David A. Russo
bluegreendr.bsky.social
David A. Russo
@bluegreendr.bsky.social
Postdoc @ Uni Jena, cyanobacteria aficionado, passion for everything secreted #cyanobacteria #proteins #metabolites
Website: https://darusso.de/
Pinned
Very proud to share the latest development on our (w/ @synbiojazz.bsky.social) mission to bring fast and accessible methods to cyanobacterial proteomics.

Major highlight: 85% Synechococcus proteome coverage in a single shotgun experiment.

Out now in Plant Physiology!

doi.org/10.1093/plph...
Library-free data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry enables comprehensive coverage of the cyanobacterial proteome
Single-pot solid phase-enhanced sample preparation (SP3) and trifluoroacetic acid workflows open the door to high-throughput quantitative proteomics in cya
doi.org
Reposted by David A. Russo
New paper alert! We used our fav technique, genetic suppression, to understand how FimX controls function of the T4P PilB motor ATPase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Great collab with the Ellison lab at U Georgia who helped with some fancy microscopy to capture pilus dynamics! doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Twitching motility suppressors reveal a role for FimX in type IV pilus extension dynamics
Author summary Type IV pili enable Pseudomonas aeruginosa to attach to surfaces, move (twitch), and form biofilms. Pilus extension is powered by the motor protein PilB, which is regulated by other fac...
doi.org
October 13, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Happy to share as my first Bluesky post: Our newest paper describing a beautiful example of surprizing evolutionary innovation: Control of flagellar gene expression by a chemotaxis receptor-like regulator in pathogenic Escherichia coli | The EMBO Journal www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Control of flagellar gene expression by a chemotaxis receptor-like regulator in pathogenic Escherichia coli | The EMBO Journal
imageimageChemotaxis receptors typically mediate biased movement of motile bacteria in environmental gradients by controlling rotation of the flagellar motor. This study identifies a chemotaxis recept...
www.embopress.org
October 14, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Reposted by David A. Russo
„RAPDOR: Using Jensen-Shannon Distance for the computational analysis of complex proteomics dataset“ rdcu.be/eImcr : 11 authors from 3 labs. Many thanks to all for making this possible!
RAPDOR: Using Jensen-Shannon Distance for the computational analysis of complex proteomics datasets
Nature Communications - RNA-binding proteins play key roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Here, Hemm et al. developed RAPDOR, a widely applicable tool based on Jensen-Shannon Distance...
rdcu.be
September 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Very proud to share the latest development on our (w/ @synbiojazz.bsky.social) mission to bring fast and accessible methods to cyanobacterial proteomics.

Major highlight: 85% Synechococcus proteome coverage in a single shotgun experiment.

Out now in Plant Physiology!

doi.org/10.1093/plph...
Library-free data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry enables comprehensive coverage of the cyanobacterial proteome
Single-pot solid phase-enhanced sample preparation (SP3) and trifluoroacetic acid workflows open the door to high-throughput quantitative proteomics in cya
doi.org
September 19, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
So happy to see this publication finally out! Congratulations and
thank you to all the authors!

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Mutations in the circadian cycle drive adaptive plasticity in cyanobacteria | PNAS
Circadian clocks allow organisms to anticipate daily fluctuations in light and temperature, but how this anticipatory role promotes adaptation to d...
www.pnas.org
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Genomes of nitrogen-fixing eukaryotes reveal an alternate path for organellogenesis www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... #jcampubs 🌊
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
August 13, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Our new paper on the aroma of #Spirulina is out now in IJMS! A #sensomics approach to find out what makes it smell so unique. Congrats to Katerina Paraskevopoulou, M. Steinhaus, and V. Mall! A great collab between LSB at TUM and NCSR Demokritos. @mdpiopenaccess.bsky.social
doi.org/10.3390/ijms...
July 16, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Things have been pretty busy in Jena. One of our recent stories to see the light of day was the production of Astaxanthin (and other ketocarotenoids) in cyanobacteria.

Great collab with @synbiojazz.bsky.social!

