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Posts by Marko Kaksonen

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See the intricate worlds of parasites and algae — March’s best science images The month’s sharpest science shots, selected by Nature’s photo team.

Our ExM Atlas of eukaryotes is moving along with more and more images coming in - some featured in nature last month!
Culture we’re provided by @ccapoban.bsky.social & Julius Lukeš during visits last year

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

12 hours ago 49 21 4 3

1/13 🧵
‼️Preprint alert.
Are you interested in synthetic protein binders? Do you need to generate them?
I present to you IARA: a fast, slim ML model that tells you which protein surfaces are good for binder design.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

4 days ago 11 5 2 1
Evolutionary landscape of endomembrane systems. On top are two possible endomembrane systems, represented as directed graphs (pER: proto-endoplasmic reticulum; PM: plasma membrane; IC: intracellular compartment). In the layer below, endomembrane graphs are represented as nodes (white dots) connected by evolutionarily viable transitions (red lines). Collectively these dots and lines define an evolutionary landscape. The landscape breaks up into less functional (left) and more functional (right) endomembrane systems, introducing a selective bias.

Evolutionary landscape of endomembrane systems. On top are two possible endomembrane systems, represented as directed graphs (pER: proto-endoplasmic reticulum; PM: plasma membrane; IC: intracellular compartment). In the layer below, endomembrane graphs are represented as nodes (white dots) connected by evolutionarily viable transitions (red lines). Collectively these dots and lines define an evolutionary landscape. The landscape breaks up into less functional (left) and more functional (right) endomembrane systems, introducing a selective bias.

How did eukaryotic cells get their Golgi, endosomes, lysosomes and other endomembrane compartments? We show that endomembrane evolution depends on long periods of neutral molecular exploration, punctuated by sudden leaps.

New preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

6 days ago 47 24 1 5
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Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes - The EMBO Journal As the tree of life becomes increasingly accessible to molecular investigations, describing mechanisms underlying evolutionary convergence and constraint will be crucial to understanding diversificati...

So pleased to share that this project identifying convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation in a poorly characterized genus of yeasts (Saturnispora) is now out in @embojournal.org

@hittingerlab.bsky.social @rokaslab.bsky.social @glbioenergy.bsky.social

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

1 week ago 21 9 1 0
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Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes
@hittingerlab.bsky.social , @linder-surprise.bsky.social et al show how distinct genetic routes can converge on the same genetic outcome
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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Polarization as a Process: The Potential of Process Ontology for Understanding Cellular Symmetry Breaking Process ontology proposes that biological systems are best understood as composed of dynamic processes rather than static components. However, application to concrete research practice has remained c...

Our paper is out m in BioEssays! We explore how a process-based view of biology, focusing on dynamic interactions rather than individual molecules, can reshape how we think about cell polarity, opening up new questions and ways of doing cell biology.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

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Beautiful EM image but check that perfect clathrin-coated pit photobombing the shot...😂

1 month ago 34 5 1 0
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Class-I myosin responds to changes in membrane tension during clathrin-mediated endocytosis in human induced pluripotent stem cells | PNAS Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is an essential cellular process that needs to operate efficiently across a wide range of conditions. Internali...

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

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scanning electron micrograph image of the surface of an oocyte in the process of internalizing yolk precursors, with the classical “pits” labeled

scanning electron micrograph image of the surface of an oocyte in the process of internalizing yolk precursors, with the classical “pits” labeled

A very cool bug fact I just learned: the first published description of the process later defined as “clathrin-mediated endocytosis” – lets cells uptake large molecules; exploited by viruses – was yolk precursor internalization by maturing Aedes aegypti oocytes! 🦟 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14126875/

2 months ago 26 10 1 0
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📢Job alert📢

@uniheidelberg.bsky.social has an opening for a full W3-position on “Modeling of Biological Processes” 😀👍 Here is the call

tinyurl.com/3w9e9dtf

and application deadline is March 15. The group would be located at the beautiful #BioQuant center right in the middle of Neuenheimer Feld.

2 months ago 32 28 0 1
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Please share🙏:

Our lab opens 2 PhD positions to investigate fungi's evolution: #Barcelona

Wet lab in Biochemistry/Structural Biology of cryo-tolerant fungi
www.upf.edu/documents/d/...

Computational in Physical Chemistry of cellular processes under extrem environments
www.upf.edu/documents/d/...

2 months ago 20 20 0 3
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Continuum architecture dynamics of vesicle tethering in exocytosis Data from complementary imaging techniques were integrated into a model that resolves the dynamic exocyst ensemble and membrane architecture during exocytosis, an essential cellular pathway. Sec18 med...

