Maria Ciobanu

This study compares DNA extraction protocols for freshwater prokaryotes, finding that standard protocols yield more consistent microbial profiles, while modified protocols increase DNA quantity but reduce sequencing output.

The paper uses nucleomorph genes to reconstruct the phylogeny of cryptophyte plastids, finding they are sister to Cyanidiophytina, suggesting an ancient origin of red complex plastids outside known Rhodophyta subgroups.

The paper describes a tripartite interaction between a patescibacterial epibiont, its gammaproteobacterial host, and their phages, revealing host specificity and genetic adaptations.