Gc Rox
@gcrox.bsky.social
Hank Seifert is a Professor at Northwestern Medical School in Chicago. I'm interested in everything, particularly bacteria, but our group studies the Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilus—antigenic variation and functions.
Please repost! #microsky🦠 The Glickman Lab at MSK is recruiting! Projects in Mtb pathogenesis, basic biology of mycobacteria, and mycobacterial cancer therapies. See our publications here: tinyurl.com/3f386f4x Send CV and cover letter to: glickmanmycolab@gmail.com
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news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2026/07/06/i...
Intricate Molecular Mechanisms Help Bacteria Evade Immune Detection - News Center
Northwestern scientists have identified a novel mechanism utilized by the bacteria responsible for gonorrhea to evade immune detection and achieve widespread infection, according to a recent study pub...
news.feinberg.northwestern.edu
Back-to-back papers! Following our recent work on Restriction-modification systems in 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘢𝘦, we now show that targeting type I CRISPRi to the leading strand of the 𝘨𝘢𝘳 R-loop/G-quadruplex region upstream 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘌 restores pilin antigenic variation in a G4-locked strain or a 𝘨𝘢𝘳 mutant.
Gc Rox@gcrox.bsky.social · last mo.@selmamhm.bsky.social Shows how a Type I CRISPRi module targeted to the leading strand can replace the actions of a guanine quadruplex and small RNA R-loop in Neisseria pilin antigenic variation. doi.org/10.1128/mbio... #evolution #mevoSky #evoSky #microSky #scienceSky
@selmamhm.bsky.social Shows how a Type I CRISPRi module targeted to the leading strand can replace the actions of a guanine quadruplex and small RNA R-loop in Neisseria pilin antigenic variation. doi.org/10.1128/mbio... #evolution #mevoSky #evoSky #microSky #scienceSky
CRISPRi targeting to the Neisseria gonorrhoeae R-loop or G4 mutant region restores pilin antigenic variation | mBio
Neisseria’s pilin antigenic variation remains one of the most sophisticated DNA diversification processes in bacteria, yet the trigger that initiates recombination remains unclear. Here, we show that ...
doi.org
Job alert! We’re hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow to develop nanobody-based spatial biology approaches to study TB granulomas. Please help spread the word! @microbiologysociety.org @aai.org @ascbiology.bsky.social @ohsunews.bsky.social @embo.org
We are pleased to announce the BLAST XIX meeting in Atlanta, which will be an in-person meeting only. The meeting will be held from Sunday, January 17 to Thursday, January 21, 2027 at the Hilton Atlanta, 255 Courtland St, NE, in Atlanta, Georgia (www.hilton.com/en/hotels/at...).
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Are restriction/modification modules only used for host defense? @selmamhm.bsky.social shows an alternative use. "Restriction-modification systems are required for Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilin antigenic variation" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2602688123 #Microd #Microsky. #Microbiology
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
pnas.org
Excited that our collaborative work on Klebsiella response to propofol is published in Infection & Immunity. Collaboration with Nancy Freitag's Lab. First authors David Mains, Ella Rotman, Deanna Aman. @klebsiella.bsky.social @asm.org @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Sedative choice alters Klebsiella pneumoniae lung pathogenesis and dissemination | Infection and Immunity
Healthcare-associated infections pose the threat of increased morbidity for many patients while serving as a major cause of mortality for intensive care patients. The anesthetic induction agent propof...
journals.asm.org
Seemingly unrelated mutations boost multidrug resistance by promoting ribosome synthesis. Out in #mBio @asm.org, 1st author @lescorneta.bsky.social, great collaboration w/ Dapeng Zhang's and Jade Wang's groups. @nu-bsa.bsky.social #MicroSky #ribosome #AMR journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Inactivation of a purine biosynthesis repressor promotes ribosome synthesis to overcome antibiotic stress | mBio
The Erm rRNA methyltransferase superfamily represents the most prevalent determinant of MLS resistance in nosocomial Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Previous studies have established that erm expression is primarily governed by upstream ribosome stalling peptide and the 5′ untranslated regions. Using the widespread S. aureus ermBL-ermB (ermB+) operon as a model system, we unexpectedly identified second-site mutations in purR that synergistically enhance MLS resistance in an ermB+ background. Loss of purR function derepresses nucleotide biosynthesis and ribosome production, thereby promoting bacterial growth under antibiotic stress. While numerous purR single-nucleotide polymorphisms across multiple species have been associated with antibiotic resistance, no study has directly linked these sequence polymorphisms to their regulatory function. Our results highlight the critical role of ribosome abundance and nucleotide metabolism in shaping antibiotic efficacy.
journals.asm.org
Postdoctoral Position (Please re-post) A funded postdoctoral position for a recent graduate to study aspects of Neisseria gonorrhoeae pathogenesis, antigenic variation, genetics, or physiology. Please contact Hank Seifert h-seifert@northwestern.edu #Microsky, #Microbiology, #MicrobialEvolution
Announcing the 4th Lakeside Conference on Protein Toxins and Effectors 2026 Registration/Abstract Submission is OPEN (#lakesidePTE)! Come join this premier event on the structure, biochemistry, and cell biology of Microbial Protein Toxins Oct 12-15, 2026. event.fourwaves.com/lakesidepte2...
