Our latest preprint on bacterial spore assembly. A novel assembly normally associated with non-biological crystal growth. Evidence for convergent evolution in the construction of highly robust spore outer envelopes. @robfagan.bsky.social @abigailroberts.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Protein architectures of the bacterial spore envelope - common principles of assembly

Bacterial spores are among the most durable of cell forms, protected by robust envelopes of layered protein assemblies. Remarkably, these envelopes often share similar architectures across distantly r...

biorxiv.org

It is happening, and registration is open for the EMBO Workshop: Bacterial and archaeal cell division: diverse mechanisms and models. 20–23 April 2027 | Barga, Italy. Come and join us @awehenkel.bsky.social, @seamusholden.bsky.social, @s-lab.bsky.social ! Deadline: Jan 6, 2027. #Bacdiv27

EMBO@embo.org · 2mo ago

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 🧪

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 🧪

Our virus story @growkudos.bsky.social www.growkudos.com/publications...

Giant viruses carry their own "chemical toolkit" to change the fats in the cells they infect

We found that giant viruses encode a key enzyme (VKOR) usually found in cells to perform redox reactions. This enzyme is part of a larger module that can modify membrane lipids. These "mini pathway" t...

growkudos.com

41 years ago, Carl Sagan gave a clear and elegant explanation of the science behind global warming.

Excited to share our study focused on the honeybee pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae, published in @plos.org Pathogens. Thanks to our collaborators David Chandler, @xavierdidelot.bsky.social and Matej Medvecky. Funded by @bbka.org.uk and Bee Disease Insurance. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

Comparative genomics and phenotypic divergence of ERIC I and ERIC II genotypes of Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood disease

Author summary Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are essential pollinators that support global agriculture and ecosystem stability. American foulbrood (AFB) is a highly destructive disease of honeybee larvae...

journals.plos.org

Huge faculty recruitment effort at the University of Chicago -- a division-wide, open-rank search looking to hire about 20 faculty across 5 research areas in biology. Come be our colleague! Full announcement: uchicago.app.box.com/s/ckih9zv3rj...

Looks like the nanotubes are back! 🤔

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Bacterial nanotubes extend from a tubeosome organelle to establish an intercellular bridge https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.27.740770v1

Paper accepted in PLOS Pathogens! More on this work soon! 🥳

A self-organized geometry sensing oscillator spatially regulates cell division in archaea https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.23.738820v1

«The Fellowship of the Z Ring» the next chapter... 👇 #Archaea #ArchaeaSky #MicroSky

Kermit Murray@kkmurray.bsky.social · 3mo ago

(BioRxiv All) Systematic identification of cell division proteins in haloarchaea and the discovery of a membrane anchor for the Z ring: Most archaea rely on the tubulin-like protein FtsZ for division. In the last decade, several novel cell division proteins have been… #BioRxiv #MassSpecRSS

Checkout out the latest from our lab. One of two papers published by PhD student, Behzad Dehghani who recently completed their PhD. We identify CprV as a "safeguard" protein that helps protect cellular compartmentalisation during bacterial spore formation. www.nature.com/articles/s42...

A safeguarding factor monitors septal pore stability to secure compartmentalization during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis - Communications Biology

Identification of CprV during bacterial sporulation reveals insight into how developing cells monitor compartmental integrity during cellular remodelling and differentiation.

nature.com

Some bacteria do not live as individuals. They build multicellular filaments and connect neighboring cells through tiny cell-cell junctions. Cyanobacteria are among the most beautiful examples 😍 In our new paper, we reveal first molecuar insights on the cyanobacterial septal junction architecture 🧵

Assembly of the essential SpoIVA coat protein at the surface of developing bacterial spores https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.09.737436v1

SpoIVA contributes to efficient engulfment through a cytoskeletal-like mechanism during Bacillus subtilis sporulation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.08.736982v1

How psychological stress alters gut microbes and ages blood stem cells in mice. Learn more in Cell Stem Cell: www.cell.com/cell-stem-ce... Linjia Jiang, Meng Zhao & colleagues @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social

