Gotta say that I’m extra proud of this team effort out in JB! Our understanding of Cdif division is in its infancy & there’s so much work to be done. Shoutout to @shailab.bsky.social for laying the foundation & starting this cool project with @polakuhn.bsky.social!! journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Defining the order of assembly of the Clostridioides difficile divisome complex | Journal of Bacteriology

Bacterial cell division has been extensively studied in model systems, but little is known about how this essential process occurs in the clinically important pathogen Clostridioides difficile. Studie...

journals.asm.org

Structural basis for nutrient-activated channel opening in bacterial spore germination receptors https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747515v1

New pre-print from the lab, about impact of cell wall antibiotics on PG elongation machineries. Any comments and (constructive) criticism are welcome!

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Differential impact of cell wall antibiotics on the Rod complex and aPBPs in Bacillus subtilis: Insights into the peptidoglycan elongation machineries https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.24.740396v1

This is now published! For those interested in microbial mechanotransduction: www.cell.com/current-biol...

Microbial GAIN domains undergo autoproteolysis and enable release of diverse cell-surface-associated proteins

Brogan and Rudner report the identification of a microbial autoproteolytic domain that is structurally homologous to the GAIN domain of eukaryotic adhesion GPCRs. Rather than participating in transmem...

cell.com

anna brogan@apbrogan.bsky.social · 4mo ago

My latest work! We found that the autoproteolytic GAIN domain which mediates force responsive signaling in adhesion GPCRs is not unique to eukaryotes. The microbial counterparts anchor diverse adhesion, enzymatic, and toxin domains to the cell surface, enabling release by likely mechanical stimuli.

@felixrl.bsky.social told us previously *how* #Staph aureus does orthogonal cell division. In his latest paper he tells us *why*: to arrange cell surface proteins required to form staphylococcal abscess colonies. (Videos S1-S2 are amazing!). 🤯 www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Orthogonal cell division mediated by PcdA organizes surface virulence factors to drive staphylococcal abscess community formation

Staphylococcus aureus divides along sequential orthogonal planes, but the function of this geometry has remained unclear. Ramos-León et al. show that orthogonal division promotes uniform deployment of...

cell.com

I'm happy to share the first paper from my postdoc work: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... How does RecA find one homologous sequence in an entire chromosome -and what turns that encounter into a repair-competent one? We find that DNA topology is the gatekeeper !! 1/10

Chromosome topology gates productive RecA homology search

In homologous recombination, DNA repair depends on recombinase filaments finding homologous templates on chromosomes whose topology is continually remodeled by replication and transcription. How dynam...

biorxiv.org

Out Now! The penicillin-binding protein PBP1b fortifies the Escherichia coli division site against osmotic rupture #MicroSky

The penicillin-binding protein PBP1b fortifies the Escherichia coli division site against osmotic rupture

Nature Microbiology, Published online: 03 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02403-6A specific isoform of PBP1b functions independently of the activator protein, LpoB, to drive generation of a wedge-like peptidoglycan structure that strengthens the division site in Escherichia coli.

go.nature.com

Another chapter of my thesis is out! We asked whether we could pair proteome-wide AlphaFold screening with Tn-seq to identify biologically relevant protein-protein interactions. We identify ClcR (formerly YerH) as a component of the Rod complex in Gram-positive bacteria. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

A broadly conserved gram-positive lipoprotein regulates cell elongation | PNAS

The cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) protects virtually all bacteria from osmotic lysis and specifies cell shape. Synthesis of this exoskeleton is carr...

pnas.org

My latest work! We found that the autoproteolytic GAIN domain which mediates force responsive signaling in adhesion GPCRs is not unique to eukaryotes. The microbial counterparts anchor diverse adhesion, enzymatic, and toxin domains to the cell surface, enabling release by likely mechanical stimuli.

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Microbial GAIN domains undergo autoproteolysis and enable release of diverse cell surface associated proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.12.724683v1

Happy to share the finalized version of my paper on phage lysis in bacteria with unique envelopes! 🎉 Bacteriophages target membrane-anchored glycopolymers to promote host cell lysis and progeny release www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Our work on understanding how Staphylococcus aureus mode of cell division contributes to pathogenesis is now available in bioRxiv

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Orthogonal cell division organizes surface virulence factors to drive staphylococcal abscess community formation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.12.711374v1

Fantastic new work from @bactophile.bsky.social @shailab.bsky.social et al from the Shen lab - Defining the order of assembly of the Clostridioides difficile divisome complex www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #modelnotmodel

Fer’s tour de force in B. anthracis is out! Fer got Tn-seq running, built an ordered knockout library, defined all essential sporulation genes, and found a peptidoglycan deacetylase inhibitor critical for engulfment. Including our first one-by-all Alphafold screen! journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Identification of sporulation genes in Bacillus anthracis highlights similarities and significant differences with Bacillus subtilis

How good is Bacillus subtilis as a model for the spore-forming pathogen Bacillus anthracis? Using high throughput genetics to identify B. anthracis sporulation genes and cytological analysis of the mu...

journals.plos.org

Excited to share my latest postdoctoral work in the Shen Lab at Tufts! In this study, we follow up on an exciting finding by former grad student @shailab.bsky.social that C diff uses its Class A PBP (PBP1) to drive cell division (unlike previously studied bacteria)! journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

Molecular dissection of Class A PBP function uncovers novel features of the non-canonical Clostridioides difficile divisome complex

Author summary Bacterial cell division is an ancient and essential process, but our molecular understanding of this process is primarily based on studies in a select few model systems. Recent work fou...

journals.plos.org

A global view of morphogenetic peptidoglycan synthases across the domain Bacteria Open Access @femsjournals.bsky.social microLife by Francisco García-del Portillo et al academic.oup.com/microlife/ad...

