Spirogyra pratensis genome illuminates the evolution of developmental programs and spiral chloroplast biology academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...

The Spirogyra pratensis genome illuminates the evolution of developmental programs and spiral chloroplast biology

Abstract. Zygnematophytes emerged as the unexpected closest algal relatives of land plants despite their simple body plans, raising questions about the mor

academic.oup.com

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...

The small protein SbtC is a functional component of the CO2 concentrating mechanism in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (Peter Walke , Carolin Poppitz , Niklas Menz , Wolfgang R Hess , Robert Burnap , Martin Hagemann , Stephan Klähn) doi.org/10.1093/plph... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

The small protein SbtC is a functional component of the CO2 concentrating mechanism in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Abstract. Oxygenic phototrophs fix CO2 via the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO), which shows relatively low CO2 affinity an

doi.org

Regulatory logic of the Chlamydomonas CO2-concentrating mechanism: coupling carbon flux, energy supply, and pyrenoid architecture www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

Frontiers | Regulatory logic of the Chlamydomonas CO2-concentrating mechanism: coupling carbon flux, energy supply, and pyrenoid architecture

The algal CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) elevates CO2 around Rubisco, the CO2-fixing enzyme, through the coordinated action of inorganic carbon (Ci) uptak...

frontiersin.org

As a horror fan, I have to share (with permission) this student made zine. It def gives some Junji Ito vibes imo

Brian Atkinson@habitualb.bsky.social · 2y ago

Lately ive been really into zines. They are a great alt medium to convey info and community happenings. This semester I made a EC activity in my biodiversity class that had students make their own zines focusing on their favorite organism in class. Check this out (shared with permission)

Excited to share our latest preprint on #PhycologyFriday. We map out the carbon fixation pathway for the first time in a multicellular alga, the green seaweed Ulva, and reveal a unique Rubisco-Linker interaction in the pyrenoid, a chloroplast condensate. Below I summarize some key points. #seaweeds

bioRxiv Cell Biology@biorxiv-cellbio.bsky.social · 4w ago

A spatial atlas of the seaweed CO2-fixation machinery reveals a unique Rubisco condensation mechanism https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.16.738900v1

Postdocs & grad students: Do you want hands-on experience in the editorial and review process? Apply to join the #AppsPlantSci Reviewing Editor board. Applications due Aug 15. Term starts September 15 2026. For more info: botany.org/home/publica... #botany #plantscience #iamabotanist

My department @eth-dbiol.bsky.social at ETH Zurich is hiring for a tenured professor in mol cell bio and biochemistry (associate/full). The position is within the Institute of Biochemistry (www.bc.biol.ethz.ch) and it is fairly open within their scope of research. www.nature.com/naturecareer...

Professor of Molecular Cell Biology and Biochemistry - Zurich, Switzerland job with ETH Zurich | 12861386

The Department of Biology at ETH Zurich invites applications for the above-mentioned tenured professorship at the Institute of Biochemistry

nature.com

EPOS1 is required for normal pyrenoid starch sheath formation and efficiency of the CO2‐concentrating mechanism in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - Adler - New Phytologist - Wiley Online Library From @noodlyscientist.bsky.social !! nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

<fc>EPOS1</fc> is required for normal pyrenoid starch sheath formation and efficiency of the <fc>CO₂</fc>‐concentrating mechanism in <fi>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</fi>

Element for Pyrenoid Organization of Starch 1 (EPOS1) is required for normal starch sheath formation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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...

Engineering Modular Cargo Loading Strategies for Carboxysome-Derived Protein Particles | ACS Synthetic Biology @cellforganized.bsky.social

Engineering Modular Cargo Loading Strategies for Carboxysome-Derived Protein Particles

Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are a diverse and widespread class of self-assembling protein-based organelles consisting of a semipermeable protein shell encapsulating an enzymatic core. Isolated ...

pubs.acs.org

our new paper on fern genomes is out in @pnas.org - we found that Salvinia genomes are...weird... plus the nasty invasive S. molesta is not what you think it is! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Our paper on the origin and evolution of phloem, a big part of my PhD work, is out in Current Biology! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Do you know motivated and curious students grade 8-12? Please share this amazing opportunity for FREE online classes taught by top US Institutions ranging from AI to ancient poetry 🎭🧑‍🎓 cloud.learningu.org/learn/index.... <-- check out Rainstorm!⛈️ #Rainstorm2026 #LearningUnlimited

Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth @utokyo-yamori.bsky.social ! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth - Nature Communications

Rubisco has inherently low catalytic efficiency limiting crop productivity. Here the authors show that chloroplast genome editing can be used to generate substitutions in Arabidopsis rbcL that increas...

nature.com

Happy to announce our study that has just been published from work done during my PhD at the University of Bristol working in Prof. Jill Harrison's lab. It's about WOX genes and sporophyte development in the model moss, Physcomitrium patens. Take a look 🧵👇

A few snaps from May! A great trip to @stanfordjrbp.bsky.social to check out the bryophytes & flowers (saw my fave bottlepore liverworts)and talking about pyrenoid-based CO2-concentrating mechanisms at @pintofscience.us

🤩

Martin Jonikas@mjonikas.bsky.social · 2mo ago

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...

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...

Our review on structural mechanisms of #CO2 fixation machinery by #cyanobacteria @theplantjournal.bsky.social is out🎉🎉 When #CO2 is limiting, #cyano concentrate it. Discover how they thrive? @hhu.de @ceplas.bsky.social @mibinet.bsky.social @sfb1381.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Functional and structural insights into cyanobacterial CO2 concentrating mechanisms: from compartmentalization to regulation

Life on Earth depends on photosynthetic CO2 fixation via the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle to form organic carbon. This process evolved first in cyanobacteria and was later conveyed to eukaryotes, givi...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

So excited to see this amazing story out!

Ben Long@botbml.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A bifunctional coiled-coil protein generates the membrane-within-condensate architecture of the CO2-fixing pyrenoid @mjonikas.bsky.social lab www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Do you enjoy the thrill of discovery? Does this photo give you good vibes? Then you might be the right person to join our lab! Current projects range from chloroplast transcription to thylakoid membrane remodeling & we would be happy to welcome bright and motivated people at all career stages!

Pleased to share our preprint on “Loss of PSAE redirects PGRL1 to photosystem I and enhances PGR5-dependent cyclic electron transfer in Arabidopsis” @profmattjohnson.bsky.social @sheffieldpps.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Heterologous expression in E. coli reveals the bicarbonate transporter BicA2 drives carbon uptake in marine Prochlorococcus spp.

Ben Long@botbml.bsky.social · 3mo ago

So pleased to finally share this work on bioRxiv: doi.org/10.64898/202... A huge shoutout to the amazing Dr Loraine Rourke. After 15+ years as a technician in our lab, she completed her PhD with us, and her exceptional technical expertise is all over this work. Very proud of this one.

5′ UTR introns reduce nuclear transgene silencing and enable robust protein expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii www.cell.com/cell-reports...

5′ UTR introns reduce nuclear transgene silencing and enable robust protein expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Nuclear transgene expression in Chlamydomonas is frequently limited by gene silencing. Xing et al. show that intron-containing 5′ UTR regulatory elements can reduce nuclear gene silencing via epigenet...

cell.com

We have an open-rank professorship position open @unileiden.bsky.social Institute of Biology: careers.universiteitleiden.nl/job/Assistan... welcome to apply! due: 7 June

Now published @PNASNews! SAGA1 and SAGA2 localize the starch sheath to the pyrenoid in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

SAGA1 and SAGA2 localize the starch sheath to the pyrenoid in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii | PNAS

Most algae enhance their CO2 assimilation by concentrating CO2 within the pyrenoid, a biomolecular condensate of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco. Man...

pnas.org

Martin Jonikas@mjonikas.bsky.social · 6mo ago

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...

Well deserved @fernway.bsky.social !!

Botanical Society of America@botsocamerica.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This year's #Botany2026 Emerging Leader Lecturer is Dr. Fay-Wei Li of the Boyce Thompson Institute and Cornell University! His innovative research on fern biology, plant evolution, and ancient plant-microbe interactions is not one to miss. Visit www.botanyconference.org to register today!

@hhmi_science's #FreemanHrabowski Scholars Program offers early career faculty up to $10M over 10 yrs, + salary & benefits. Postdocs can apply too. Opens 11/3! www.hhmi.org/programs/fre...

Early Career Faculty Program | Freeman Hrabowski Scholars | HHMI

The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program offers comprehensive support to outstanding early career faculty committed to scientific excellence in their own research, and to fostering labs that expand the ...

hhmi.org