#teamgreen #cyanobacteria

academic.oup.com/sumbio/artic...
Testing eukaryotic routes for heterologous production of ketocarotenoids in cyanobacteria
Abstract. Pigments and dyes are widely used in multiple industries. Ketocarotenoids are a highly sought-after group of pigments with a dark-red hue and str
academic.oup.com
July 10, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
The cyanobacterial circadian clock www.nature.com/articles/s44...
The cyanobacterial circadian clock - npj Biological Timing and Sleep
npj Biological Timing and Sleep - The cyanobacterial circadian clock
www.nature.com
July 7, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Beyond movement: the dynamic roles of Type IV pili in cyanobacterial life | Journal of Bacteriology journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Beyond movement: the dynamic roles of Type IV pili in cyanobacterial life | Journal of Bacteriology
The advent of oxygenic photosynthesis by ancient cyanobacteria approximately 2.4 billion years ago profoundly transformed Earth’s landscape. Today, cyanobacteria inhabit a vast array of aquatic habita...
journals.asm.org
July 7, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Reposted by David A. Russo
RNA-binding proteins and photosynthesis: The RRM domain–containing protein Rbp3 interacts with ribosomes and the 3’ ends of mRNAs encoding photosynthesis proteins | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
June 26, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Happy to announce that our work on #biofilm formation by the #cyanobacterium Anabaena is available in New Phytologist.
Towards the control of biofilm formation in Anabaena (Nostoc) sp. PCC7120: novel insights into the genes involved and their regulation. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Towards the control of biofilm formation in Anabaena (Nostoc) sp. PCC7120: novel insights into the genes involved and their regulation
Cyanobacteria are major components of biofilms in light-exposed environments, contributing to nutrient cycling, nitrogen fixation and global biogeochemical processes. Although nitrogen-fixing cyanob.....
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
June 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by David A. Russo
📅New #PlantSciEvents Event Added: The 11th International Symposium on Inorganic Carbon Utilization by Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms (CCM11)

👉 buff.ly/jWqcD6B \

#PlantScience
The 11th International Symposium on Inorganic Carbon Utilization by Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms (CCM11)
Wed 20 Aug - Fri 22 [EDT]: 11th International Symposium on Inorganic Carbon Utilization by Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms (CCM11) will take place at the University of York on August 20-22 later…
buff.ly
June 6, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by David A. Russo
I'm excited to start my independent research group on Bioelectricity in Plant Sciences at the University of Turku, Finland, with an Emerging Investigator grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. I will open funded positions in Autumn 2025 to join from Spring 2026. Please email if you see a match.
June 3, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
That's a fancy video. I was certainly surprised to see the Very Important Protein in Plants discovered in a tropical jungle🌴😅. It's pure marketing ofc (The Krios: Now in Black), but I do like the messaging about discovering the molecular world all around us-- including plants and cyanobacteria🧪🧶🧬🔬🌾🌊
April 3, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
My first post on BlueSky and I am happy it's this dx.doi.org/10.1039/D5GC... our paper on Whole-cell catalysis in the Cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. PC 11901
Gram-scale production of 4-vinyl guaiacol in the fast-growing phototrophic cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 11901
Whole-cell catalysis in cyanobacteria allows the transformation of light energy into chemical energy by co-factor recycling and in situ production of oxygen by photosynthesis, requiring only light, CO...
dx.doi.org
May 6, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Very special feelings to announce this one... A project that started like 10 years ago is reaching the finish line, ready to shine. In a dream-team with @beckmannlab.bsky.social we solved the long-chased structure of the active membrane protein insertase SecYEG-YidC
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Substrate-induced assembly and functional mechanism of the bacterial membrane protein insertase SecYEG-YidC
The universally conserved Sec translocon and the YidC/Oxa1-type insertases mediate biogenesis of alpha-helical membrane proteins, but the molecular basis of their cooperation has remained disputed over decades. A recent discovery of a multi-subunit insertase in eukaryotes has raised the question about the architecture of the putative bacterial ortholog SecYEG-YidC and its functional mechanism. Here, we combine cryogenic electron microscopy with cell-free protein synthesis in nanodiscs to visualize biogenesis of the polytopic membrane protein NuoK, the subunit K of NADH-quinone oxidoreductase, that requires both SecYEG and YidC for insertion. We demonstrate that YidC is recruited to the back of the translocon at the late stage of the substrate insertion, in resemblance to the eukaryotic system, and in vivo experiments indicate that the complex assembly is vital for the cells. The nascent chain does not utilize the lateral gate of SecYEG, but enters the lipid membrane at the SecYE-YidC interface, with YidC being the primary insertase. SecYEG-YidC complex promotes folding of the nascent helices at the interface prior their insertion, so the examined cellular pathway follows the fundamental thermodynamic principles of membrane protein folding. Our data provide the first detailed insight on the elusive insertase machinery in the physiologically relevant environment, highlight the importance of the nascent chain for its assembly, and prove the evolutionary conservation of the gate-independent insertion route. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, https://ror.org/018mejw64, Ke1879/3, 267205415 (CRC 1208) European Research Council, https://ror.org/0472cxd90, CRYOTRANSLATION
www.biorxiv.org
May 27, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Which flow rate is most suitable for MS-based #proteomics and #chemoproteomics?

We have been thinking about this for a long time (nanoLC, capLC, µLC). According to a new @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social by the @kusterlab.bsky.social, it seems like all options work very well. www.biorxiv.org/cont...
High-performance proteomics at any chromatographic flow rate
Current applications of mass spectrometry-based proteomics range from single cell to body fluid analysis that come with very different demands regarding sensitivity or sample throughput. Additionally, the vast molecular complexity of proteomes and the massive dynamic range of protein concentrations in these biological systems require very high-performance chromatographic separations in tandem with the high speed and sensitivity afforded by mass spectrometer. In this study, we focussed on the chromatographic angle and, more specifically, systematically evaluated proteome analysis performance across a wide range of chromatographic flow rates (0.3 – 50 μL/min) and associated column diameters using a Vanquish Neo UHPLC coupled online to a Q Exactive HF-X mass spectrometer. Serial dilutions of HeLa cell line digests were used for benchmarking and total analysis time from injection-to-injection was intentionally fixed at 60 minutes (24 samples per day). The three key messages of the study are that i) all chromatographic flow rates are suitable for high-quality proteome analysis, ii) capLC (1.5 μL/min) is a very robust, sensitive and quantitative alternative to nanoLC for many applications and iii) showcased proteome, phosphoproteome and drug proteome data provide sound empirical guidance for laboratories in selecting appropriate chromatographic flow rates and column diameters for their specific application. ### Competing Interest Statement R.Z. and C.P. are employees of Thermo Fisher Scientific. BK is a non-operational co-founder and shareholder of MSAID. The other authors declare no competing interests. * ABBREVIATIONS : ACN : Acetonitrile CAA : Chloroacetamide capLC : Capillary Liquid Chromatography CSF : Cerebrospinal Fluid CV : Coefficient of Variation DDA : Data-dependent Acquisition DIA : Data-Independent Acquisition DMSO : Dimethyl Sulfoxide DTT : Dithiothreitol EC50 : Effective Concentration to Reduce 50% of Protein Binding to Kinobeads FBS : Fetal Bovine Serum fmol : Femtomole FDR : False Discovery Rate FWHM : Full Width at Half Maximum HeLa : Human Cervical Carcinoma Cell Line HLB : Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance HPLC : High-Performance Liquid Chromatography i.d. : Internal Diameter Kdapp : Apparent Dissociation Constant LC : Liquid Chromatography LC-MS/MS : Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry µg : Microgram min : Minute µL : Microliter µLC : Microflow Liquid Chromatography mm : Milimeter mM : Milimolar MS : Mass Spectrometry ng : Nanogram nL : Nanoliter nLC : Nanoflow Liquid Chromatography nM : Nanomolar PSM : Peptide-spectrum Match RT : Retention Time SPD : Samples per Day SWATH-MS : Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra TFA : Trifluoroacetic Acid Å : Angstrom
www.biorxiv.org
April 22, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Come join us as a postdoc! We have an open position in biochemistry of cyanobacterial CO2 fixation focusing on regulation of carboxysome function! Please help me spread the word and welcome to apply! www.blikstadlab.org/open-positio...
Open positions
Postdoctoral scholar in biochemistry of cyanobacterial CO 2 fixation The Blikstad research group is searching for a postdoc to study fundamental principles of CO 2 fixation in cyanobacteria. Our...
www.blikstadlab.org
April 16, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Reposted by David A. Russo
Shout-out to @pierredupuy.bsky.social and colleagues!
Excited to share our latest study, where we uncovered a previously unknown bacterial defense system in M. #tuberculosis: effluxosomes — dynamic membrane clusters that coordinate resistance to multiple toxic metals.
shorturl.at/Ek0HD
#MicroSky
March 27, 2025 at 6:09 AM
A story of cyanobacterial symbiosis with a twist! Take a look at our recent paper to learn more about the unexpected relationship of Nostoc and Agrobacterium #cyanobacteria #symbiosis #proteomics
March 11, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Proud to be a part of this work. If you want to improve the expression and activity of your favourite P450 check this out!
Happy to join BlueSky with new work on improving heterologous P450s in Synechocystis. Efficient thylakoid targeting makes a big difference: higher protein amounts and up to 18x more product using a fusion protein engineering approach. #lightdrivencatalysis #teamgreen
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Thylakoid Targeting Improves Stability of a Cytochrome P450 in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Plants produce a large array of natural products of biotechnological interest. In many cases, these compounds are naturally produced at low titers and involve complex biosynthetic pathways, which often include cytochrome P450 enzymes. P450s are known to be difficult to express in traditional heterotrophic chassis. However, cyanobacteria have shown promise as a sustainable alternative for the heterologous expression of P450s and light-driven product biosynthesis. In this study, we explore strategies for improving plant P450 stability and membrane insertion in cyanobacteria. The widely used model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was chosen as the host, and the well-studied P450 CYP79A1 from the dhurrin pathway of Sorghum bicolor was chosen as the model enzyme. Combinations of the P450 fused with individual elements (e.g., signal peptide, transmembrane domain) or the full length cyanobacterial, thylakoid-localized, protein PetC1 were designed. All generated CYP79A1 variants led to oxime production. Our data show that strains producing CYP79A1 variants with elements of PetC1 improved thylakoid targeting. In addition, chlorophyll-normalized oxime levels increased, on average, up to 18 times compared to the unmodified CYP79A1. These findings offer promising strategies to improve heterologous P450 expression in cyanobacteria and can ultimately contribute to advancing light-driven biocatalysis in cyanobacterial chassis.
pubs.acs.org
March 6, 2025 at 4:11 PM