Vikram Alva
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vikramalva.bsky.social
Vikram Alva
@vikramalva.bsky.social
480 followers 890 following 16 posts
Departmental Group Leader - Protein Bioinformatics @ Max Planck Institute for Biology - Tübingen @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social

Protein evolution // MPI Bioinformatics Toolkit // prokaryotic cell-surface proteins // prokaryotic histones
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vikramalva.bsky.social
Vikram Alva @vikramalva.bsky.social · Dec 13
Happy to share that our work on HLp, a bacterial histone from Leptospira perolatii, is now published in Nature Communications 🎉

In this study, we show that HLp forms stable tetramers that wrap ~60 bp of DNA, revealing a distinct histone–DNA organization in bacteria.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Vikram Alva
vinceconticello.bsky.social
New manuscript alert. Turns out that calcium ion coordination may be a more common mechanism than we initially expected to trigger polymerization of extracellular filaments. @mikesleutel.bsky.social @vikramalva.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
From fibril to framework: P. abyssi AbpX illuminates a calcium-responsive family of microbial biomatrix proteins that form thermostable hydrogels
Evolutionary pressure on microbial communities propagating under extreme environmental conditions often results in unique structural adaptations to promote cell survival. Here, we report an investigat...
www.biorxiv.org
January 5, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
ankarn.bsky.social
Excited to be at #SMBE2026 in Copenhagen! Don’t miss Symposium #17: “Unicellular organisms in major evolutionary transitions.” Registration is now open!

#protistsonsky
December 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
multicellgenome.bsky.social
📝 Abstract deadline: Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026.
Let’s fill #SMBE2026 with #protistsonSky love!
January 1, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
multicellgenome.bsky.social
The real drama of life happened "backstage" in the unicellular world. 🎭🧬 #protistsonSky
Our postdoc Vika Shabardina is co-organizing this symposium with Annia (@ankarn.bsky.social). Two brilliant minds leading the evocell way!
Plus, a talk by @vikramalva.bsky.social. 👇
January 1, 2026 at 10:45 AM
vikramalva.bsky.social
Happy to share that our work on HLp, a bacterial histone from Leptospira perolatii, is now published in Nature Communications 🎉

In this study, we show that HLp forms stable tetramers that wrap ~60 bp of DNA, revealing a distinct histone–DNA organization in bacteria.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 13, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
official-smbe.bsky.social
Organisers
- Victoria Shabardina | @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social
- @ankarn.bsky.social | University of Warsaw

Invited Speaker
- @vikramalva.bsky.social | @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
SMBE2026 Symposium 17 | Unicellular organisms in major evolutionary transitions Organisers - Victoria Shabardina — Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain (Female) - Anna Karnkowska — Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland (Female) Invited Speaker - Vikram Alva — Max Planck Institute of Biology, Tuebingen, Germany (Male)
December 12, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
official-smbe.bsky.social
SMBE2026 Symposium 17 | Unicellular organisms in major evolutionary transitions

📨 Abstract submission
smbe2026.org/abstracts

📋 Programme details
smbe2026.org/programme

#SMBE2026
SMBE2026 Symposium 17 | Unicellular organisms in major evolutionary transitions
December 12, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
kjamali.bsky.social
I’m excited to announce that I will be starting my research group on computational enzyme design at the Generative Biology Institute, Oxford, UK (@eitoxford.bsky.social)! PhD applications are open, deadline is Jan 8th (www.chem.ox.ac.uk/genbio-dtp). Email kiarash.jamali@eit.org with any questions!
GenBio DTP
Optional supporting text
www.chem.ox.ac.uk
December 9, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
samuelschwab.bsky.social
Ending my PhD with a bang:
Face-to-face histones are important organizers of archaeal chromatin alongside classical histones.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
December 8, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
dodonova-sveta.bsky.social
Thank you, Daniela, @danielabarilla.bsky.social, for a wonderful commentary! 🤗🤗 More spotlight on the Asgards and their chromatin! ❤️ #archaea #chromatin
November 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
tbharat-lab.bsky.social
Also see the associated primer video on S-layers made by the @mrclmb.bsky.social Visual Aids department Konstantinos Alexandrou and Shraddha Nayak!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgSf...
Introduction to microbial surface layers (S-layers)
YouTube video by MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:14 PM
vikramalva.bsky.social
Pleased to share our review on S-layers with @bupbuse.bsky.social, Andriko von Kügelgen, and @tbharat-lab.bsky.social, where we explore recent advances and argue that deeper insight into S-layers is key to deciphering microbial interactions and community organization. @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
buzzbaum.bsky.social
We have wondered what a complex archaeal cell might look like ever since 2014. It’s been a long road (and the journey is far from over), but it’s a good time to pause for breath and look. These Asgard archaeal cells are a surprise! And that is the joy of being a cell biologist.
November 7, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
tbharat-lab.bsky.social
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments

Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
amunts.bsky.social
What a gem from @dudinlab.bsky.social @gautamdey.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social in Cell! Expansion microscopy atlas of >200 eukaryotes comparing cytoskeletal architectures revealing structures not seen before. Stunning visualisation! Exactly the kind of transformative cell biology we need.
October 31, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
dudinlab.bsky.social
🚨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...
October 31, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
Fruit flies are more than pests! Humans share 60% of their genome with them. @luisapallares.bsky.social busts myths about how these tiny creatures can tell us about human diseases. Watch Luisa's full video here: www.fml.tuebingen.mpg.de/71433/videos #BiologyMyths #Drosophila #Genomics
October 22, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
fabaiwu.bsky.social
Glad to share our paper out today @NatureEcoEvo: “Serial innovations by Asgard archaea shaped the DNA replication machinery of the early eukaryotic ancestor”. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #microsky #archaeasky
Serial innovations by Asgard archaea shaped the DNA replication machinery of the early eukaryotic ancestor - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Phylogenetic and biochemical analyses show a diversity of components of the DNA replication machinery in different Asgard archaea that contributed to the eukaryotic DNA replication machinery.
www.nature.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:06 PM
vikramalva.bsky.social
Our Pyrodictium cannulae paper is out in its final form! Cannulae assemble into calcium-stabilized tubular filaments stable at 100 °C—a unique archaeal cell–cell connection. Led brilliantly by @mikesleutel.bsky.social & @vinceconticello.bsky.social.

www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64120-8
October 14, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
archaellum.bsky.social
Look at this nice cover: beautiful archaella, image made by @sshamphavi.bsky.social !

Thanks also to Marta Rodeiguez for keeping the EM im shape in @ottlab.bsky.social lab!

At @biologyunifreiburg.bsky.social at @uni-freiburg.de @sfb1381.bsky.social @cibss.bsky.social
natmicrobiol.nature.com Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · Oct 1
Some keen Observations in Our October issue!

🦠 Cancer microbiome
🌊 Marine microbes in warming oceans
🌐 broad-range phages
🧬 genetically minimised Salmonella
🔧 Viral infection mechanisms
🧪 Oxaloacetate antiviral defence

and more, here: www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/v...
October 2, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
ericadinatale.bsky.social
So happy to see my first first-author paper published! 🎈
A short thread on how Ectocarpus and its TE secrets have kept me busy lately:

rdcu.be/eITQH
Characterization of the transposable element landscape shaping the Ectocarpus genome | Genome Biology
rdcu.be
October 1, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
cellarchlab.com
EXCITING NEWS!! We're searching for a new professor colleague at the Biozentrum🇨🇭. Ideal candidates are exploring novel biological questions with structure, biophysics, or high-resolution imaging. 🧪 🧶🧬 🔬

The call closes Nov 3. Please get in touch if you would like more information. Come join us! 👩‍🔬🤓
September 30, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
selimlab.bsky.social
New Insights Into Bacterial Motility and DNA Transfer:
a small press on our discovery of ComFB signaling family by @claussenarne.bsky.social @hhu.de

www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
w/ @mygalperin.bsky.social @thethormannden.bsky.social
@cmfi.bsky.social @mibinet.bsky.social @sfb1381.bsky.social
September 29, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Vikram Alva
arnausebe.bsky.social
Registration deadline for @embo.org workshop EvoChromo extended until September 30.

meetings.embo.org/event/24-evo...
September 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM