Diatom Cell Dynamics 

Who are we?

We are a small research group led by senior researcher Petra Bulankova, working within the Phytogenomics team headed by Chris Bowler at the Institute of Biology of the École Normale Supérieure (IBENS) in Paris. 

Our research is driven by a central question:

What mechanisms enable organisms to adapt to a changing environment?

We explore this question using diatoms as a model. These unicellular algae, despite having limited opportunities for sexual reproduction, thrive in aquatic ecosystems worldwide - from oceans and freshwater systems to even terrestrial habitats - suggesting they have evolved alternative strategies for adaptation and genome diversification.

Our research focuses on the genetic basis of diatom diversity, with particular interest in their remarkable genomic plasticity and ability to respond to environmental stress. We investigate processes such as recombination between homologous chromosomes during vegetative growth, DNA repair pathways, and mitotic cell division. Our findings suggest that DNA damage in diatoms may activate a specialized cellular program, offering new insights into how these organisms preserve genome integrity and adaptability.

We follow a question-driven approach to science, selecting the most suitable tools - from live-cell imaging and molecular biology to functional genomics - to uncover the mechanisms behind these processes.

Our current research focuses on:

• The ability of diatoms to recombine homologous chromosomes during vegetative growth

• The crosstalk between DNA repair mechanisms and the mitotic cell cycle

By uncovering how diatoms manage genome stability and adaptation, we aim to shed light on fundamental biological principles that are relevant not only to marine ecosystems but also to broader questions in cell biology and evolution.