Alex Bisson
@archaeon-alex.bsky.social
🇧🇷🇺🇸Evolutionary Cell Mechanobiology of Archaea. Assistant Professor at Brandeis University. Standing tall on the shoulders of tiny (salty) bugs.
bissonlab.com
bissonlab.com
Same!
But I do like your style better tbh. I'm too clumsy to draw on real paper.
But I do like your style better tbh. I'm too clumsy to draw on real paper.
October 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Same!
But I do like your style better tbh. I'm too clumsy to draw on real paper.
But I do like your style better tbh. I'm too clumsy to draw on real paper.
What it has become a classic review published every ~5y, Polschroder (UPenn) and Schulze (RIT) summarize the Mol-Cell Bio technical advances for Haloferax volcanii , the "E. coli" of the archaeal models. Proud of our community progress given the genome was published only 15y ago!
asm.social/2qE
asm.social/2qE
May 26, 2025 at 4:54 PM
What it has become a classic review published every ~5y, Polschroder (UPenn) and Schulze (RIT) summarize the Mol-Cell Bio technical advances for Haloferax volcanii , the "E. coli" of the archaeal models. Proud of our community progress given the genome was published only 15y ago!
asm.social/2qE
asm.social/2qE
well, that's what you get by trying to download all metadata from ScienceDirect. Now my IP is blocked there 🫣
May 13, 2025 at 1:05 AM
well, that's what you get by trying to download all metadata from ScienceDirect. Now my IP is blocked there 🫣
Well well well…
On top of everything, we have to play the game “Will my $10k quote come out as $10k or $20k?”
On top of everything, we have to play the game “Will my $10k quote come out as $10k or $20k?”
May 6, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Well well well…
On top of everything, we have to play the game “Will my $10k quote come out as $10k or $20k?”
On top of everything, we have to play the game “Will my $10k quote come out as $10k or $20k?”
Apart of the sad week, I want to celebrate my quick but inspiring trip to UIUC, home of Archaea. I was gifted the nicest thing I ever owned: a set square that belonged to Ralph Wolfe, pioneer of methanogenic Archaea (Wolfe Cycle).
TY, Abigail Finn and Chemical Biology Fellows. You're fantastic!
TY, Abigail Finn and Chemical Biology Fellows. You're fantastic!
April 30, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Apart of the sad week, I want to celebrate my quick but inspiring trip to UIUC, home of Archaea. I was gifted the nicest thing I ever owned: a set square that belonged to Ralph Wolfe, pioneer of methanogenic Archaea (Wolfe Cycle).
TY, Abigail Finn and Chemical Biology Fellows. You're fantastic!
TY, Abigail Finn and Chemical Biology Fellows. You're fantastic!
Off topic - dang that's sick seg projections. How did you make those?
April 28, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Off topic - dang that's sick seg projections. How did you make those?
big week training image datasets in uSAM. We could be growing Haloferax in the GPU. The fear is real
April 9, 2025 at 8:43 PM
big week training image datasets in uSAM. We could be growing Haloferax in the GPU. The fear is real
I am dying to find some time this week to write a piece/thread about what this story means to me personally - and some stuff that did NOT make to the paper.
But this press release is great! Thank you, Bea Lucas, for writing it! And the sourdough analogy emerges...
But this press release is great! Thank you, Bea Lucas, for writing it! And the sourdough analogy emerges...
April 9, 2025 at 1:14 PM
I am dying to find some time this week to write a piece/thread about what this story means to me personally - and some stuff that did NOT make to the paper.
But this press release is great! Thank you, Bea Lucas, for writing it! And the sourdough analogy emerges...
But this press release is great! Thank you, Bea Lucas, for writing it! And the sourdough analogy emerges...
I love the ideas from Helen Hansma (UCSB) (web.physics.ucsb.edu/~hhansma/) on the origins of life from mica plate compressions:
April 5, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I love the ideas from Helen Hansma (UCSB) (web.physics.ucsb.edu/~hhansma/) on the origins of life from mica plate compressions:
@evapillai.bsky.social, thank you for your amazing piece and illustrations. I simply love the sentence on how much is still to be discovered in model orgs. Everyone has a different set of eyes!
And Olivia had the soufflé analogy (but with loaf bread) for years in the lab.
And Olivia had the soufflé analogy (but with loaf bread) for years in the lab.
April 5, 2025 at 10:13 AM
@evapillai.bsky.social, thank you for your amazing piece and illustrations. I simply love the sentence on how much is still to be discovered in model orgs. Everyone has a different set of eyes!
And Olivia had the soufflé analogy (but with loaf bread) for years in the lab.
And Olivia had the soufflé analogy (but with loaf bread) for years in the lab.
My guess is exactly the same: "plug" structures can be modulated to allow comm between cells. This has been seen in cyanobac, fungi and even in Bacillus!
