Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Javier Espadas

@javierespadas.bsky.social

560 followers 680 following 18 posts

EMBO postdoc in @RouxLab.bsky.social, exploring the mechanics of membrane remodeling and its evolutionary implications. Skiing, climbing, and running in my free time

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Javier Espadas @javierespadas.bsky.social · Feb 11

Extremely happy to see our work finally out!🎉 Great collaboration between @rouxlab.bsky.social @buzzbaum.bsky.social labs and a real pleasure to work and share co-first authorship with incredible scientists and friends @diorgeps.bsky.social @sami-c.bsky.social. Big thanks to the rest of the authors!

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology @mrclmb.bsky.social · Feb 11

New research on ancient Asgard archaeal ESCRT-III proteins reveals evolutionary secrets of membrane remodelling.
Diorge Souza, Javier Espadas and Sami Chaaban, investigated the ESCRT-III proteins with Buzz Baum and Aurelien Roux.
Read more: www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/asgard-archa...
#LMBResearch (1/2)

Evolution, structure and membrane remodelling function of the ESCRT-III superfamily in eukaryotes and their closest relatives Asgard archaea. The two subfamilies, B-type and A-type, have distinct structural properties to perform sequential steps of the membrane remodelling pathway.

8 26

Reposted by Javier Espadas

André Nadler @nadlerlab.bsky.social · 1h

Lipid imaging on the cover of @nature.com! Great times for lipid cell biology indeed. And a fantastic recognition of all the hard work by the team, especially Juan M. Iglesias-Artola and Kristin Böhlig (who made the cover). Link to article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

1 14 40

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Tom Williams @tweethinking.bsky.social · 1h

There's a PhD position now available with me in Bath, on the evolution of symbiosis. www.findaphd.com/phds/project.... The supervisory team also includes @anja1.bsky.social @phil-donoghue.bsky.social and others. NB, this is open both to UK-based students *and* to international students :)

The genomic basis of symbiotic integration at University of Bath on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - The genomic basis of symbiotic integration at University of Bath, listed on FindAPhD.com

www.findaphd.com

4 4

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Juanma García-Arcos @juanmagararc.bsky.social · 3d

🚨 New preprint out!
“Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM” with Tithi Mandal and @rouxlab.bsky.social
We benchmark and describe step-by-step Flipper-TR FLIM measurements across different set-ups and and strategies.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM

Flipper-TR is a membrane dye sensitive to lipid packing widely used to probe membrane tension in live cells via fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). However, no consensus currently exists ...

www.biorxiv.org

1 11 33

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Jan-Willem Veening @veeninglab.com · 5d

Finally out, such an awesome piece of work, very proud of this one: www.cell.com/cell-systems... #MicroSky

2 27 61

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Markku Hakala @mhakala.bsky.social · 9d

I have a PhD student and an undergrad student positions open at the Institute of Biotechnology @helsinki.fi We are using reconstitution, cell and structural biology to study protein-membrane interactions and membrane microdomain formation. Links to calls below! Feel free to drop a message and share!

2 6 10

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Markku Hakala @mhakala.bsky.social · 9d

PhD student position: jobs.helsinki.fi/job-invite/4...

Doctoral Researcher, group Hakala

jobs.helsinki.fi

1 2 3

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Markku Hakala @mhakala.bsky.social · 9d

Undergraduate/internship/master's thesis position: jobs.helsinki.fi/job-invite/4...

Research Assistant or Master Thesis worker, group Hakala

jobs.helsinki.fi

2 3

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Thibaut Brunet @thibautbrunet.bsky.social · 29d

New short paper from our lab @currentbiology.bsky.social, in which we discover of a new mode of cell motility for choanoflagellates: flagellar gliding. www.cell.com/current-biol... - A 🧵

Flagellar gliding in choanoflagellates

Freire-Delgado and Brunet discover a new mode of cell motility in choanoflagellates, the closest relatives of animals. Under mild confinement, choanoflagellate move over surfaces without cell deformat...

www.cell.com

7 86 210

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Stephan Gruber @gruberlab.bsky.social · Sep 5

Our Wadjet-II paper by @roisnehamelinf.bsky.social is out in polished form: www.cell.com/structure/fu...

With a great preview by @kevincorbett.bsky.social & @amardeeep.bsky.social highlighting the potential of Wadjets:

Wadjet—Keeping a watchful eye on circular DNA.

www.cell.com/structure/fu...

1 19 48

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · Jul 31

confession: I often get excited by n=1 results.

6 4 67

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Claire Dessalles @clairedessalles.bsky.social · Jul 17

Our study on endothelial mechanics made the news! 🤩

Super nice and clear article on our findings and their implications.
www.snexplores.org/article/how-...

Here’s why your blood vessels don’t burst under pressure

Cells lining the blood vessels reorganize their inner structures to handle stressful boosts in pressure.

www.snexplores.org

3 11 31

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Martin Loose @nartimsoole.bsky.social · Jul 2

One of the most exciting discoveries from our lab so far is now online as a preprint!

Read a story on how the ParMR and Min systems started to collaborate to create the CorMR cytoskeleton, which now controls cell shape in multicellular cyanobacteria:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Evolutionary repurposing of a DNA segregation machinery into a cytoskeletal system controlling cyanobacterial cell shape

Bacteria, despite their diversity, use conserved cytoskeletal systems for their intracellular organization. In unicellular bacteria, the ParMRC DNA partitioning apparatus is well known for forming act...

www.biorxiv.org

2 36 83

Javier Espadas @javierespadas.bsky.social · Jul 10

Nice one!! 👏🏼

Marko Kaksonen @kaksonen.bsky.social · Jul 10

How does evolution shape ancient cellular processes? Our new paper uncovers the mosaic evolution of conserved and diverging endocytic traits in fungi!

www.cell.com/current-biol...

