Vasily Zlatogursky
@zlatogursky.bsky.social
Protistology whatever it means. Views are mine
Pinned
Promethea = PROvora + MEteora + HEmimastigophora. The new supergroup, unifying previously “orphan” lineages with gene-rich mitogenomes. Position of #telonemids is still uncertain. #protistsonsky tinyurl.com/yk9xkt49
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
The Romantic Discovery of Radiolaria in the Ocean
#microbiology #Radiolaria #protists #MicroSky
doi.org/10.1111/jeu....
#microbiology #Radiolaria #protists #MicroSky
doi.org/10.1111/jeu....
February 1, 2026 at 7:12 PM
The Romantic Discovery of Radiolaria in the Ocean
#microbiology #Radiolaria #protists #MicroSky
doi.org/10.1111/jeu....
#microbiology #Radiolaria #protists #MicroSky
doi.org/10.1111/jeu....
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
January 28, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Cilia alert! Stoked to have the new paper from Juyeon Hong about a new domain at the extreme distal tip of motile cilia! (The EDT, y'all!) It's out now @natcomms.nature.com.
Check it out!
#cilia
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check it out!
#cilia
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A protein complex in the extreme distal tip of vertebrate motile cilia controls their organization, length, and function - Nature Communications
Here they combine in vivo imaging with proteomics to characterize a protein complex comprised of Ccdc78 and Ccdc33 that acts at the extreme distal tip of 9 + 2 motile cilia to control tip architecture...
www.nature.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:23 AM
Cilia alert! Stoked to have the new paper from Juyeon Hong about a new domain at the extreme distal tip of motile cilia! (The EDT, y'all!) It's out now @natcomms.nature.com.
Check it out!
#cilia
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check it out!
#cilia
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
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/...
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/...
www.upf.edu
January 26, 2026 at 11:53 AM
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/...
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/...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
January 23, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
🐟🐚🦪🦐🦀
Seeking candidates for a PhD/postdoc opportunity via IMPACT+ program in protistology+aquaculture in Halifax.
For more info, contact me by Feb 5th or see:
slamo.biochem.dal.ca/call-for-app...
#aquaculture #microsky #marinelife #protistsonsky #microalgae #protists
Seeking candidates for a PhD/postdoc opportunity via IMPACT+ program in protistology+aquaculture in Halifax.
For more info, contact me by Feb 5th or see:
slamo.biochem.dal.ca/call-for-app...
#aquaculture #microsky #marinelife #protistsonsky #microalgae #protists
Call for Applications: PhD and Postdoctoral Scholarships – Slamovits Lab at Dalhousie University
slamo.biochem.dal.ca
January 23, 2026 at 6:12 PM
🐟🐚🦪🦐🦀
Seeking candidates for a PhD/postdoc opportunity via IMPACT+ program in protistology+aquaculture in Halifax.
For more info, contact me by Feb 5th or see:
slamo.biochem.dal.ca/call-for-app...
#aquaculture #microsky #marinelife #protistsonsky #microalgae #protists
Seeking candidates for a PhD/postdoc opportunity via IMPACT+ program in protistology+aquaculture in Halifax.
For more info, contact me by Feb 5th or see:
slamo.biochem.dal.ca/call-for-app...
#aquaculture #microsky #marinelife #protistsonsky #microalgae #protists
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Eukan: a fully automated nuclear genome annotation pipeline for less studied and divergent eukaryotes academic.oup.com/nargab/artic... #protists
January 23, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Eukan: a fully automated nuclear genome annotation pipeline for less studied and divergent eukaryotes academic.oup.com/nargab/artic... #protists
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
The symbiont-harboring trypanosomatid Angomonas deanei is Parasite of the Month. 🙂
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
January 17, 2026 at 7:59 AM
The symbiont-harboring trypanosomatid Angomonas deanei is Parasite of the Month. 🙂
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Isadonna Tengganu and Ke Hu develop transfection and ExM protocols for Chromera velia, enabling direct comparisons with its parasitic apicomplexan relative, Toxoplasma gondi.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
January 13, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Isadonna Tengganu and Ke Hu develop transfection and ExM protocols for Chromera velia, enabling direct comparisons with its parasitic apicomplexan relative, Toxoplasma gondi.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
If you're interested in biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems, there's just a few days to apply for our PhD project: Ecological Surveillance using High-Throughput Quantitative Imaging at @uniofbath.bsky.social .
Deadline: January 16th!
Apply: is.gd/svXBcr
Image: www.planktoscope.org/how-it-works
Deadline: January 16th!
Apply: is.gd/svXBcr
Image: www.planktoscope.org/how-it-works
January 13, 2026 at 2:07 PM
If you're interested in biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems, there's just a few days to apply for our PhD project: Ecological Surveillance using High-Throughput Quantitative Imaging at @uniofbath.bsky.social .