Publicly Available Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Genomes Predominantly Represent In Vitro-Derived Nonpiliated Variants url: academic.oup.com/jid/article/... #Microbiology #Microsky
Publicly Available Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Genomes Predominantly Represent In Vitro-Derived Nonpiliated Variants
Most Neisseria gonorrhoeae clinical isolates are piliated but lose piliation during laboratory passage. However, most public genomic sequences are from non
academic.oup.com
Peptidoglycan architecture dictates protein interactions, tissue tropism, and arthritis in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi Exciting new research from @jutraslab.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plospathogen... #MicroSky
Peptidoglycan architecture dictates protein interactions, tissue tropism, and arthritis in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi
Author summary Many of the pathogenic mechanisms by which Borrelia burgdorferi causes disease involve cell envelope interactions with host components. To further elucidate the role of peptidoglycan in...
journals.plos.org
Excited to announce the upcoming 2026 Microbial Toxins and Pathogenicity GRC and GRS meeting taking place July 12 - 17, 2026 at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire. This meeting will be chaired by yours truly and co-chaired by @sunnyshinlab.bsky.social www.grc.org/microbial-to...
2026 Microbial Toxins and Pathogenicity Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Toxins and Pathogenicity will be held in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Apply today to reserve your spot.
grc.org
Oxford Press just sent an email to print a Reviewer Certificate. My response, "Please, this offer is tone deaf. I review as a professional duty, even though journals make money whenever I publish or read. A certificate is neither valuable nor appreciated." #AcademicSky
Please repost. #microsky
Yves Brun lab@brunlabcaulo.bsky.social · 7mo agoCanada Research Chairs www.canada.ca/en/impact-pl...: $1M/year for 8 years, plus up to $6M in CFI infrastructure support. Looking for leading researchers abroad interested in AMR research, antibiotic discovery (Pandemicstopai.ca), phages. Email short vision + CV. Tight deadlines: March 10 & June 15
#microsky #mevosky @spp2389.bsky.social A PhD position is available in my lab to work on: Emergence and self-organisation of bacterial metabolism in consortia of cross-feeding bacteria. Please RT Deadline: 12.11.25 More infos 👇 shorturl.at/rAKAT
Northwestern Microbiology-Immunology Annual Faculty Dinner. Good times, good colleagues.
It is absolutely wild that the guy who won’t stop yelling about law and order is now personally stepping in to keep January 6 documents hidden from the police officers who were attacked that day. He knows exactly what’s in those files and he is terrified the country will see it.
stevens.house.gov/media/press-... @haleyformi.bsky.social @rephaleystevens.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social
Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against RFK Jr.
Stevens: “Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has turned his back on science, on public health, and on the American people – spreading conspiracies and lies, driving up costs, and putting lives at risk” W...
stevens.house.gov
Publicly Available Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Genomes Predominantly Represent In Vitro-Derived Nonpiliated Variants url: academic.oup.com/jid/article/... @iboiko.bsky.social and Selma Metanne
Publicly Available Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Genomes Predominantly Represent In Vitro-Derived Nonpiliated Variants
Most Neisseria gonorrhoeae clinical isolates are piliated but lose piliation during laboratory passage. However, most public genomic sequences are from non
academic.oup.com
Iryna Boiko and Selma Mettane show that most gonococcal genomic sequences are from nonpiliated bacteria, even though clinical isolates are piliated. Publicly Available Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Genomes Predominantly Represent In Vitro-Derived Nonpiliated Variants: academic.oup.com/jid/article/...
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What you get if you stay in academics a long time and volunteer to participate in the important things.
The right-wing think tank which wrote the entire platform for the current president of the US is defending neo-Nazis, and meanwhile a substantial portion of American rabbis think the Muslim candidate for NYC mayor who has denounced antisemitism is the biggest threat to me as an American Jew.
We're just 6 months away from @keystoneSymposia.bsky.social Beyond #Antibiotics : Emerging Strategies Combating #BacterialInfection, May 2026 in Breckenridge! 👉Scholarship and short talk abstract deadlines are Jan 7! 🧐 keysym.us/KSBeyondAntibiotics26 #KSBeyondAntibiotics26
Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection | Keystone Symposia
Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection, May 2026, in Breckenridge, with field leaders!
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