Gautam Dey
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gautamdey.bsky.social
Gautam Dey
@gautamdey.bsky.social
Evolutionary cell biology @EMBL
evonuclab.org
Pinned
Thank you @mollyherring.bsky.social for the stunning showcase 😍

Like what you see? Come ExM with us! Let’s flood the internet with microbial marvels 🦠

#ProtistsOnSky #MicroEvoSky 🧪🔬🌍

@dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @embl.org @erc.europa.eu @embo.org
Reposted by Gautam Dey
One of the biggest questions in biology is how complex cells evolved about 2 billion years ago. Here's my new story on how scientists are solving the mystery of eukaryotes like us. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qMbo22
February 18, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
New paper from my team detailing a greatly expanded genomic database of Asgard archaea revealing of high energy metabolism those related to eukaryotes! Led by @katyappler.bsky.social lots of help from @jameslingford.bsky.social @valdeanda.bsky.social @kassipan.bsky.social doi.org/10.1038/s415...
February 18, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Can randomness drive the evolution of microbiomes? In this paper, a new eco-evolutionary framework shows that environmental fluctuations can trigger host-level selection. Stochastic assembly isn’t noise: it’s the key.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @andreatabi.bsky.social @vmaull.bsky.social
February 18, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
We have an exciting 3-year postdoc position available to study how Salmonella remodels host membrane dynamics.

If you have a background in cell biology and are interested in working on an infection project this could be for you!

Application deadline - 24th February.

www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Research Associate - Godlee Group (Fixed Term)
We are seeking to recruit a postdoctoral Research Associate with a background in cell biology and interest in infection research to join the laboratory of Dr Camilla Godlee in the Department of
www.cam.ac.uk
February 18, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Cellularization flips the switch between multinucleate and multicellular states, and at least in opisthokonts, the group that includes animals and fungi, the toolkit + recipe are conserved.

Another fun Dudin-Dey team-up with many in both labs and EMBL core facilities pitching in
February 17, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
This is of course a #preprint! We'd love to hear comments, questions or remarks — as long as they're constructive! 😊 Help us improve the work.
a man in a suit and tie is saying help help
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is saying help help
media.tenor.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
This 2-module logic: MTs ▶️ positioning, actomyosin ▶️ ingression, shows up in #Drosophila, #chytrids, and now #Spharoforma.
Maybe an ancient principle for how cells fairly divide a multinucleated cells ?

We will be looking at more species.
Next Algae !
a man looking out a window with the words " this is our future " behind him
ALT: a man looking out a window with the words " this is our future " behind him
media.tenor.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
A quick digest :
#Cellularization runs on two separable modules:
🧭 MTs + #MTOCs → spatial patterning (where furrows go)
⚙️ #Actomyosin + membranes→ mechanical ingression (how furrows grow)

Disrupt either one and the process breaks — but in different ways.
February 17, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
At this high resolution, we also caught something new: Using the new #HAK-Actin #UExM probe, we saw that
#Actin accumulates at the furrow base before compartments fully seal ➡️ they're still open at the bottom.

➡️ The #multicellular epithelium-like stage is shorter than we previously proposed.
February 17, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Using #UExM, we could finally see the MT network. Two populations:
Cortical MTs=from MTOCs to the cortex, spacing nuclei evenly
Furrow-tracking MTs=elongating with the ingressing membrane.
February 17, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
We knew from previous work MTs weren't strictly required for #cellularization ! PM furrows still form without them,but things go wrong.
Turns out MTs are essential for spatial fidelity: without them, furrows misdirect, nuclear spacing goes haywire, and dynamics is slower!
February 17, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
A 🆕 #Ichthyosporea story
Led by@margaridaaraujo.bsky.social, in Co. @gautamdey.bsky.social & @hiralshah.bsky.social+🔥team across @embl.org & @sciencesunige.bsky.social
We finally have a look at what #microtubules are doing during #cellularization in #Sphaeroforma
▶️ tinyurl.com/MTSARC
#ProtistsOnSky
February 17, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Our latest preprint: Together with the team of Jan Löwe, @danieltamarit.bsky.social and many others we discovered and characterized several Asgard tubulin genes and propose that microtubule architecture and dynamics evolved in Asgard archaea prior to eukaryogenesis
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 16, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
With @litinice.bsky.social, we built a haploid resource from 33 wild Taiwanese Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains — including some of the most genetically divergent Asian lineages — to bring natural yeast diversity into a genetically tractable framework. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 16, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
All together now 🗣️🗣️ : mitochondrial dynamics are vital *even in plants*! 🗣️🗣️ Fantastic work looking looking at the prime candidate for the mysterious & elusive plant mito fusion factors: MIRO1

The momentum for plant mito dynamics is picking up 💪🏻

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Mitochondrial fusion safeguards stomatal defence in plants - Nature Plants
Plants close their stomata to block pathogen entry, but how this defence is supported at the organelle level remains unclear. Our study reveals that immune signalling promotes MIRO1-dependent mitochon...
www.nature.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Nup42 safeguards heat-induced mRNAs from nuclear condensation tosupport chaperone synthesis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.10.705189v1
February 12, 2026 at 4:16 AM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
How do diatom cells maintain a constant supply of carbon for photosynthesis? Our microelectrode measurements of the phycosphere around individual diatom cells show that diatoms can rapidly switch between distinct carbon acquisition pathways. @thembauk.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
January 14, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
The day is finally here!! On behalf of all the co-organizers the Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes website is open.

comparativegenomics2026.com

Invited speakers will be added to the website in the coming weeks. Watch this (well, that^) space!
CGUE 2026 – Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes 2026. San Feliu, Spain. 5-10 October
comparativegenomics2026.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Check out our latest pre-print of our favourite pets - the breviates. This work was led by Zhezhen Yi in collaboration with @andrewjroger.bsky.social and many others! By studying diverse breviates we were able to see how different metabolic pathways can evolved in response to low-oxygen.
www.biorxiv.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
We have a cover!
Click here for preordering the book: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204909...
November 20, 2024 at 5:05 AM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Applications for our Fellowship Mentorship Programme are open!

The programme supports promising early career researchers to submit fellowship applications and move towards research independence. Find out more ⬇️
https://bit.ly/BioIRF
February 9, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Why did consciousness evolve at all? A superb special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org brings together experts across disciplines to explore the functions of consciousness and why it emerged in some species but not others. @tecumsehfitch.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...
February 8, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
This is a beautiful case of how real science happens & serious scientists work. Kudos to both set of authors: “This has been a humbling experience, but one that speaks to the self-correcting nature of the scientific endeavor.” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
RETRACTED: Integrative phylogenomics positions sponges at the root of the animal tree
Determining whether sponges or ctenophores root the animal tree has important implications for understanding early animal evolution. Here, we examined support for these competing hypotheses by constru...
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
2nd postdoc job alert in the Crick Institute in London. Project will examine the role of motors & the cytoskeleton (actin, septins and microtubules) during vaccinia virus egress using biochemical, structural & cellular approaches + live cell imaging. spread the word.
crick.ac.uk/WayPostdoc20...
Postdoctoral Fellow - Cellular signalling and cytoskeletal function lab
crick.ac.uk
February 6, 2026 at 8:29 AM
Reposted by Gautam Dey
Apply now! The 2026 call for the EMBO Young Investigator Programme is now open with a deadline of 1 April 12:00 midday CEST. 🧪

More info here:
https://www.embo.org/funding/fellowships-grants-and-career-support/young-investigator-programme/
#LifeSciences #research #funding
February 2, 2026 at 9:15 AM