Quinone-transporting filaments extend the respiratory chain of Gram positive bacteria www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734721v1 #cryoEM
Luca Troman
@lucatroman.bsky.social
CryoEM of bacterial filaments and eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Postdoc within the Ghosal Lab at University of Melbourne, Australia. Formally at Birkbeck, University of Bristol.
including state-of-the-art #CryoET #CryoEM #teamtomo
Debnath Ghosal@debnathghosal.bsky.social · 2mo agoCPR bacteria form a superphylum that may account for 15–50% of all bacterial diversity (!!), yet we know remarkably little about them. Recently, we showed that the dwarf CPR bacterium JR1 entangles its host with specialized filaments and kills using a lance-like structure. 🦠⚔️
This Visual-omics approach is kind of amazing: "We resolved each to sufficient resolution (2.8 and 3.6 Å) to predict the amino acid composition directly from the 3D electrostatic potential map"
Debnath Ghosal@debnathghosal.bsky.social · 2mo agoBy using visual-omics, we managed to assign the molecular identity of these filaments directly from structure, without relying on sequence homology. It turned out to be a completely novel filament system, never before described in any bacteria.
Excited to be presenting this work today at the 3DEM Gordon Research Seminar and later this week at the Gordon Research Conference. Looking forward to the discussions and feedback! www.grc.org/three-dimens...
2026 Three Dimensional Electron Microscopy Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Three Dimensional Electron Microscopy will be held in Castelldefels, Barcelona Spain. Apply today to reserve your spot.
grc.org
Debnath Ghosal@debnathghosal.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew paper alert!! We just discovered a new filament system that is widespread exclusively within CPR bacteria! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6.... Short thread below. 🦠🔬🚀
New paper alert!! We just discovered a new filament system that is widespread exclusively within CPR bacteria! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6.... Short thread below. 🦠🔬🚀
A Novel Pilus System in Candidate Phyla Radiation Bacteria
The Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) represents a bacterial superphylum estimated to include between 15–50% of all bacterial species, yet CPR bacteria remain challenging to culture and have been primar...
biorxiv.org
Join #EMBOCryoEM to get a comprehensive foundation in advanced single-particle and cellular tomography techniques – we'll cover the entire workflow from sample preparation to data collection and image processing. https://s.embl.org/cry26-01-bl Apply by: 11 May 2026 @embo.org
My first manuscript in MPI colours! With @tothpetroczylab.bsky.social, we show that AlphaFold PAE-derived contact probabilities are well calibrated to the fraction of true interface contacts across experimentally determined protein dimers. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
I am very grateful to @lorneproteins.bsky.social for the opportunity to speak and share my work! Such a great atmosphere, thank you for the warm welcome and excellent questions.
Lorne Proteins@lorneproteins.bsky.social · 6mo agoS3: Luca Troman-Spirochete flagellar motors rotate in opposite directions; periplasmic flagella are more complex. Treponema denticola. 2 motors, thick and thin flagella. SPA Native flagella isolation w optiprep cushion, inner core, outer sheath, mystery density - modelangelo! 🕵♀️ #lorneproteins2026
🌀 We solved the structure for T. denticola periplasmic flagella! I'm very happy to finally showcase this work. A huge collaborative effort between myself, @bindusmitapaul.bsky.social, @debnathghosal.bsky.social, Jack Kim, @banfieldlab.bsky.social, Eric Reynolds and the Chris Fenno lab. 🦠 Enjoy!
bioRxivpreprint@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 6mo agoStructural basis for curvature generation and functional specialization in spirochete flagella https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.04.703737v1
It has been great to be part of this team, thank you to everyone involved!
Debnath Ghosal@debnathghosal.bsky.social · 6mo agoWonderful collaboration with #EricReynolds, #JillBanfield, and #ChrisFenno labs. Terrific effort from @lucatroman.bsky.social who drove the high-resolution work, great support from @bindusmitapaul.bsky.social and #JackKim, @CCeMMP, @UniMelbMDHS, @CGCPT.
Wonderful spirochete asymmetric flagellar structural work by @lucatroman.bsky.social Grateful to be part of the story supported by @debnathghosal.bsky.social
Debnath Ghosal@debnathghosal.bsky.social · 6mo ago📣 New paper alert! This is a story of molecular tricks that let spirochetes (spiral-shaped bacteria) drill through tissue. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
📣 New paper alert! This is a story of molecular tricks that let spirochetes (spiral-shaped bacteria) drill through tissue. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🌀 How do spirochete bacteria swim through thick fluids like champions? We solved T. denticola flagella structure - asymmetric proteins expand one side, compress the other for perfect corkscrew motion! @debnathghosal.bsky.social 🔗 doi.org/10.64898/202... #StructuralBiology #CryoEM #Microbiology
