Out Now! Bacterial growth rate in populations and single cells #MicroSky

Bacterial growth rate in populations and single cells

Nature Microbiology, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02449-6In this Perspective, Levin and Wang give a brief history of bacterial growth rate and discuss how it is connected to nutrient availability and macromolecule synthesis, with a focus on (p)ppGpp as a central hub regulating resource allocation and, indirectly, growth rate at the single-cell level.

go.nature.com

Gabija restricts phage circularization & DNA replication Gabija prevents phage genome circularization & replication w/out impacting bacterial host. Exposed DNA ends & phage end-binding proteins license DNA targeting while RecBCD protects host from Gabija www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Gabija restricts phage circularization and DNA replication

Gabija acts early during phage infection, preventing phage genome circularization and replication. Phage DNA end-binding proteins prevent RecBCD loading onto linear DNA, and the absence of RecBCD lice...

cell.com

Clonal does not mean uniform. #MicroSky Our new review explores how genetically identical bacteria adopt different cell states, and how that diversity shapes survival, cooperation, antibiotic responses and gene transfer. 🧵 doi.org/10.1146/annu...

Decoding Bistability and Drivers of Phenotypic Variation in Bacteria

In a process known as phenotypic heterogeneity or phenotypic variation, bacteria can produce distinct phenotypes within an isogenic population in response to shifting environmental conditions. Noise i...

doi.org

Thrilled to share this insightful work of Asher King @subtisilly.bsky.social and Pilar Horigian @pilarhorigian.bsky.social! #ProudPI #MicroSky #AMR #SubtiWiki In this work, we reveal the *magic* behind the protective effects of magnesium in Bacillus subtilis. Read Asher's 🧵 below for more details.

Asher King@subtisilly.bsky.social · 4w ago

I am so excited to share my first first-author manuscript regarding the mysterious effects of magnesium in Bacillus subtilis! 🧵⬇️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #MicroSky

Two PhD positions in the Feldbrügge Lab at HHU Düsseldorf within nEXt-RNA: 🔬 DC1: Live-cell imaging of RNA transfer and function 📦 DC10: Mechanisms and applications of RNA delivery RNA biology, fungi, extracellular vesicles and advanced imaging. www.mikrobiologie.hhu.de/en/

Still time to apply for a fully funded PhD position in my lab on antimicrobial resistance plasticity in pathogenic Corynebacteria. jobs.uni-kiel.de/jobposting/e...

(pneumococcus) cell divisionists take note👇 a super 🧵 for #MicroSky

Jan-Willem Veening@veeninglab.com · last mo.

I hadn't thought about the problem of division site selection in a long time. Really cool to see these new studies shining fresh light on such a fundamental question. Especially checkout this work by @aducret.bsky.social & Christophe Grangeasse: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

#PhageSky

Martial Marbouty@mmarbout.bsky.social · 4w ago

🚨 ‼️ NEW PUBLICATION ‼️ While we start to know a lot about how bacterial genomes are organized in 3D, almost nothing is known about phage genome once it enters a bacterial cell. read the paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Sign up now for the EMBO Workshop "Bacterial and archaeal #CellDivision: Diverse mechanisms and models" in Barga (Lucca), Italy, 20–23 April 2027. Deadline: 6 January 2027 https://meetings.embo.org/event/27-cell-division #EMBObacDiv27 #genetics #biochemistry #StructuralBiology #EMBOevents 🧪

Excited to share our paper with @savitski-lab.bsky.social, led by @tarabartolec.bsky.social, Karin Mitosch & Clément Potel, out now in @nature.com. We show that T7 phage broadly disables bacterial defenses using a unique ‘loose cannon’ protein kinase. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Pervasive phosphorylation by phage T7 kinase disarms bacterial defences - Nature

The T7 bacteriophage deactivates bacterial defence systems through T7K phosphorylation of nearly all host and phage proteins during infection.

nature.com

Typas Lab@typaslab.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excited to share our preprint with @savitski_lab led by @tarabartolec.bsky.social, @KMitosch & Clément Potel! We uncovered a mechanism by which the T7 phage broadly counteracts DNA-targeting bacterial defenses by deploying a loose cannon kinase in its genome @embl.org www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Intrafilament nucleotide exchange in a prokaryotic actin homolog https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.24.740542v1

We are looking for a PhD student interested in AMR development in pathogenic corynebacteria. Link: jobs.uni-kiel.de/jobposting/e... The advert is bilingual (scroll down for English). Applications need to be submitted online via the indicated link. We are looking forward to you applications!