A global view of morphogenetic peptidoglycan synthases across the domain Bacteria

Abstract. Bacteria define their heritable cell shape using membrane integral glycosyltransferases (GTases) of the shape, elongation, division and sporulati

academic.oup.com

Happy to finally show our story of the connection between nucleoid conformation, transcription & predation in our favorite predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. 🧵 1/n

Géraldine Laloux@lalouxlab.bsky.social · 12mo ago

📝New preprint! #MicroSky 🕰️We chart the full, synchronized lifecycle of a predatory bacterium using Hi-C, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq & microscopy. 🧬We uncover dramatic shifts in nucleoid architecture & transcription, tightly coordinated with predation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Check out our new paper: a review of translational coupling, the phenomenon where translation of one prokaryotic gene can promote translation of the gene downstream. We cover the history, and delve into the mechanism, which is still not fully understood. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Translational coupling of neighboring genes in prokaryotes | Journal of Bacteriology

Prokaryotic genes are arranged in operons, with functionally related genes often located adjacent to one another (1). There are several ways in which the operonic organization of genes facilitates the...

journals.asm.org

Looking for a new approach to studying or eliminating phages? Check out our study introducing anti-phage ASOs (antisense oligos) out in @Nature today. nature.com/articles/s4158…

Flagellar switch inverted repeats impact heterogeneity in flagellar gene expression and thus C. difficile RT027/MLST1 virulence www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Flagellar switch inverted repeats impact heterogeneity in flagellar gene expression and thus C. difficile RT027/MLST1 virulence

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) RT027 strains cause infections that vary in severity from asymptomatic to lethal, but the molecular basis for …

sciencedirect.com

I'm pleased to announce that I will be starting my lab as an Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School in August! My group will study phages that infect corynebacteria and mycobacteria to understand bacterial cell envelope assembly and phage gene function. Website and more info to come soon!

Very happy to share that a large part of my thesis work is out today: B. subtilis uses the second messenger c-di-AMP to modulate its turgor pressure in response to the state of its cell envelope. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cyclic-di-AMP modulates cellular turgor in response to defects in bacterial cell wall synthesis - Nature Microbiology

Brogan et al. uncover a signalling pathway in which levels of the nucleotide second messenger c-di-AMP increase in response to defects in cell wall synthesis. This regulatory pathway decreases turgor ...

nature.com

Excited to share our latest review! Check it out to see what we know so far about how Staphylococcus aureus coordinates key processes during its cell cycle

Kumaran Ramamurthi@ramamurthilab.bsky.social · last yr.

@felixrl.bsky.social's new review in JBC highlights recent research on how #Staph aureus performs several interrelated processes like peptidoglycan assembly, cell division septum placement, and how the septum is a hub for modifying the PG to decorate the cell surface: www.jbc.org/article/S002...

🚨👉 Please check our recent work on bacterial cell division. In situ Cryo-ET reveals the cellular function of the penicillin binding protein 1b supported by AFM, live-cell imaging, in silico AlphaFold proteome screen and TIRFM. Hope you enjoy the read! #teamtomo #cryo-ET ❄️🔬🐎 big thanks to the team!

bioRxivpreprint@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · last yr.

The aPBP-type cell wall synthase PBP1b plays a specialized role in fortifying the Escherichia coli division site against osmotic rupture https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.02.646830v1

SAVE THE DATE ‼️ 📆 📢 BBM 2025 will be held on June 9-10th at the Harvard Science Center feat. the one and only Dr. Petra Levin as keynote! We can't wait to see you there. Registration and scholarship applications open next week.

Angelika Gründling’s work from her sabbatical in the Bernhardt-Rudner labs is out. She came with the goal of finding the missing G+ phosphatidylglycerol phosphate phosphatase and found it with time to spare. I can also highly recommend her as a bay mate! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Excited to share my recent work published in #JBacteriology @asm.org ! We found that LD-transpeptidases drive phenotypic differentiation of Legionella and Coxiella into intrinsically resistant forms. Grateful to all who made this possible ! journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

LD-transpeptidase-mediated cell envelope remodeling enables developmental transitions and survival in Coxiella burnetii and Legionella pneumophila | Journal of Bacteriology

Coxiella burnetii and L. pneumophila cause Q Fever and Legionnaire’s disease in humans, respectively. There is a lack of effective treatments for fatal chronic infections caused by these pathogens, pa...

journals.asm.org

How can single-cell transcriptomics profile phage infection in individual microbial cells? Check out our preprint with Anika Gupta, Norma Morella, Dmitry Sutormin & other authors, in collaboration with Georg Seelig (UW) and Neel Dey (Fred Hutch). www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Combinatorial phenotypic landscape enables bacterial resistance to phage infection

Success of phage therapies is limited by bacterial defenses against phages. While a large variety of anti-phage defense mechanisms has been characterized, how expression of these systems is distribute...

biorxiv.org

HARIBO bacter for happy holidays

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks to @dipanwitab.bsky.social, Asher, @lilymcknight.bsky.social, and Pilar (a very talented undergrad) for getting this manuscript to the finish line. Thanks to MBoC for the excellent manuscript review experience. Now it is time for turkey, pecan pie, and more.

Ákos T Kovács@evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 2y ago

GpsB interacts with FtsZ in multiple species and may serve as an accessory Z-ring anchor -in Bacillus subtilis #MolBiolCell from @eswaralab.bsky.social www.molbiolcell.org/doi/10.1091/...

Hello 🦋 #protein / #microbio / #BioML community! We are excited to release Gaia🌎, a context-aware protein search tool, extending protein search and discovery capabilities beyond sequence and structure, to include *genomic context*. Search your favorite protein sequences with on gaia.tatta.bio