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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson
@micro-megs.bsky.social
160 followers 310 following 28 posts
PostDoc in the Guse lab studying immune control of cnidarian-algal symbiosis. Fascinated by microbes, microscopy and bioinformatics. Lover of nature, music, art and hula hoops.
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · Jan 24
🚨New Preprint Alert!🚨 Integrins are key receptors involved in the phagocytosis of symbionts in cnidarians. This sheds light on the mechanisms of symbiosis establishment in coral reefs. A thread... #coralreef #aiptasia #marinesymbiosis www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
coralreefresearch.bsky.social
The Coral Reef Research Hub @coralreefresearch.bsky.social · 10d
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS NOW LIVE! 16th International Coral Reef Symposium

Submit an abstract here: www.icrs2026.nz/call-for-abs...

#coralreefs #symposium #newzealand #icrs #coralresearch #networking #coral #internationalcoralreefsociety #marinescience #marinebiology
Call for abstracts
We are pleased to announce that the Call for Abstracts is now open. Submissions are invited under the approved sessions, each aligned with one of the eight broad Symposium themes.
www.icrs2026.nz
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · 14d
Would love to attend but I'm busy traveling. Could you send a link anyways? my student seems also interested 😊
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · 19d
Last chapter of my PhD is out now! This project got me excited about the various roles of immune regulators like NF-kB. Drosophila taught me a lot about this concept, and I'm happy to apply my knowledge to Aiptasia. I will always treasure my time with the fly journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
Stem cell-specific NF-κB is required for stem cell survival and epithelial regeneration upon intestinal damage
Summary: Stem cell-intrinsic NF-κB activity is essential to prevent apoptosis and ensure proper intestinal epithelial repair following injury.
journals.biologists.com
micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · 21d
I'd love to be added!
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
tmhms.bsky.social
Trends in Marine Host-Microbe Symbioses @tmhms.bsky.social · Aug 19
📢#TMHMS25 is just around the corner! 🦠🌊

Join us to dive into the latest discoveries in #marinehostmicrobesymbioses and explore how microbial superpowers can contribute to restoring ocean health!

Please share with fellow marine science and microbiology enthusiasts!
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
symbionticism.bsky.social
Seth Bordenstein @symbionticism.bsky.social · Jul 10
Trainees and faculty that I had the privilege to be a part of did something quite special. The context here is that experimental and theoretical biologists were in a room together on Coconut Island, Hawaii for 3 weeks to hammer out a vision #holobiont theory. 🧵
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Theory of host-microbe symbioses: Challenges and opportunities
Growing insight into microbial symbioses highlights the need to model these systems mathematically. We discuss three areas requiring theoretical advan…
www.sciencedirect.com
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · Jul 4
Spent the week in Cambridge with @benkinsjenkins.bsky.social testing this custom made microscope to live image Aiptasia larvae. Got some cool videos that we hope to share very soon! Thanks for hosting me Ben!
Custom made microscope setup to live image samples from a 96 well plate
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · May 30
Coral spawning up close from my travels to Okinawa at this time last year. 😍 I learned a lot about coral fieldwork and gained valuable insights into immune mechanisms of symbiosis establishment, can't wait to go back! #SymbioSky
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
icrs.bsky.social
ICRS International Coral Reef Society @icrs.bsky.social · May 5
1/6 Call for session proposals

16th International Coral Reef Symposium, 19–24th July 2026, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Session proposal deadline: Sunday 15th June 2025.
Details and submission link at www.icrs2026.nz/call-for-ses...
Call for Session Proposals
www.icrs2026.nz
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
ankarn.bsky.social
Anna Karnkowska @ankarn.bsky.social · Apr 14
🚨 Just under two weeks left to submit your abstract for ESEB2025 - don’t miss the chance to be part of the Symposium on the Evolution of Symbiosis and Interactions in Microbial Eukaryotes 🦠🔬

📅 Abstract deadline: April 25, 2025
🔗 More: eseb2025.com/list-of-symposia
#ESEB25 #Symbiosis #ProtistOnSky
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · Apr 14
I've been busy the last couple years developing Aiptasia as a genetically tractable model organism to study corals. Here you can see me injecting CRISPR-Cas9 into these fragile little Aiptasia zygotes. Hopefully soon we will have our very first mutant lines!
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · Apr 11
Was a pleasure to present my work on immune regulation of symbiosis in corals and anemones at the Wild frontiers of model organisms conference hosted by @events.embl.org Highly recommend you checking out this event again in 2027! #EESWildModels
A picture of an Aiptasia anemone with their dinoflagellate symbionts shining like stars in the surroundings being presented by Meghan Ferguson
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
clintoak.bsky.social
Clint Oakley @clintoak.bsky.social · Apr 4
Corals maintain stable populations of essential photosynthetic symbionts by controlling their cell cycle, not by eating them! Our new #PNAS paper monitored and modelled #aiptasia cell cycle, autophagy, and expulsion for over a year. #symbiosis #microbiology www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Cell cycle arrest in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
pcleves.bsky.social
Phillip Cleves @pcleves.bsky.social · Apr 2
It is happening again! Consider taking our course on the Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis at
@MBLScience. We extended the deadline for
applications to Apr 14, 2025. www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis | Marine Biological Laboratory
This is an immersive research-based course designed to teach basic concepts, open research questions, and facilitate state-of-the-art experimental approaches in symbiosis research.
www.mbl.edu
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
mblscience.bsky.social
Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social · Mar 17
Course updates! ⚠️ Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis is REOPENING applications (deadline March 31), and Visual Neuroscience is EXTENDING applications (deadline April 1).

