Cecilia Blikstad cblikstad - Bluesky Statics

[CO2] Alters Cyanobacterial Carboxysome Encapsulation and Redox State Responsible for fixing 25% of CO2 globally, cyanobacteria use carboxysomes to house their CO2 fixing machinery. The formation and permeability of the proteinaceous shell of carboxysomes is an area of ...

[CO2] Alters Cyanobacterial Carboxysome Encapsulation and Redox State www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-4...

27.02.2026 21:30 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

[CO2] Alters Cyanobacterial Carboxysome Encapsulation and Redox State Responsible for fixing 25% of CO2 globally, cyanobacteria use carboxysomes to house their CO2 fixing machinery. The formation and permeability of the proteinaceous shell of carboxysomes is an area of ...

[CO2] Alters Cyanobacterial Carboxysome Encapsulation and Redox State

www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-4...

23.02.2026 21:51 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Come join us in Liverpool this summer!

22.02.2026 09:51 — 👍 7 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0

🍃🎤🍃 Speaker announcement 🍃🎤🍃

Photosynthesis 2026 will feature 20+ concurrent sessions - today we're happy to introduce the first set of invited speakers!

🌿 Join them in Liverpool, 26- 30th July 🌿
Register now 👉 photosynthesis2026.com

#plantscience #ICPR26 #photosynthesis
🧵1/7

18.02.2026 10:17 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 1

A little protein with a big role in building Earth's carbon fixing machinery An international team of scientists has discovered that a small, low-abundance protein plays a surprisingly big role in assembling carboxysomes—specialized bacterial microcompartments that enable efficient carbon fixation and underpin much of life on Earth.

A small, low-abundance protein has been identified as essential for assembling carboxysomes, key bacterial structures that enhance carbon fixation and underpin global photosynthetic efficiency. doi.org/hbn967

12.02.2026 13:32 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0

Congrats everyone! It looks great 🤩

12.02.2026 12:23 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Stages of biomolecular condensate formation in pro-β-carboxysome assembly - Nature Plants Carboxysomes are cyanobacterial CO2-concentrating compartments with a proteinaceous shell. The elucidation of the role of the shell adaptor protein ApN in stepwise β-carboxysome assembly will aid the ...

Stages of biomolecular condensate formation in pro-β-carboxysome assembly www.nature.com/articles/s41...

11.02.2026 08:57 — 👍 8 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0

Stages of biomolecular condensate formation in pro-β-carboxysome assembly - Nature Plants Carboxysomes are cyanobacterial CO2-concentrating compartments with a proteinaceous shell. The elucidation of the role of the shell adaptor protein ApN in stepwise β-carboxysome assembly will aid the ...

The new publication "Stages of biomolecular condensate formation in pro-β-carboxysome assembly" from the Manajit Hayer-Hartl team is out at Nature Plants!

❕ Publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#Rubisco #carboxysome #cyanobacteria

11.02.2026 16:42 — 👍 15 🔁 7 💬 1 📌 0

Great fun working with Manajit Hayer-Hartl and her amazing team at @mpibiochem.bsky.social bringing this work on the beta-carboxyome protein ApN (CcmN) together.

12.02.2026 00:51 — 👍 10 🔁 4 💬 2 📌 0

Functional characterisation of bicarbonate transporters from the cyanobacterial SbtA2 family and subsequent expression in tobacco Abstract. Cyanobacteria rely on bicarbonate (HCO3-) as the primary inorganic carbon (Ci) source for photosynthesis in aquatic environments. To use this Ci

Functional characterisation of bicarbonate transporters from the cyanobacterial SbtA2 family and subsequent expression in tobacco academic.oup.com/jxb/article/... @jxbotany.bsky.social

06.02.2026 18:44 — 👍 8 🔁 10 💬 1 📌 0

Announcement for photosynthesis 2026 Keynotes and Plenaries featuring black and white pictures of 12 scientists

🍃🎤🍃 Speaker announcement 🍃🎤🍃

Join our incredible line-up of Keynotes & Plenary Speakers at Photosynthesis 2026 in Liverpool this July!

✍️ Register & submit an abstract now
👉 photosynthesis2026.com

#plantscience 🧪 #ICPR26 #photosynthesis

21.01.2026 15:13 — 👍 12 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 0

We genetically disconnected starch from the matrix in the algal pyrenoid!

A saga1;saga2 double mutant lacks a starch sheath!

Our model: SAGA1 & SAGA2 locally initiate starch on the pyrenoid surface by enriching starch precursors.