My department @eth-dbiol.bsky.social at ETH Zurich is hiring for a tenured professor in mol cell bio and biochemistry (associate/full). The position is within the Institute of Biochemistry (www.bc.biol.ethz.ch) and it is fairly open within their scope of research. www.nature.com/naturecareer...

Professor of Molecular Cell Biology and Biochemistry - Zurich, Switzerland job with ETH Zurich | 12861386

The Department of Biology at ETH Zurich invites applications for the above-mentioned tenured professorship at the Institute of Biochemistry

nature.com

Excited to share our new preprint led by Fred and me in collaboration with the archaeal community! We found that the molecular foundation of histone-based chromatin has pre-eukaryotic roots in Asgard archaea. (1/4) #ArchaeaSky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Emergence of histone-based chromatin complexity in Asgard archaea

The emergence of the eukaryotes coincided with the diversification of histone proteins and their post-translational modifications by enzymes that constitute the core of eukaryotic chromatin. Yet the e...

biorxiv.org

Open postdoc position in my lab on HGT and interbacterial competition. We seek candidates with a PhD in microbiology (or related fields)+ strong 1st-author publications. Curious, highly motivated, and dedicated team players ready to contribute fully are encouraged to apply. Details: tiny.cc/cz01101

Open Positions

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tiny.cc

Cell-to-cell cooperation through membrane vesicles enhances antibiotic persistence @science.org @bcmfromthelabs.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Efficient septum formation is essential for chromosome segregation in Bacillus subtilis when SMC function is impaired https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.22.733809v1

Assessing Corynebacterium glutamicum as a surrogate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis for DNA gyrase inhibitor design. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.24.734172v1

The DdmDE defense system eradicates plasmids by target-centered bidirectional ssDNA loop extrusion and site-specific cleavage

The DdmDE defense system eradicates plasmids by target-centered bidirectional ssDNA loop extrusion and site-specific cleavage

Yang et al. reveal a dynamic DdmDE-mediated plasmid clearance pathway. Transient DNA bubbles permit promiscuous DdmE binding, while target specificity arises from slower dissociation at matched sites. DdmE then recruits a DdmD dimer to drive target-centered, bidirectional dsDNA unwinding. Free DdmD subsequently coats extruded ssDNA to enable site-specific endonucleolytic cleavage.

dlvr.it

Wow! The Bacillus subtilis circadian clock coordinates intricate spatiotemporal organisation: 👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #subtiwiki

Bacterial cell division protein FtsZ complexes with a phage protein to activate bacterial immunity @natmicrobiol.nature.com from Michael Laub & Abel Garcia-Pino www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Bacterial cell division protein FtsZ complexes with a phage protein to activate bacterial immunity - Nature Microbiology

The activation of an antiphage defence system relies on host factors targeted by phages, a mechanism analogous to the way that eukaryotic innate immune systems detect pathogen-induced perturbations of...

nature.com

Membrane binding controls the ATPase cycle and localization of MinD in Bacillus subtilis doi.org/10.7554/eLif... - The final version of a long story! Biochemical analysis of MinD in vitro and in vivo (with SMLM). Credit goes to @drhelgon.bsky.social!

Membrane binding controls the ATPase cycle and localization of MinD in Bacillus subtilis

Dynamic relocalization of MinD in Bacillus subtilis arises from membrane binding of monomers and dimers with membrane-triggered ATP hydrolysis, suggesting MinE-like activators are unnecessary for Min ...

doi.org

Thanks to @danielabarilla.bsky.social for getting me over to where the sky is blue (much needed in a rainy north of Germany). Thanks Daniela! Now need to figure out how I find you all 😀