Daniel Marchal engineered new-to-nature CO2 reduction at ambient conditions via ATP-driven cycles for CO2->formate in vivo. All kinds of fancy experiments in here and a real seminal contribution to the field👏. Check it out!

Ari Satanowski@ari-satanowski.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in @naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝 We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱 nature.com/articles/s41... Take a look! Thread below... 🧵

Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in @naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝 We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱 nature.com/articles/s41... Take a look! Thread below... 🧵

An energy-efficient pathway for aerobic production of formate from CO2, the CORE cycle. Could become part of a novel CO2-fixing photorespiration bypass design. Congrats @ari-satanowski.bsky.social

Ari Satanowski@ari-satanowski.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in @naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝 We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱 nature.com/articles/s41... Take a look! Thread below... 🧵

As well as CO2 Rubisco reacts with O2: plants evolved photorespiration to deal with the consequences. It works, but synthetic biology can do better! 🔄 We used metabolic modeling to compare alternative pathways to boost crop yields 🌱 🧵 #ScienceAdvancesResearch www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity

Computational modeling reveals how engineering plants with alternative pathways to photorespiration could boost crop yields.

science.org

"We show that carbon-fixing APs are the most promising candidates to replace native photorespiration in major crop species." Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity

Computational modeling reveals how engineering plants with alternative pathways to photorespiration could boost crop yields.

science.org

📢 Preprint alert! In this study we provide new genomic insights into #CupriavidusNecator for #C1Biomanufacturing: - Genome assemblies for more strains - Species definition refined - Traits & methylation systems explored Great job by @magnusgj.bsky.social and team www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Comparative genomic assessment of the Cupriavidus necator species for one-carbon based biomanufacturing

The transition from a petroleum-based manufacturing to biomanufacturing is an important step towards a sustainable bio-economy. In particular biotechnological processes which use one carbon (C1) compo...

biorxiv.org

🚨Check out this amwesome new CRISPR tool for highly efficient genome engineering in C. necator led by @dellavallesimo.bsky.social and @eorsi.bsky.social 🔥🔥🔥

Enrico Orsi@eorsi.bsky.social · last yr.

Our brand new CRISPR/Cas toolkit for genome editing of Cupriavidus necator is out🦠🧬 A joint effort w/ @dellavallesimo.bsky.social and Costas (and many more!) Check 🧵 our long journey for developing a new state-of-the-art for the manipulation of this promising bug 1/n www.cell.com/trends/biote...

We are announcing about 30 PhD positions in the @fwf-at.bsky.social Cluster of Excellence Circular Bioengineering www.circularbioengineering.at/jobs 9 projects open in Progamme 2 (Self-Sustainable Microbial Systems) in 4 Austrian Universities