Directed Evolution of Plant-Associated Bacteria Enhances Plant Holobiont Stress Tolerance [Bacillus subtilis] in Plant Cell Environment onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Directed Evolution of Plant‐Associated Bacteria Enhances Plant Holobiont Stress Tolerance

Directed evolution of plant-associated bacteria enhanced their metabolite production and functional traits. Inoculation of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) with the evolved strains improved heavy metal...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

A High-Affinity Nanobody Recognizing mNeonGreen Enables Versatile Biochemical, Cellular, and in vivo Applications. by Steffen Frey and team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Our Dept of Microbiology & Immunology @Geisel School of Medicine @Dartmouth has an opening for an Assistant Professor. Looking for programs bridging multiple areas in Micro & Immuno. A great place to be! Programs: www.M2P2.org www.dartmouthbiofilm.org Job ad: apply.interfolio.com/187637

A ratiometric membrane tension probe based on a non-conducing TRAAK channel bearing a split HaloTag. Compares well with Flipper-TR (and no need for lifetime imaging capacity): www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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

New preprint! Cell division has to happen at the right place but how Archaea pick that place is unknown. We now identified a three-protein system, Dip, that positions the divisome at midcell in H. volcanii and is broadly conserved across Archaea. A thread 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

The National Bee Unit's BeeBase website is a vital resource for beekeepers and honey bee health. The resources section contains a wealth of valuable information on pests and diseases and other topics Registering on BeeBase is free and highly recommended for all beekeepers www.nationalbeeunit.com

Protein structure prediction changed biology. Protein assembly discovery is next. We present SNI (Structural Novelty Index), a scalable framework for finding new protein complexes. We used it to uncover an unexpected resistosome assembly: 11-mer. 🧵👇🏻 biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Interested in working on the evolution of photosynthetic endosymbioses? Come join us! I have 2 open positions in my new group @cemess.bsky.social in Vienna 3yr postdoc info: tinyurl.com/4emkjpn4 4yr PhD info: tinyurl.com/mtxmsjpy Apply by 1st June! Please share/repost #Protists #Symbiosis #PhD

What are the genetic and molecular determinants underpinning the repair of bidirectional replication fork collapse in bacteria? PhD position open in my lab in collaboration with the brilliant @heathmurraylab.bsky.social. Please share and contact me if interested: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Identifying bacterial DNA repair requirements enabling stable genetic inheritance during bidirectional replication fork collapse at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Identifying bacterial DNA repair requirements enabling stable genetic inheritance during bidirectional replication fork collapse at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

This one deserves it🤩! We used cryo‑EM to identify a new “sporesilk” in Bacillus thuringiensis. The fiber, called A‑ENA, forms an incredibly stable covalent network that increases virulence by keeping the toxic payload and spores in a biofilm-like structure. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Auto-crosslinking sporesilk fibers promote endospore and Cry toxin clustering - Nature Communications

Authors reveal that protein nanofibrils govern assembly of bacterial spores and extrasporal toxins into insecticidal aggregates. Spores and parasporal bodies are incased in a “sporesilk” matrix that d...

nature.com

And a 7th post @warwicklifesci.bsky.social! This one assistant/associate prof in quantitative, systems & engineering biology: warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

Freya Harrison@friendlymicrobe.bsky.social · 6mo ago

My super department @warwicklifesci.bsky.social is hiring 6 assistant profs in the wake of recent retirements. We're looking for people in microbiology/infection, cellular disease / immunity; environmental biology; and plant/crop science. #MicroSky warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

My super department @warwicklifesci.bsky.social is hiring 6 assistant profs in the wake of recent retirements. We're looking for people in microbiology/infection, cellular disease / immunity; environmental biology; and plant/crop science. #MicroSky warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

Out now in @science.org Repurposing of a DNA segregation machinery into a cytoskeletal system controlling cell shape | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Repurposing of a DNA segregation machinery into a cytoskeletal system controlling cell shape

Bacteria, like eukaryotes, use conserved cytoskeletal systems for intracellular organization. The plasmid-encoded ParMRC system forms actin-like filaments that segregate low–copy number plasmids. In m...

science.org