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic...
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic...
April 5, 2025 at 10:03 AM
My guess is exactly the same: "plug" structures can be modulated to allow comm between cells. This has been seen in cyanobac, fungi and even in Bacillus!
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic...
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic...
Yes, but what I mean is if the authors have the chance to read this assessment (not reviews) before deciding to publish
March 22, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Yes, but what I mean is if the authors have the chance to read this assessment (not reviews) before deciding to publish
The first PhD out of the Bisson Lab. Very proud of Dr. Leland. She takes home her saber to prove she won the science war! And got a free lesson on how to saber-open a champagne bottle!
March 19, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The first PhD out of the Bisson Lab. Very proud of Dr. Leland. She takes home her saber to prove she won the science war! And got a free lesson on how to saber-open a champagne bottle!
when your children ask you to take them to six flags during holidays
December 26, 2024 at 8:28 PM
when your children ask you to take them to six flags during holidays
45 days, 500 generations. Our first experimental evolution experiment using @atinygreencell.bsky.social chemistats. Crazy amount of spent media during the process.
December 7, 2024 at 4:29 PM
45 days, 500 generations. Our first experimental evolution experiment using @atinygreencell.bsky.social chemistats. Crazy amount of spent media during the process.
Ok, time to investigate pink contamination coming up in a few mixture of water, bleach and detergent.
November 27, 2024 at 2:41 PM
Ok, time to investigate pink contamination coming up in a few mixture of water, bleach and detergent.
We propose a model with HalAB playing their role in specific morphogenesis stages. HalB could connect the membrane to the S-layer by interacting/remodeling the lattice at neg- curvatures in the D(isk) phase, while HalA prevents highly pos+ curvatures in the R(od)
January 23, 2024 at 5:19 PM
We propose a model with HalAB playing their role in specific morphogenesis stages. HalB could connect the membrane to the S-layer by interacting/remodeling the lattice at neg- curvatures in the D(isk) phase, while HalA prevents highly pos+ curvatures in the R(od)
We came back to our first evidence: cell shape defects are linked to =/= cell types. Perhaps halofilins play a role during shape transitions. Tracking cells shapeshifs showed that mutants put up with A LOT of damage during transitions.
January 23, 2024 at 5:19 PM
We came back to our first evidence: cell shape defects are linked to =/= cell types. Perhaps halofilins play a role during shape transitions. Tracking cells shapeshifs showed that mutants put up with A LOT of damage during transitions.
However, cell shape is only mildly affected during cytokinesis events, and misplacing of cell division position alone cannot explain the defects. Nor cell elongation/growth
January 23, 2024 at 5:18 PM
However, cell shape is only mildly affected during cytokinesis events, and misplacing of cell division position alone cannot explain the defects. Nor cell elongation/growth
But none of that tells us what halofilins do. So we speculated if shape defects could be linked to cell division. The answer is…complicated. Mutants show decondensation of the cytokinetic ring, but it's not clear if the defects are pleiotropic
January 23, 2024 at 5:17 PM
But none of that tells us what halofilins do. So we speculated if shape defects could be linked to cell division. The answer is…complicated. Mutants show decondensation of the cytokinetic ring, but it's not clear if the defects are pleiotropic
We then showed that HalAB have preference for specific curvature. Despite their apparent lack of co-localization, they populate similar sub-cellular locales, with HalA in posit+ curvatures at the inner cytoplasmic membrane and HalB at negat- curvatures on the outer leaf
January 23, 2024 at 5:17 PM
We then showed that HalAB have preference for specific curvature. Despite their apparent lack of co-localization, they populate similar sub-cellular locales, with HalA in posit+ curvatures at the inner cytoplasmic membrane and HalB at negat- curvatures on the outer leaf
bactofilins are required for spiral shape in bacteria. So we measured membrane curvatures, and ΔhalA accumulated extreme positive curvatures in rods, while ΔhalB disk cells are flatter. So HalAB not only works in different cell types but also have non-redundant roles
January 23, 2024 at 5:17 PM
bactofilins are required for spiral shape in bacteria. So we measured membrane curvatures, and ΔhalA accumulated extreme positive curvatures in rods, while ΔhalB disk cells are flatter. So HalAB not only works in different cell types but also have non-redundant roles
So we did what we do best: looked at the mutants under the microscope. And rods were misshapen in the ΔhalA and ΔhalAB but not in ΔhalB. However, disks were compromised in the ΔhalB and ΔhalAB. So halA and halB are negative-dominant in different cell types
January 23, 2024 at 5:16 PM
So we did what we do best: looked at the mutants under the microscope. And rods were misshapen in the ΔhalA and ΔhalAB but not in ΔhalB. However, disks were compromised in the ΔhalB and ΔhalAB. So halA and halB are negative-dominant in different cell types