Shigeru Shimamura

Eukaryotes' closest relatives are internally simple syntrophic archaea

This study isolates two Hodarchaeales strains, closely related to the eukaryotic common ancestor, revealing their syntrophic, anaerobic, and oxygen-tolerant physiology and genomic features.

Denisovan leg bones from Taiwan reveal large body size

The paper reports Denisovan leg bones from Taiwan, showing large body size and some modern human-like features, challenging Bergmann's rule and suggesting gene flow or behavioral similarities.

Epigenomes in thermophilic microbial communities and their impact on the interaction across prokaryotes and mobilomes

The paper analyzes epigenomic modifications in thermophilic microbial communities to understand their role in host-mobilome interactions and ecological strategies.

A Tripartite Co-culture System Reveals Defensive Mutualism Between a Nanobdellati Symbiont and Its Host

The paper establishes a tripartite co-culture system to study defensive mutualism between a Nanobdellati symbiont and its host, revealing glycan-mediated protection against viral infection.

Direct carbon monoxide fixation via the bacterial and archaeal Wood-Ljungdahl pathways

The paper shows direct CO fixation to acetyl-CoA in archaeal and bacterial Wood-Ljungdahl pathways under hydrogenogenic growth using 13C tracer-based metabolomics.

Impact of acetate on CO2 fixation pathways in thermophilic and hydrogenotrophic bacteria

This study examines how acetate affects CO2 fixation pathways in thermophilic bacteria, showing acetate suppresses the WL pathway and promotes the rTCA cycle in some species.