The Emory Biology department is hiring a tenure-track ecologist at any rank. Deadline is Nov 1, link below! As I've said many times before, I couldn't ask for a more supportive department. Our faculty colleagues, dept chair, and admin staff are truly awesome ❤️ apply.interfolio.com/191783

Our lab just put out a new preprint! Led by Maria Maltepes, we've been working with @tavisanderson.bsky.social and @alexey-markin.bsky.social to understand how host species impacts the fundamentals of how influenza viruses evolve. TLDR, reassortment and selection rates vary widely across species.

And here is the preprint, available online on Baltic Unity Day (Sep 22). Happy citing! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Thanks again to @barney-potter.bsky.social, @gkarthik.com, @sidneymbell.bsky.social, and @mftorresj.bsky.social

baltic: the Backronymed Adaptable Lightweight Tree vIsualisation Code

For ten years, baltic (Backronymed Adaptable Lightweight Tree vIsualization Code) has been used to make annotated phylogeny figures in molecular epidemiology, including during the West African Ebola e...

biorxiv.org

Gytis Dudas@evogytis.bsky.social · 2w ago

baltic v1.0.0 is live! Get it via pip or clone from Github repo. Now with documentation (baltic.readthedocs.io) & a gallery of tutorials & examples (phylo-baltic.github.io/baltic-gallery, still WIP). Huge thanks to @barney-potter.bsky.social for all the initiative & help along the way. #ViroSky

Congrats to Samira Schiefer on her new paper in Science Advances! We analysed 70 natural human IFNB1 variants & found both loss- & gain-of-function IFNβ proteins, revealing unexpected diversity in antiviral immunity. Great effort with Dave Jones & Florence Kwaschik! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Functional diversity of natural human IFNB1 variants in innate immunity

Human interferon-β (IFN-β), a type I IFN, is critical for effective innate immunity and is also an approved disease-modifying therapeutic. While genetic variations in several components of the type I ...

science.org

Very nice study from @benhale.bsky.social group on impact of human genetic variation on IFNbeta activity www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... similar to our work on IFNL4 journals.plos.org/plospathogen... but would be neat to compare

Functional diversity of natural human IFNB1 variants in innate immunity

Human interferon-β (IFN-β), a type I IFN, is critical for effective innate immunity and is also an approved disease-modifying therapeutic. While genetic variations in several components of the type I ...

science.org

We have a tenure-track faculty position in Evolutionary Biology in Columbia's E3B Department. Application deadline is October 15. Come be our colleague. Please RT! apply.interfolio.com/193016

The Ohainle Lab's first start-to-finish preprint is up! @mchljyng.bsky.social

The Ohainle Lab@ohainlelab.bsky.social · 4w ago

Very excited to share the first preprint from the Ohainle Lab at UC Berkeley! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

An exciting study showing how understanding bacterial immunity reveals new functions in human biology. Congratulations François and colleagues!

François Rousset@francoisrousset.bsky.social · 4w ago

🚨 We are excited to share the first preprint of our lab ! We discovered an NADase enzymatic domain in bacterial immunity and in the human protein TEP1. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Here is a link to slides I will present today at Options XIII Conference for Control of Influenza meeting: slides.com/jbloom/optio... Slides describe using sequencing-based neutralization assays to characterize human neutralizing antibody landscape to seasonal influenza virus in near real time

Folks thinking that uploading confidential material to their favorite AI is safe because of of their special fences should be reminded that this past month, AI agents at all major AI companies broke out of their sandbox (much more secure fences that yours) and attacked another company!

MwahahahahahadScientist@mads100tist.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Remember that by using LLMs, you're stealing from your colleagues and yourself. You're better than that 🧪

Come be my colleague! We are hiring a structural biologist. I have thoroughly enjoyed starting my career here and both department(s) are full of exceptional scientists. apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04589

Assistant Professor in Structural Biochemistry

University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!

apol-recruit.ucsd.edu

lab 2.0 in Chicago in search of a postdoc! Pursue virus-host interactions, post-translational modifications, and RNA splicing. Excellent in oral and written communication, lab and project management, and an ability to supervise and mentor trainees. sfbkrlab.org www.careers.luc.edu/postings/35620

Junior faculty position in Basic Sciences @fredhutch.org! Please repost!

Fred Hutch@fredhutch.org · 2mo ago

🔬 Fred Hutch Cancer Center is hiring an Assistant or Associate Professor in the Basic Sciences Division @basicsci.fredhutch.org. Join a world-class research community in Seattle and help advance discoveries in fundamental biology. Apply: https://apply.interfolio.com/190640

MxA is one of the broadest antiviral proteins mammals make. It’s a big reason most bird flu strains never get a foothold in people. The rare ones that succeed have learned to dodge it. How MxA actually recognizes viral targets at the molecular level is unknown for a bunch of technical reasons.

Im looking for a postdoc to help with protein engineering efforts. If you know who could be a good fit send them my way! see details below:

Join @FredHutch.org's Basic Sciences Division as an Assistant or Associate Professor and help shape the future of fundamental biology. We welcome applicants whose work will complement, extend, or bring new directions to the division.

Caroline Langley's primary thesis chapter from her time as a grad student in @memerman.bsky.social's and my lab is now published. She shows that HIV-1 Vif’s ability to maintain A3G antagonism depends on structural robustness, which permits adaptation, and epistasis, which imposes constraints.

