J. B. Dacks

Arf family GTPases are present in Asgard archaea

This study identifies ArfR GTPases in Asgard archaea, showing they are ancestral to eukaryotic Arf family proteins and suggest early evolution of endomembrane systems.

The evolutionary origins of the lysosome-related organelle sorting machinery reveal fundamental homology in post-endosome trafficking pathways

This study identifies homology in lysosome-related organelle sorting machinery across eukaryotes, showing its origin predates the last eukaryotic common ancestor.

Tracing back the expansion of the endomembrane rescue systems in parasitic Parabasalids to the ancestral origin in its free-living sister lineage

The paper studies the expansion of endomembrane rescue systems in parasitic Parabasalids by comparing them to their free-living sister lineage, identifying specific expansions and losses in Retromer and Retriever machinery.

Genomic survey maps differences in the molecular complement of vesicle formation machinery between Giardia intestinalis assemblages

This study maps molecular differences in vesicle formation machinery between Giardia intestinalis assemblages A and B using genomic analysis of 89 isolates.

A unique symbiosome in an anaerobic single-celled eukaryote

The paper identifies a unique symbiosome in Anaeramoeba, showing a structured syntrophic relationship with sulfate-reducing bacterial ectosymbionts through genomic and transcriptomic analyses.

Evolution of lineage-specific trafficking proteins and a novel post-Golgi trafficking pathway in Apicomplexa

This study identifies lineage-specific membrane-trafficking paralogs in Apicomplexa, revealing a novel post-Golgi trafficking pathway involved in parasite invasion.

Genomics of Preaxostyla Flagellates Illuminates the Path Towards the Loss of Mitochondria

This paper reports genome and transcriptome analyses of two Preaxostyla species, confirming the complete loss of mitochondria in multiple oxymonad species and suggesting amitochondriality is common in the group.

Functional differentiation of Sec13 paralogs in the euglenozoan protists

The paper identifies two Sec13 paralogs in Euglenozoa and shows they have distinct functional roles in COPII, NPC, and SEA/GATOR complexes.

Stable and ancient endocytic structures navigate the complex pellicle of apicomplexan parasites

This study identifies stable endocytic structures in Toxoplasma, showing their conservation across Apicomplexa and their role in plasma membrane homeostasis rather than nutrition.

Combined nanometric and phylogenetic analysis of unique endocytic compartments in Giardia lamblia sheds light on the evolution of endocytosis in Fornicata

The paper characterizes endocytic compartments in Giardia lamblia using microscopy and phylogenetic analysis, revealing loss of clathrin light chain and emergence of a CLC analog in the Fornicata lineage.

Within-Arctic horizontal gene transfer as a driver of convergent evolution in distantly related microalgae

The paper identifies horizontal gene transfer as a driver of convergent evolution in Arctic microalgae, highlighting ice-binding domain gene transfers between distantly related species.

Unexpected organellar locations of ESCRT machinery in Giardia intestinalis and complex evolutionary dynamics spanning the transition to parasitism in the lineage Fornicata

A eukaryote-wide perspective on the diversity and evolution of the ARF GTPase protein family

This study reconstructs the evolution of the ARF GTPase family across 114 eukaryotic species, identifying 16 ARF family members in the last eukaryotic common ancestor and revealing new paralogs and membrane association diversity.

A comparative 'omics approach to candidate pathogenicity factor discovery in the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri

This study uses -omics approaches to identify candidate pathogenicity factors in Naegleria fowleri by comparing it to its non-pathogenic relative Naegleria gruberi.

An evolutionary switch in the specificity of an endosomal CORVET tether underlies formation of regulated secretory vesicles in the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila

The paper identifies an evolutionary switch in the specificity of a CORVET tether in Tetrahymena thermophila that enables the formation of regulated secretory vesicles called mucocysts.