Deadline: January 16th!
Apply: is.gd/svXBcr
Image: www.planktoscope.org/how-it-works
Deadline: January 16th!
Apply: is.gd/svXBcr
Image: www.planktoscope.org/how-it-works
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
How a parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last phys.org/news/2026-01...
Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Protists #Microbes #Parasites #Giardia #Evolution
Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Protists #Microbes #Parasites #Giardia #Evolution
January 8, 2026 at 7:55 AM
How a parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last phys.org/news/2026-01...
Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Protists #Microbes #Parasites #Giardia #Evolution
Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Protists #Microbes #Parasites #Giardia #Evolution
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Really happy with our first expanded Paulinella picture! 😁
#ExM: @fburki.bsky.social
Confocal microscopy: @annewalraven.bsky.social
#ExM: @fburki.bsky.social
Confocal microscopy: @annewalraven.bsky.social
An attempt at expanding a "naked" heterotrophic Paulinella culture. Unfortunately our antibodies did not work, but still pretty cool. Until next try... #protistsonsky
January 8, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Really happy with our first expanded Paulinella picture! 😁
#ExM: @fburki.bsky.social
Confocal microscopy: @annewalraven.bsky.social
#ExM: @fburki.bsky.social
Confocal microscopy: @annewalraven.bsky.social
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Thought I would share an SEM image of a Meringosphaera I picked at Klubban (West Coast of Sweden) for my first post on Bluesky :) #protistsonsky
January 8, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Thought I would share an SEM image of a Meringosphaera I picked at Klubban (West Coast of Sweden) for my first post on Bluesky :) #protistsonsky
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Shelled #amoeba crawls like an octopus, shifting tactics on the go phys.org/news/2026-01...
Statistical and mechanical analysis of multi-pseudopodial locomotion in a testate amoeba, #Arcella sp. www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/pjab...
#Protists #Microbes #Amoebae
Statistical and mechanical analysis of multi-pseudopodial locomotion in a testate amoeba, #Arcella sp. www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/pjab...
#Protists #Microbes #Amoebae
January 7, 2026 at 7:26 AM
Shelled #amoeba crawls like an octopus, shifting tactics on the go phys.org/news/2026-01...
Statistical and mechanical analysis of multi-pseudopodial locomotion in a testate amoeba, #Arcella sp. www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/pjab...
#Protists #Microbes #Amoebae
Statistical and mechanical analysis of multi-pseudopodial locomotion in a testate amoeba, #Arcella sp. www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/pjab...
#Protists #Microbes #Amoebae
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
A free, open-access library of high-quality organism illustrations for science communication
A free, open-access library of high-quality organism illustrations for science communication
We create vector graphics of model organisms and emerging biological research organisms to enhance our publications. We’re sharing these editable graphics under a CC0 license for other scientists to...
doi.org
December 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
A free, open-access library of high-quality organism illustrations for science communication
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
It was speculated that there's some degree of DNA exchange between algae & sea slug to create the "support system" for the chloroplasts, but in at least one species, that appears not to be the case.
Changes in the expression of the sea slug genes were sufficient to support the kleptoplasty.
Changes in the expression of the sea slug genes were sufficient to support the kleptoplasty.
Chloroplast acquisition without the gene transfer in kleptoplastic sea slugs, Plakobranchus ocellatus
The newly opened genome of a kleptoplastic mollusk, Plakobranchus ocellatus, indicated that sequestered plastids retain their activity within the animal cell without horizontal algal gene transfer to ...
elifesciences.org
December 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM
It was speculated that there's some degree of DNA exchange between algae & sea slug to create the "support system" for the chloroplasts, but in at least one species, that appears not to be the case.
Changes in the expression of the sea slug genes were sufficient to support the kleptoplasty.
Changes in the expression of the sea slug genes were sufficient to support the kleptoplasty.
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Finally, we’ve solved a long-standing mystery: what tintinnid shells are actually made of:
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
December 27, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Finally, we’ve solved a long-standing mystery: what tintinnid shells are actually made of:
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
End-of-year preprint dump! A collaboration with @messorensen.bsky.social and German and Korean colleagues: "The phylogenetic context for the origin of a unique purple-green photosymbiosis "
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
December 23, 2025 at 2:51 PM
End-of-year preprint dump! A collaboration with @messorensen.bsky.social and German and Korean colleagues: "The phylogenetic context for the origin of a unique purple-green photosymbiosis "
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
🚨 Surprise podcast episode alert! 🚨
This week on Tiny Living Beings, I interviewed @oliverio.bsky.social and @hbrappap.bsky.social who led the discovery of the ‘fire amoeba’, that can reproduce at the highest temperature ever recorded for a eukaryote! 🌋 #protistsonsky
This week on Tiny Living Beings, I interviewed @oliverio.bsky.social and @hbrappap.bsky.social who led the discovery of the ‘fire amoeba’, that can reproduce at the highest temperature ever recorded for a eukaryote! 🌋 #protistsonsky
Introducing the Fire Amoeba
open.spotify.com
December 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM
🚨 Surprise podcast episode alert! 🚨
This week on Tiny Living Beings, I interviewed @oliverio.bsky.social and @hbrappap.bsky.social who led the discovery of the ‘fire amoeba’, that can reproduce at the highest temperature ever recorded for a eukaryote! 🌋 #protistsonsky
This week on Tiny Living Beings, I interviewed @oliverio.bsky.social and @hbrappap.bsky.social who led the discovery of the ‘fire amoeba’, that can reproduce at the highest temperature ever recorded for a eukaryote! 🌋 #protistsonsky
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Amazing several millimeters diameter single* celled acantharian. It is huge.