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🥳 our #exocyst paper out in @cp-cell.bsky.social, led by Marta, Sebas & @sasmeek.bsky.social in collab with @jonasries.bsky.social, @cmanzo.bsky.social & Castaño-Díez labs #Quantitative_Cell_Biology

Continuum architecture dynamics of vesicle tethering in exocytosis
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

3 months ago 56 29 6 5
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a woman says " would you like to join us " with her eyes closed ALT: a woman says " would you like to join us " with her eyes closed

📢 Open faculty position – Origins of Life
We have an opening in our section at the University of Geneva! 🧬🚀

SPREAD THE WORD

Apply here: jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_porta...

3 months ago 45 39 1 1
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We are excited to share our new preprint which is now available to read on biorXiv: doi.org/10.64898/202... 🎉🎉🎉

3 months ago 119 37 2 6
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New preprint from the lab 🎉: γ-tubulin is a novel target of the tubulin autoregulation pathway! Previously thought to exclusively target α- and β-tubulin mRNAs, we show that the TTC5–SCAPER–CNOT11 axis also degrades γ-tubulin mRNA, expanding the scope of this fundamental regulatory mechanism.

3 months ago 34 14 2 0
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My lab in the NIH Intramural Program (Bethesda, MD) will be recruiting postdoctoral fellows over the next year with flexible start dates. We work on nanoscale cellular imaging of the plasma membrane and related organelles. Please reach out if you’re interested. www.training.nih.gov/jobs/pdp-053...

3 months ago 59 44 1 3
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Evolutionary cell biology comes of age Summary: This Perspective discusses how the discipline of evolutionary cell biology, by integrating evolutionary theory, comparative physiology and modern molecular approaches, works to understand how...

Thanks @jcellsci.bsky.social for this opportunity to contribute to your centenary collection with our take on the state of the field - 10 years after its modern reincarnation 🧪🌍

W/ @alebenoit.bsky.social @eelcotromer.bsky.social @fritzlaylin.bsky.social

journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...

4 months ago 82 33 0 5
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Calling all archaeal enthusiasts! 🔬🔥 From molecular machines to microbial communities, Archaea never fail to surprise us!
We are excited to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on the Molecular Biology of Archaea, 6–10 July in Cambridge, UK!
Sign up here: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc...
#ArchaeaSky

4 months ago 42 27 2 1
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🗞️ New preprint from the lab, led by our postdoc Ana Garoña (not on here) in collab with @andreagiometto.bsky.social: “Experimental evolution of cellular miniaturization reveals a mechanism for cell size evolution”, aka: “honey, we shrank the yeasts!” 🎥
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

4 months ago 70 24 2 3
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Congrats Saravanan!!

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An 8-nm precise map in live cells, which revealed #actin aster formation by #myosin V-driven transport of #formin.

Happy to see this work now out! 😃

In collaboration with @kaksonen.bsky.social lab

#yeast #pombe #cell_fusion

@biology-unige.bsky.social

4 months ago 44 16 2 1

Awesome animation about the molecular complexity of endocytosis!

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Check out Javi’s discovery of a membrane scission mechanism that is a few billion years old!

4 months ago 12 2 0 0
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How do new centromeres evolve while staying compatible with the division machinery?

Discover it in our new Nature paper! We show centromeres transition gradually via a mix of drift, selection, and sex, reaching new states that still work with the kinetochore.

👉 doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09779-1

4 months ago 185 84 8 8

So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵

4 months ago 496 165 16 32
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Rapid aging and disassembly of actin filaments from two evolutionary distant yeasts Actin is an essential cytoskeletal protein that is extremely well conserved across the tree of life. Similarities and differences in the way actin from different species self-assembles into filaments ...

interesting work revealing differences between evolutionary distant actins!

"..... ADP-actin filaments depolymerize faster and are mechanically more flexible in Saccharomyces cerevisiae compared to Schizosaccharomyces pombe. "

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

4 months ago 9 4 0 0
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Myosin 2 drives actin contractility in fast-crawling species outside of the amorphean lineage Myosin 2-dependent actin contractility—the force that powers cell division and migration in animals, fungi, and other Amorphea—had been previously unknown outside this single eukaryotic group. Guest e...

Our work on Naegleria Myosin 2 is out!

Naegleria encodes 3 Myo2s which contract its actin network—the first evidence of contractile Myo2 outside of Amorphea.
Myo2 is actually widespread in Naegleria's relatives and correlates with fast cell crawling.

Read more: www.cell.com/current-biol...

5 months ago 42 20 2 1
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This Halloween, we have a spooky evolutionary story for you.
The brainchild of @delaconcepcionjc.bsky.social, Nick Irwin and our fantastic collaborators is now out in @natplants.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here’s why I love this work — and why I think you’ll enjoy it too. 👇

5 months ago 88 43 6 1
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🚨Our collaboration with @centriolelab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social is out today in @cp-cell.bsky.social
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

5 months ago 214 98 15 11
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Now Christopher Toret is talking about collective invasion organisations in eukaryotic multicellular transitions. #Multicellverse

6 months ago 3 1 0 0