Flyers below ⤵️ Read more and apply here: bit.ly/4acDH2V

#ScienceStartsHere
A flyer for the MBL's 2025 Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis course, which will run July 24 to August 26, 2025. Applications are now due March 31, and financial assistance is available. The image also includes the hashtag #ScienceStartsHere, a logo for the MBL, and a picture of a cephalopod A flyer for the MBL's 2025 Visual Neuroscience course, which will run from August 1 to 16, 2025. Applications are now due April 1, and financial assistance is available. The image also includes the hashtag #ScienceStartsHere and a logo for the MBL.
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · Mar 13
🧐
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
benkinsjenkins.bsky.social
Ben Jenkins @benkinsjenkins.bsky.social · Mar 13
Check out our dispatch on apicomplexans that infect corals!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

These parasite-like partners have lost photosynthesis but retained chlorophyll... are they friend or foe?

@currentbiology.bsky.social #protistsonsky #symbiosky #microsky #coralreefs
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
bradweilerdives.bsky.social
Brad Weiler, Ph.D. @bradweilerdives.bsky.social · Mar 7
🚨New Preprint Alert: Are bearded fireworms🪱 acting as vectors for Corallicolids? Here we show evidence that H. carunculata is acting as a reservoir for these coral-infecting Apicomplexans, but corallicolid functional roles in the holobiont are still unknown! 🪸🦠.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Fireworms (Hermodice carunculata) are a reservoir and potential vector for coral-infecting apicomplexans
Corals (Cnidaria; Anthozoa) play critical roles as habitat-forming species with a wide range, from warm shallow-water tropical coral reefs to cold-water ecosystems [1-3]. They also represent a complex...
www.biorxiv.org
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
symbiosisalumni.bsky.social
The Symbiosis Courses Alumni Network @symbiosisalumni.bsky.social · Mar 6
🚀 Registrations are open: 2025 SymbNET PhD Summer School on Host-Microbe Symbioses, Oeiras (Lisbon), Portugal
👉 gimm.idloom.events/phd-summer-s...

Please help us sharing this announcement 📣

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social #CBR @moorefound.bsky.social @crc1182.bsky.social #CIFAR
PhD Summer School on Host-Microbe Symbioses 2025
Symbnet PhD Summer School on Host-Microbe Symbioses Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) & Católica Biomedical Research Centre (CBR) July 06...
gimm.idloom.events
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
reefgenomics.bsky.social
Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · Mar 6
OUT NOW 'coral reef microbiome' by Springer Nature link.springer.com/book/10.1007... .. some 2.5 years in the making, jam packed: check out Ch.16 on Assisted Restoration as the sum of approaches required to deliver effective ecological restoration! Many thanks to all contributors @uni-konstanz.de
Coral Reef Microbiome
This book focuses on Structure, Function and Ecology of the coral microbiome and associated active interventions to conserve and restore coral reefs.
link.springer.com
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
reefgenomics.bsky.social
Christian R Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social · Feb 28
Don't miss out, October 22-25, 2025: International Symposium – Trends in Marine Host-Microbe Symbioses with an exciting lineup of speakers marinesymbioses.eu/invited-spea...; looking forward to insightful & inspiring discussions; registration: marinesymbioses.eu/register/ @uni-konstanz.de
Invited speakers – Trends in Marine Host-Microbe Symbioses Symposium
marinesymbioses.eu
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
venky-vnm.bsky.social
Vengamanaidu Modepalli @venky-vnm.bsky.social · Feb 17
Woohoo! Our image made the cover! 🎉 @jexpbiol.bsky.social The image captures photosymbiotic Anemonia viridis pointing it's tentacles towards the light.
journals.biologists.com/jeb
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Reposted by Meghan Ferguson
symbiosisalumni.bsky.social
The Symbiosis Courses Alumni Network @symbiosisalumni.bsky.social · Feb 5
Save the date 📅: The PhD Summer School on Host-microbe Symbioses is taking place from 6-19 of July in Oeiras, Portugal.
Registration is opening soon!
Learn more 👉 gimm.idloom.events/phd-summer-s...

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social
@crc1182.bsky.social #CIFAR #CBR
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micro-megs.bsky.social
Meghan Ferguson @micro-megs.bsky.social · Feb 6
Thanks Ira!