@JohnGrossSF@johngrosssf.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Strain-specific epistasis shapes fitness landscapes of APOBEC3G antagonism by HIV-1 Vif proteins | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Congratulations on this beautiful work!

Led by Anna Jaeger and Elena Cruz-Adames, we have a new preprint out on within-sample diversity and local spread of H5N1 in Pennsylvania! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6.... We developed a sequencing protocol and bioinformatic pipeline to sequence residual RNA from H5+ wild and domestic birds in PA.

Within- and between-host dynamics of highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic birds from Pennsylvania farms and live bird markets

Since late 2021, highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI) of the H5 subtype clade 2.3.4.4b have spread across the Americas, devastating wildlife, agricultural animals, and resulting in dozens ...

biorxiv.org

Prominent Salk Institute biologist to resign following sexual misconduct investigation | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Prominent Salk Institute biologist to resign following sexual misconduct investigation

Staffers complain that Salk allowed circadian rhythms researcher Satchidananda Panda to depart quietly, while the allegations and findings remain under wraps

science.org

Review alert! take a look at this article we wrote with Daniela Vidal and @italoacastro.bsky.social discussing the Implications of RNA virus persistence for post-acute sequelae and chronic inflammatory syndromes www.nature.com/articles/s41590-026-02577-5

Implications of RNA virus persistence for post-acute sequelae and chronic inflammatory syndromes - Nature Immunology

López and colleagues review recent evidence of RNA virus persistence and the associated consequences in terms of post-acute sequelae or chronic inflammatory syndromes.

nature.com

Now published in Cell Reports! @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-reports... My postdoc Dr. Maria de la Paz Gutierrez led this work showing that cholera toxin drives epithelial L-lactate production in the small intestine, creating a nutrient that Vibrio cholerae exploits during disease

Cholera-toxin-induced disease generates epithelial-cell-derived L-lactate that promotes Vibrio cholerae growth in the small intestine

Gutierrez et al. show that cholera toxin induces epithelial LDHA-dependent L-lactate production in the small intestine, creating a nutrient niche that Vibrio cholerae exploits through LldD-mediated L-...

cell.com

Fabian Rivera-Chávez@fabianrchavez.bsky.social · last yr.

1/ Excited to share the first preprint from my lab! 🎉 My postdoc Paz asked how cholera toxin (CT) helps Vibrio cholerae thrive in the gut. Turns out, CT rewires epithelial metabolism toward L-lactate production—fueling pathogen growth in the small intestine during disease

This work is now published at JVI (journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...), with some new data (effect is mediated by HA, and is not a consequence of bulk down regulation of cell surface sialic acid levels) and an additional first author (Sara Jaffrani!)

Rab11B is required for binding and entry of recent H3N2, but not H1N1, influenza A isolates | Journal of Virology

Influenza A is a major human pathogen, which poses risks through both the continuous circulation of “seasonal” influenza viruses (H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes) as well as the emergence of novel pandemic str...

journals.asm.org

Emily Bruce@brucelab.bsky.social · last yr.

I'm very excited to share the latest work from my group, led by @ahturner934.bsky.social. We revisited one of my favorite proteins (Rab11) and its role in influenza infection& discovered surprising new things. Rab11B is required for entry of current H3N2 isolates! 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Excited to announce that we are moving the lab to Minneapolis to join the University of Minnesota Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Institute on Infectious Diseases this summer!! We will be hiring so please reach out if interested in viral evolution, viral immunology, etc.!!

‘Influenza A virus NS1 sequesters RNA:DNA hybrids to evade RNase H1-dependent innate immunity' - a project from Florence Kwaschik, who defends her PhD in a few months, is now preprinted. Thank-you to co-authors Ian Pichler, José Ruiz, Verena Kufner & Michael Huber. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Excited to advertise a fully funded PhD with @socialinfluenza.bsky.social investigating how influenza virus evolution differs between different avian hosts (and how this impacts pandemic potential). Joint between @pirbrightinst.bsky.social + @cvrinfo.bsky.social www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

FULLY FUNDED PhD - Visualising avian influenza virus tropism and co-infection in avian hosts at University of Glasgow on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - FULLY FUNDED PhD - Visualising avian influenza virus tropism and co-infection in avian hosts at University of Glasgow, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

Transient RNA structures play a key role in the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses! Great to see this collaboration with Mathis Funk, Mathilde Richard, Stephen Cusack, and others in @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Polymerase trapping as the mechanism of H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus genesis

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) derive from H5 and H7 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs). Although insertion of a furin-cleavable multibasic cleavage site (MBCS) in the...

science.org

We have posted data providing real-time measurement of human neutralizing antibody landscape to seasonal influenza. Data explain spread of subclades K (H3N2) & D.3.1.1 (H1N1), identify subclade K subvariants w reduced neutralization, & can inform choice of strains for next vaccine.

Excited to share our work on #AncientRNA from alcohol-preserved lungs, recovering the oldest human RNA virus genome (an 18th-century rhinovirus). Our study shows that viral RNA remnants persist in centuries-old tissue, opening new ways to study virus evolution and historical disease #Paleovirology🫁🦠

Now live! Nearly all human genes contain multiple transcript isoforms - and the genes that predominantly control infection, ISGs, are no different. Using PacBio with analysis help from Yan Guo, Himadri noticed a never-before-seen transcript isoform of ISG15 that potently restricts flu 1/4

Within-host adaptive evolution is limited by genetic drift in experimental human influenza A virus infections https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.07.698006v1