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 · 21d
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
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
Reposted by Vikram Alva
mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
Busting myths with @jweir.bsky.social. Did you know you don't inherit exactly 1/4 of your DNA from each grandparent? Or that fertility issues can affect young people, too? Find out more: www.fml.tuebingen.mpg.de/71433/videos #BiologyMyths
September 24, 2025 at 9:15 AM