🌞🦠🔬🔌👀

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

01.02.2026 18:17 — 👍 30 🔁 16 💬 1 📌 1

How does molecular valency shape condensate assembly and function? We used the CO2-fixing organelle in algae—the pyrenoid—to find out… 🧵

Preprint here!:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

@cellarchlab.com @phaips.vd.st @biologyatyork.bsky.social
#Rubisco #PhaseSeparation #Condensates #Pyrenoid

30.01.2026 15:20 — 👍 78 🔁 37 💬 1 📌 5

Atomic resolution structure of spinach rubisco reveals protons and dynamics www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.22.696010v1 #cryoEM

24.12.2025 09:42 — 👍 14 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 2

Sticker number modulates pyrenoid condensate assembly to support algal fitness The valency of intrinsically disordered proteins underpins liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), yet how this parameter shapes condensate function and cellular fitness remains poorly understood. Here we exploit the algal pyrenoid—a minimal, two component LLPS system—to directly link condensate properties to physiological performance. Pyrenoid assembly is driven by a disordered, multivalent Linker protein that binds Rubisco at symmetry-related surface sites, with the number of binding motifs (″stickers″) varying across species. Using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii , we systematically tuned sticker number from two to nine and examined effects on Rubisco condensation, pyrenoid architecture and CO2 fixation. Three stickers were sufficient for condensation in vitro, but at least four were required for pyrenoid assembly in vivo. Cryo-electron tomography and single-molecule tracking revealed that increasing sticker number enhances Rubisco packing and mobility, while time-resolved imaging and competition assays demonstrated that sticker number governs the kinetics of pyrenoid formation and determines cellular fitness under fluctuating carbon conditions. Our findings establish sticker number as an evolutionary tuning parameter that balances condensate formation, dynamics, and function, providing a quantitative framework for linking the molecular grammar of phase separation to biological fitness. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. EPSRC, EP/W024063/1

Sticker number modulates pyrenoid condensate assembly to support algal fitness www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

30.01.2026 03:34 — 👍 5 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

Pyrenoid Structure, Function, Evolution, and Characterization Across Diverse Lineages Pyrenoids are eukaryotic CO2-fixing organelles that are evolutionarily diverse, globally abundant, and critical to global carbon cycling. Despite being described over 200 years ago, the vast majority ...

Pyrenoid Structure, Function, Evolution, and Characterization Across Diverse Lineages.

www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

17.01.2026 02:22 — 👍 9 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0

Very proud to be part of this project!
This not only is the (nominally) highest resolution non-ApoF cryoEM structure, but also for the first time resolved a ligand and structural hetetogeneity in that resolution range, giving new insights into the Rubisco enzyme mechanism. A nice start for Krios 5!

03.01.2026 22:16 — 👍 13 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0

Thanks for a great collaboration Oliver! We are very fortunate that we got the opportunity to have you collect the data.

04.01.2026 21:22 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Original post on fediscience.org

RE: https://fediscience.org/@Guillawme/111534984107819771

Something really cool happened to me this year!

@HRBridges re-processed a #cryoEM dataset from some previous work of mine and colleagues (publicly available as EMPIAR-10739; see quoted post below for a summary of this work). She […]

28.12.2025 16:32 — 👍 13 🔁 8 💬 3 📌 0

Feeding from the sun—Successes and prospects in bioengineering photosynthesis for food security

www.sciencedirect.com:5037/science/arti...

26.11.2025 20:00 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 1

Great carboxysome review from @botbml.bsky.social and team!

28.06.2025 14:57 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Understanding carboxysomes to enhance carbon fixation in crops Carboxysomes are bacterial microcompartments that enhance photosynthetic CO2 fixation by encapsulating ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) within a high-CO2 environment. Their mo...

Understanding carboxysomes to enhance carbon fixation in crops portlandpress.com/biochemsoctr...

28.06.2025 00:44 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1

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…

📅New #PlantSciEvents Event Added: The 11th International Symposium on Inorganic Carbon Utilization by Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms (CCM11)

👉 buff.ly/jWqcD6B \

#PlantScience

06.06.2025 18:15 — 👍 7 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 1

Join us in Denmark for a great meeting!

03.06.2025 20:57 — 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

#postdoc #biochemistry #co2fixation #cryoem

30.05.2025 16:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

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...

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...

16.04.2025 10:54 — 👍 8 🔁 9 💬 1 📌 0

PhD position in plant science with focus on photosynthetic water oxidation

VACANCY - Would you like to study photosynthetic water oxidation during your PhD?🧪

Join Johannes Messinger's group @umeaplantsciencecentre.se & @umeauniversitet.bsky.social and work on a project bridging biophysics and molecular biology!

Read more here👇:
www.umu.se/en/work-with...

#PlantSciJobs

27.05.2025 09:38 — 👍 10 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0

Tiselius Symposium 28 August 2025, Uppsala

Happy to announce the 2025 Tiselius symposium in Uppsala, August 28. Excellent line up of speakers including Lori Passmore @lapassmore.bsky.social, Katja Luck @katjaluck.bsky.social, Markku Varjosalo @varjosal.bsky.social and Arne Elofsson. No fee & short talk slots available tiseliussymposium.org

25.04.2025 08:17 — 👍 12 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 0

Making the most of sunshine Photosynthesis Research at the Lancaster Environment Centre

Just over a week left to apply for a 3yr postdoc with me at Lancaster @lancasterplantbio.bsky.social looking at Rubisco engineering in vitro and in vivo to improve plant #photosynthesis #plantscijobs wp.lancs.ac.uk/lancsphotosy...

01.05.2025 12:11 — 👍 8 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 1

New structural insights into SBPase from #Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

This study reveals how #redox state influences the enzyme’s oligomeric form and offers clues to its regulation in the Calvin cycle.
buff.ly/qfy40Ii

01.05.2025 10:03 — 👍 15 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0

Posts by Cecilia Blikstad (@cblikstad.bsky.social)