Liedewij Laan

Deadline for abstracts is extended untill March 19! So if you are interested in the interfase of physics of life and evolution, consider applying!

Final version @nature.com of our paper describing unconventional multicellular development in a choanoflagellate inhabiting an extreme environment. A ton of new data since the first @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social preprint (which we've kept updating).

A brief 🧵 (carried over from the old place)

@emboreports.org

This is great #stuffthatmatters. Congratulations to Liedewij Laan and @embopress.org for recognizing the importance and brilliance of this work.

Thank you!

@emboreports.org

Liedewij Laan @liedewijlaan.bsky.social and co-workers show that the #GEF Cdc24 and the #GAP Rga2, key regulators of the GTPase Cdc42 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, exhibit concentration-dependent and synergistic regulation of Cdc42 activity.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Marieke M. Glazenburg & Liedewij Laan, Polarization as a process: the potential of process ontology for understanding cellular symmetry breaking - PhilArchive Since the advent of molecular biology, research in cell biology has been strongly focused on identifying specific genes and proteins responsible for cellular phenomena. However, it is increasingly rec...

And lastly, a philosophical preprint by Marieke Glazenburg, about cell polarity as a process, bit out of the ordinary, but I recommend reading it! philarchive.org/rec/GLAPAA-4

Global genetic rewiring during compensatory evolution in the yeast polarity network - EMBO Reports Functional defects resulting from deleterious mutations can often be restored during evolution by compensatory mutations. Importantly, this process can generate the genetic diversity seen in networks ...

And another paper!
We show that compensatory evolution in the yeast polarity network leads to global genetic rewiring: restoring polarity reshapes gene disruption tolerance across the genome and rewires entire cellular processes—not just individual genes.
doi.org/10.1038/s44319-026-00709-4

Oligomerization-dependent and synergistic regulation of Cdc42 GTPase cycling by a GEF and a GAP - EMBO Reports Cell polarity is a crucial biological process essential for cell division, directed growth, and motility. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, polarity establishment centers around the small Rho-type GTPase C...

New paper out in EMBO Reports!
We show that Cdc42 regulation is oligomerization-dependent and that a GEF and a GAP act synergistically: Cdc24 relieves self-inhibition of oligomeric Rga2, enabling robust Cdc42 cycling.
doi.org/10.1038/s44319-026-00695-7
#cellpolarity #Cdc42 #synergy #syntheticbiology

Meeting alert! EMBO workshop about molecular and physical principles in evolution in Portugal, 2-5 June 2026. Deadline for registration is March 1st. Check out the website it should be a fun and informative workshop bridging evolutionary biology and physics of life meetings.embo.org/event/26-cel...

Meeting alert! EMBO workshop about molecular and physical principles in evolution in Portugal, 2-5 June 2026. Deadline for registration is March 1st. Check out the website it should be a fun and informative workshop bridging evolutionary biology and physics of life meetings.embo.org/event/26-cel...

High levels of Cdc42 GTPase underlie an all-or-none decision to fuse Cdc42 is a Rho-family GTPase conserved across eukaryotes, where it plays essential roles in cell polarization. In single-celled yeast systems, Cdc42 is a key driver of symmetry breaking and polarized ...

The lab is on a roll. 2nd preprint in as many weeks!

High levels of Cdc42 GTPase underlie an all-or-none decision to fuse.

Great team effort led by PhD students @sajjitasaha.bsky.social and @aiswaryasajeevan.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

@biology-unige.bsky.social

"Science is an investment.

We will put forward a new 500 million package for 2025-2027 to support the best and the brightest researchers and scientists from Europe and around the world."

— President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu at the ‘Choose Europe for Science' event at La Sorbonne 🇫🇷

Our moon casting a soft light over Loch Morlich in the Scottish Highlands.

As I can’t sleep (it’s 02:18 here), here’s a photo of our moon casting a soft light over Loch Morlich, in the Scottish Highlands.

#insomnia #scotland #bluesky

Texel

Leaving #Texel again.

Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people.

Be strong, be brave, be fearless.
You are never alone, dear President Zelenskyy.

We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.

Is Trump Making Europe Great Again? In a world of zero-sum thinking, the EU's win-win logic can be a powerful tool.

I don’t care whether you’re pessimistic or optimistic as long as it makes you act.

Europe can rise to the occasion but we need to believe it’s possible in the first place, and push and support European leaders to do the right thing.

Uplifting bedtime reading for Europeans below ⬇️

It is no longer safe to move our governments and societies to US clouds - Bert Hubert The very short version: it is madness to continue transferring the running of European societies and governments to American clouds. Not only is it a terrible idea given the kind of things the “King o...

It is very hard to accept, but it is no longer safe to move EU governments & societies to US clouds. Not only is it dangerous to do so, it is also likely flat out illegal in the near feature. We're trading convenience for utter dependence on a mad king. It should stop.

berthub.eu/articles/pos...

Funny, we both see the same development. And Northern and Baltic countries are leading the way. I wrote a column about it this week (excuse my Dutch)

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

500 million Europeans are waiting for 340 million Americans to protect them from 140 million russians who haven’t been able to win against 40 million Ukrainians for 3 years. what happened to our confidence?

Idem, zo'n 1-2 per dag

Ik had trouwens op X 800 volgers en nu 1300, dus zelfde trend

En nu nog kijken of de groei linear of exponentieel is, en of de scaling factor hoger of lager dan 1 is ;)

🧪

Science misconduct

Science misconduct

Truly spectacular talk by @elisabethbik.bsky.social about science integrity, what a hero! #nwophysics

Thanks Ivo!!

Conference

So many people in our session about how STEM science contributes value to society! #nwophysics

#nwophysics

Conference

Conference

After many years back to Physics@Veldhoven, curious what the discussions are about these days! First talk about fossiels of the big bang!