A bionformatic study by @tonigabaldon.bsky.social and his colleagues revealed that eukaryotes are genetically "assembled" not from two, but from four ancestors. One of them is a "bacterium with a cell nucleus" 🧪🦠🧬💻 How did it help our cells become complex? oxylipins.substack.com/p/two-additi...
Two additional ancestors have been proposed for eukaryotes
Along Asdard archaea and alphaproteobacteria, myxobacteria and planctomycetes turned out to contribute
oxylipins.substack.com
𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Led by @tonigabaldon.bsky.social(#IRBBarcelona-@bsc-cns.bsky.social), the study has been published in BMC Genomic Data, with the collaboration of @cnag-eu.bsky.social. ➡️ https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-026-01455-1 @gabaldonlab.bsky.social
Why do some #bacteria #evolve #antibiotic resistance more readily than others? This study shows that naturally occurring single nucleotide polymorphisms in the PhoQP system change how readily E. coli evolves trimethoprim resistance and which mutations enable it. 🧪 #AcademicSky plos.io/4qCDXQM
🗣️ @tonigabaldon.bsky.social: "Se sabía que la estructura del ADN era una capa más en la regulación de los genes, pero lo han llevado a un nivel de detalle [...], que supone un cambio de fase en cuanto a la resolución de la información sobre el genoma". 📰 @elpais.com ➡️
Un nuevo mapa del genoma humano revela una dimensión clave para comprender la vida
Una gran investigación muestra cómo la organización física del ADN controla la actividad de los genes y moldea la identidad de las células
shorturl.at
🧬 What if eukaryogenesis involved more than 1 major microbial partnership? New work by @tonigabaldon.bsky.social and colleagues reveals diverse gene ancestries behind LECA, pointing to multiple waves of gene transfer — and a potential role for giant viruses. rdcu.be/fANh2 #ProtistsOnSky #Eukaryotes
Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis
Nature - Phylogenomic reconstruction of the proteome of the last eukaryotic common ancestor sheds light on the origin of eukaryotes, indicating an important role of horizontal transfer of genes...
rdcu.be
🧬 What if eukaryogenesis involved more than one major microbial partnership? New work by @tonigabaldon.bsky.social and colleagues reveals diverse gene ancestries behind LECA, pointing to multiple waves of gene transfer — and a potential role for giant viruses. #Eukaryotes #ProtistsOnSky
Toni Gabaldón@tonigabaldon.bsky.social · 4mo agoOur paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#Archaea Gene duplications, rather than horizontal gene transfers from bacteria, seem to be the primary drivers behind the increased genome sizes in Asgard archaea #evolution #microbes @tonigabaldon.bsky.social @microbiobits.bsky.social
Phylogenomics of Asgard archaea reveals a unique blend of prokaryotic-like horizontal transfer and eukaryotic-like gene duplication - Nature Communications
The genomes of Asgard archaea, the closest prokaryotic relatives to eukaryotes, are larger than those of other archaea and contain multiple genes seemingly acquired from bacteria. Here, Manzano-Morales and Gabaldón quantify gene duplication, loss, and transfer events in Asgard genomes, showing that gene duplications, rather than horizontal gene transfers, are the primary drivers behind the increased genome sizes.
dlvr.it
#Archaea Gene duplications, rather than horizontal gene transfers from bacteria, seem to be the primary drivers behind the increased genome sizes in Asgard archaea #evolution #microbes @tonigabaldon.bsky.social @microbiobits.bsky.social
Phylogenomics of Asgard archaea reveals a unique blend of prokaryotic-like horizontal transfer and eukaryotic-like gene duplication - Nature Communications
The genomes of Asgard archaea, the closest prokaryotic relatives to eukaryotes, are larger than those of other archaea and contain multiple genes seemingly acquired from bacteria. Here, Manzano-Morales and Gabaldón quantify gene duplication, loss, and transfer events in Asgard genomes, showing that gene duplications, rather than horizontal gene transfers, are the primary drivers behind the increased genome sizes.
dlvr.it
If you are an excellent postdoctoral researcher passionate about microbe genome evolution and are interested in any research line in my group there is a #Postdoc opening in my group at BSC via AuSpire! Apply to BSC-PF1 by 7 Sept 2026: 👇 auspire.eu/research-team/bsc-pf1-call-3/
Our paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
🦠 How did our cells originate? A study by @gabaldonlab.bsky.social at @irbbarcelona.org & @bsc-cns.bsky.social suggests cellular complexity emerged gradually over millions of years, rather than from a single evolutionary event. 📝 Published in @nature.com #BISTCommunity 👉 bist.eu/a-study-by-i...
Very proud of Islam, who performed part of her thesis with us at @irbbarcelona.org . Has been a pleasure to attend the defence, and has been my first chance to visit Morocco.
Comparative genomics group IRB-BSC Barcelona (PI: Toni Gabaldón)@gabaldonlab.bsky.social · 4mo agoCongratulations to our new Doctor, Islam Ahaik who obtained her PhD today at the Faculty o Sciences in Tetouan.
Congratulations to our new Doctor, Islam Ahaik who obtained her PhD today at the Faculty o Sciences in Tetouan.
Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis Fantastic paper from @microbiobits.bsky.social @tonigabaldon.bsky.social and colleagues. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis - Nature
Phylogenomic reconstruction of the proteome of the last eukaryotic common ancestor sheds light on the origin of eukaryotes, indicating an important role of horizontal transfer of genes from diverse ba...
nature.com
This theoretical approach (previously in this @pnas.org s.org paper by @nigelgoldenfeld.bsky.social and Carl Woese www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...) seems consistent with the recent work by @tonigabaldon.bsky.social on the complex paths towards the emergence of LUCA.
I si l'origen de les nostres cèl·lules no és com ens pensàvem? 🦠🤔 Un estudi liderat pel #RecercaireICREA @tonigabaldon.bsky.social (@irbbarcelona.org @bsc-cns.bsky.social) ha descrit el rol de bacteris i virus gegants en l’origen de les cèl·lules complexes. 👇🏼 www.lavanguardia.com/ciencia/2026...
Descubren cómo se formó la célula de la que descienden todos los animales y plantas
Científicos de Barcelona revelan un episodio clave de la evolución de la vida en la Tierra ocurrido hace 2.000 millones de años
lavanguardia.com
How did complex cells emerge? In this groundbreaking paper, @tonigabaldon.bsky.social & co show that eukaryotes arose through multiple waves of ancient genetic exchange involving diverse bacteria (& giant viruses!) revealing a far more complex origin than we imagined. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Y si la aparición d las células eucariotas no hubiera sido tan sencilla como pensábamos? Gran trabajo @tonigabaldon.bsky.social 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🥂🍾 www.expansion.com/directivos/e...
Científicos españoles describen un intrincado puzzle genético microbiano que originó la vida celular compleja
El origen y el proceso por el que surgieron las células eucariotas es aún una de las grandes preguntas de la biología desde que Lynn Margulis* propusiera que la mitocondria...
expansion.com
Funny to get quoted on a pun about the origin of eukaryotes being a bit of a promiscuous relationship in the 🇪🇸 press, but glad to help communicate @tonigabaldon.bsky.social & his team's fatnastic work, which highlights the importance of giant viruses 👾 in eukaryotic origins @nature.com. Congrats!
Patricia Ruiz Guevara@patriciaenverde.bsky.social · 4mo ago¿De dónde venimos? El gran salto evolutivo del que surgieron las células complejas que nos conforman es un enigma. Un estudio de @irbbarcelona.org y @bsc-cns.bsky.social revela que hay más actores implicados de los que pensábamos El 'ménage à trois' celular 👉 www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/c...
www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/c...
Un 'ménage à trois' celular: un equipo español revoluciona lo que sabíamos del origen de la vida
El gran salto evolutivo por el que surgieron las células complejas que nos conforman sigue siendo un enigma. Una nueva investigación con el supercomputador de Barcelona revela que hay más actores implicados de los que pensábamos
elconfidencial.com
🦠Un estudio español en @Nature replantea el origen de nuestras células como una historia de alianzas microbianas 🗨️Alex de Mendoza: "El proceso de formación de los eucariotas no fue una relación monógama de dos organismos, sino más tipo ménage à trois" sciencemediacentre.es/un-estudio-e...
"Thus, the prokaryotic-to-eukaryotic transition was probably a gradual and complex process, with a constant flow of HGT from diverse sources." #SymbioSky
Toni Gabaldón@tonigabaldon.bsky.social · 4mo agoOur paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
🦠Los restos de Ötzi, el ‘hombre de hielo’, albergan microorganismos modernos y antiguos 🗨️ Toni Gabaldón: "Los microbios, incluidas las levaduras, se abren camino en ambientes tan extremos como las temperaturas por debajo de 0" sciencemediacentre.es/los-restos-d...
Fantastic paper. Esp challenging the typical binary process of genesis or transition. Just as the first cells as we know them were possibly survivors of multitudes of attempts that did not survive to evolve. The origin of cellular life was not simple; neither was evolution to multiple cell types.
Toni Gabaldón@tonigabaldon.bsky.social · 4mo agoOur paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
The origin of complex cells may have been far messier than we thought!
Toni Gabaldón@tonigabaldon.bsky.social · 4mo agoOur paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
"Entender el origen de la vida nos ayuda a explicar el mundo en que vivimos, incluida nuestra propia existencia", dice @tonigabaldon.bsky.social, autor principal del estudio. También impulsa otras investigaciones y abre la puerta a "posibilidades que no imaginamos". Los superordenadores ayudan 💻 🦠👇🏼
Un 'ménage à trois' celular: un equipo español revoluciona lo que sabíamos del origen de la vida
El gran salto evolutivo por el que surgieron las células complejas que nos conforman sigue siendo un enigma. Una nueva investigación con el supercomputador de Barcelona revela que hay más actores implicados de los que pensábamos
elconfidencial.com
Una investigación fundamental sobre el origen y evolución de la vida. La investigación básica - apoyada en la supercomputacion- entra en temas que parecería imposibles abordar hace unos años. Bravo por Toni y su grupo!!
No wonder it’s complicated to understand immune responses. We are part bacteria part virus too, more than we thought! Congrats superToni and Gabaldón lab
Toni Gabaldón@tonigabaldon.bsky.social · 4mo agoOur paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