*presumably it is multi-nucleated and has hundreds of symbionts, but still! Way bigger than the ones I see locally. Only one set of spikes!
*presumably it is multi-nucleated and has hundreds of symbionts, but still! Way bigger than the ones I see locally. Only one set of spikes!
This is what I’m really here for :) These are the radiolarians we have been finding. Chock full of photosynthetic symbionts in a very interesting pattern- but no idea on the species. Doing some oxygen experiments and will sequence! #oceanography #zooplankton #christmasatsea ❤️🌊 #microsky
December 23, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Amazing several millimeters diameter single* celled acantharian. It is huge.
*presumably it is multi-nucleated and has hundreds of symbionts, but still! Way bigger than the ones I see locally. Only one set of spikes!
*presumably it is multi-nucleated and has hundreds of symbionts, but still! Way bigger than the ones I see locally. Only one set of spikes!
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Just on time for the holidays! Happy to share the published version of the discovery of leptophytes, a new deep-branching and widespread group of microalgae based on plastid MAGs (ptMAGs). Now with additional support from a mitochondrial MAG (mtMAG) of leptophytes.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Identification of a deep-branching lineage of algae using environmental plastid genomes - Nature Communications
Here, the authors leverage data from the Tara Oceans expeditions to perform a phylogeny-guided plastid genome-resolved metagenomic survey and provide 660 non-redundant plastid genomes from marine alga...
www.nature.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Just on time for the holidays! Happy to share the published version of the discovery of leptophytes, a new deep-branching and widespread group of microalgae based on plastid MAGs (ptMAGs). Now with additional support from a mitochondrial MAG (mtMAG) of leptophytes.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Everything you always wanted to know about... Aphelids.. but were afraid to ask.🦠🔬🧬?🍄?
Are you very busy but still want to learn what Aphelids are and why they are important to understand the evolution of Fungi?
Then check out our “Quick guide” on Aphelids published in collaboration with @deemteam.bsky.social, Sergey and Guifré. #protistsonsky
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Then check out our “Quick guide” on Aphelids published in collaboration with @deemteam.bsky.social, Sergey and Guifré. #protistsonsky
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
December 16, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Everything you always wanted to know about... Aphelids.. but were afraid to ask.🦠🔬🧬?🍄?
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
New preprint out! Using ~75k environmental OTUs + 77 fossil calibrations, we reconstructed a Proterozoic timeline of eukaryote evolution. Our results show crown eukaryotes were already diversifying >1.6 Ga, long before the first undisputed fossils (~1.05 Ga).
🔗 DOI: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🔗 DOI: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
December 15, 2025 at 8:19 AM
New preprint out! Using ~75k environmental OTUs + 77 fossil calibrations, we reconstructed a Proterozoic timeline of eukaryote evolution. Our results show crown eukaryotes were already diversifying >1.6 Ga, long before the first undisputed fossils (~1.05 Ga).
🔗 DOI: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🔗 DOI: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
#Diplonemids are among the most diverse & abundant #protists in the deep #ocean. This study localises >5,000 proteins of #Paradiplonema papillatum, revealing #organelle compartmentalisation, including a membrane coated with carbohydrate-degrading enzymes @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3XvmpIO
December 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
#Diplonemids are among the most diverse & abundant #protists in the deep #ocean. This study localises >5,000 proteins of #Paradiplonema papillatum, revealing #organelle compartmentalisation, including a membrane coated with carbohydrate-degrading enzymes @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3XvmpIO
Reposted by Vasily Zlatogursky
Had a great time interviewing Dr. Lilach Sheiner (@sheinerlab.bsky.social) for the latest edition of ISOP’s Protistology Newsletter. Check it out here! #ProtistsOnSky #Toxoplasma #Science
ISOP member spotlight Lilach Sheiner
YouTube video by Protistologists
youtu.be
December 4, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Had a great time interviewing Dr. Lilach Sheiner (@sheinerlab.bsky.social) for the latest edition of ISOP’s Protistology Newsletter. Check it out here! #ProtistsOnSky #Toxoplasma #Science