Mosaic evolution of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in fungi

Picco et al. take an evolutionary approach to study clathrin-mediated endocytosis in a fungal clade and discover that the process is evolving in a mosaic fashion. The early phase of endocytosis has sh...

www.cell.com

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Miguel Gómez-Raya @miguelgrv.bsky.social · Jul 1

Elated to have our pre-print now published in @natcomms.nature.com #ArchaeaSky #Microbiology #MEvoSky
rdcu.be/euila
Our main results stay the same: S. islandicus follows a cell cycle akin to that of some eukaryotes, like the budding yeast, with cellular processes cycling similarly.
old🧵cited below👇

1 17 30

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Marko Kaksonen @kaksonen.bsky.social · Jun 24

How do cells switch on the actin assembly at endocytic sites? How can this on-switch evolve? Check out our new preprint!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Localization of WDS proteins and fimbrin in three fungal species.

2 33 62

Javier Espadas @javierespadas.bsky.social · Jun 29

This is great Felix!!!
Really happy for you!👏🏼🎉

Felix Campelo @felixmendu.bsky.social · Jun 28

After almost ten years at @icfo.eu, I’m excited to share that next month I’ll join the Medicine and Life Sciences department at @upf.edu as a Group Leader in Quantitative Biology, in Barcelona’s @prbb.org, the largest biomedical research hub in Southern Europe! (1/3)

Photograph of the PRBB building in Barcelona, where the MELIS-UPF research department is located.

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Ben Engel @cellarchlab.com · Jun 27

The @embo.org ESCRT meeting was packed with membrane remodeling from every branch of the tree of life🌳. Some awesome science 🧪 highlights in the next posts 🧵. But a first impression… the venue!! Wow, Caux castle up a cogwheel train, overlooking Lac Léman! Perfect! 🌄 Thank you @rouxlab.bsky.social 🤗

1 7 39

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Juan Martin Serrano @juanmartin-serrano.bsky.social · Jun 27

What a fantastic ESCRT meeting, the field is going strong and full of exciting science. Many thanks to @rouxlab.bsky.social @cellarchlab.com @jujumathieu.bsky.social @magromayor.bsky.social @majarad.bsky.social for organising such a a great event

7 17

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Felix Campelo @felixmendu.bsky.social · Jun 23

The #MembraneTrafficking online seminars are back this Thursday (June 26th, 5pm CEST). We'll hear from @jnuechel.bsky.social about how to find the right partner for a TANGO, and from Maohan Su about the organizational principles of the Golgi. @ishier.bsky.social @franbottanelli.bsky.social

MEMBRANE TRAFFICKING | Membrane Trafficking

felixcampelo.wixsite.com

1 14 16

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Markku Hakala @mhakala.bsky.social · Jun 22

I'm grateful for the Research Council of Finland for granting me the Academy Research fellowship! After getting over the shock I will soon move back to Finland to start as a group leader at the Institute of Biotechnology @helsinki.fi. Looking for a PhD student soon! www.aka.fi/en/about-us/...

RCF winter call results: funding decisions in biosciences, health and environmental research

The Research Council of Finland’s Scientific Council for Biosciences, Health and the Environment has granted funding for 38 Academy Research Fellowships, 12 Clinical Researchers and 76 Academy P...

www.aka.fi

9 9 40

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Felix Campelo @felixmendu.bsky.social · Jun 4

#MembraneTrafficking seminars are back on June 26th at 5pm CEST! Our one and only summer gig feature an early secretory pathway lineup: @jnuechel.bsky.social TANGOing at the ER, and Maohan Su from ‪@yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social on Golgi organization by 3D super-res!

Membrane trafficking calendar for summer 2025

1 9 12

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Thomas Lecuit @thomaslecuit.bsky.social · Jun 2

This was a truly exciting talk from Aurelien Roux @rouxlab.bsky.social from Univ. Geneva 👏👏. From his landmark work on membranes to tissues now, the continuing theme is the role of geometry, topology and curvature in morphogenesis. Thanks for visiting us 🤩

CENTURI - Turing Centre for Living Systems @centuri-ls.bsky.social · Jun 2

Aurélien Roux, from Université de Genève, is now holding his CENTURI Seminar on "Topological defects in the orientational order of cells are stress organizers of tissue morphogenesis", hosted by @thomaslecuit.bsky.social

3 12

Reposted by Javier Espadas

Ana Marija Jakšić @merianelion.bsky.social · Nov 6

Best moments in science are these small events of discovery when you finally get the answer to your question and when what you're doing suddenly makes perfect sense. It's like a mind fusion with the world you're trying to understand. - Dan Hartl

1 3 20

Reposted by Javier Espadas

BejaLab @bejalab.bsky.social · May 7

Deep origin of eukaryotes outside Heimdallarchaeia within Asgardarchaeota www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Deep origin of eukaryotes outside Heimdallarchaeia within Asgardarchaeota - Nature

Ancestral reconstruction together with molecular dating of the last Asgard archaea and eukaryote common ancestor suggest that eukaryotes arose from the fusion of a H2-consuming archaeal host and a H2-...

www.nature.com

27 53

Reposted by Javier Espadas

André Nadler @nadlerlab.bsky.social · May 6

Why are biological membranes asymmetric, with different lipids in the two bilayer leaflets? Discovered in the 70s, lipid asymmetry is linked to many cellular processes, but why the cell needs it is largely unclear. @pavelbarahtjan.bsky.social addresses this question: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

6 49 120