Happy to share the first preprint out of the Nomburg lab! Many aspects of cellular immunity are shared across the tree of life. Here, we show that some of these conserved aspects of cellular immunity are mirrored by conserved effectors of immune antagonism. Thread below! 1/15

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

Conserved folds enable immune antagonism across the tree of life https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.21.739742v1

Out @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social, natural products meet bacterial immunity! We used genomics to identify lanthivirins: a family of >2,000 lanthipeptide BGCs that protect Actinobacteria against phages. Led by @hshomar.bsky.social & @mariegllm.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A family of lanthipeptides with anti-phage function

Bacteria produce natural products to adapt to their environments, with phage interactions as major ecological and evolutionary drivers. While some nat…

sciencedirect.com

1/10 🚨Preprint! One RING to rule them all (phages)👑💍⚔️ Bacteria build giant DNA-scaffolded RNase rings (larger than the ribosome!) to shut down viral infection🧬🧵👇 biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Ilya Osterman is opening a new lab at EMBL Hamburg and is now hiring. Highly recommended - a fantastic opportunity to do top-notch science in phage biology and bacterial immunity

Osterman Ilya@ostermanilya.bsky.social · 3w ago

🚨 We're hiring! My new lab at EMBL Hamburg is looking for a Research Technician. I'm looking for someone excited by phages, metabolism, enzymes, structural biology and bacterial immunity—if you know the right person, please share this post!🧵⬇️ Apply here: embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/EMBL/j...

🚨 We're hiring! My new lab at EMBL Hamburg is looking for a Research Technician. I'm looking for someone excited by phages, metabolism, enzymes, structural biology and bacterial immunity—if you know the right person, please share this post!🧵⬇️ Apply here: embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/EMBL/j...

Research Technician (Osterman Group – Metabolism-driven immunity)

EMBL Hamburg / CSSB The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is Europe’s flagship life sciences organization, with more than 110 independent research groups across Heidelberg, Hamburg, Grenobl...

embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com

Our paper out in Science today: The Metis defense system senses molecular byproducts released when a phage degrades the bacterial genome, and then prevents replication of the phage in the infected cell Congratulations @ostermanilya.bsky.social and co-authors!

Bacteria sense virus-induced genome degradation via methylated mononucleotides

Phages often degrade the genome of their bacterial host to individual nucleotides. Here we describe Metis, a bacterial defense system that directly senses phage-mediated host genome degradation. Metis...

science.org

Osterman Ilya@ostermanilya.bsky.social · 4w ago

Excited to share that our Metis story is now published in Science! 🎉 Bacteria can sense phage-induced degradation of their genome and activate immunity. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this work. 📄 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... More details in my earlier thread 🧵⬇️

Excited to share that our Metis story is now published in Science! 🎉 Bacteria can sense phage-induced degradation of their genome and activate immunity. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this work. 📄 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... More details in my earlier thread 🧵⬇️

Bacteria sense virus-induced genome degradation via methylated mononucleotides

Phages often degrade the genome of their bacterial host to individual nucleotides. Here we describe Metis, a bacterial defense system that directly senses phage-mediated host genome degradation. Metis...

science.org

Osterman Ilya@ostermanilya.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Bacteria can sense when a virus starts shredding their genome — by detecting methylated mononucleotides. Here’s the story of how we discovered the Metis defense system 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

🚨Defense systems against conjugative plasmids can kill recipient cells, like abortive infection against phages. Massive effort from very talented Ludovic Poiré (@ludopoire.bsky.social) in the Charpentier lab at @ciri-lyon.bsky.social ! Very happy our team could contribute w @julie-bltk.bsky.social

Xavier Charpentier@labxc.bsky.social · 4w ago

#microsky New preprint from the lab! Widespread immune systems protect bacteria against conjugative plasmids www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Kudos to the extremely talented lead author Ludovic Poiré! Key contributions by @francoisrousset.bsky.social and also help from C. Lesterlin/TacC lab. 🧵⬇️

New preprint from @courtneyrsantos.bsky.social and @kvnforsberg.bsky.social discovering human ISGs are sufficient to block phage replication in bacteria! Amazing to see such strong phenotypes especially against RNA phages: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

@ohadroth.bsky.social and @soreklab.bsky.social discover bacterial enzymes that cleave the immune signal 2'cADPR explaining the mystery of XopQ virulence proteins in plant pathogens. Beautiful results mirroring phage inhibition of 2'- and 3'cADPR in bacteria! 🌱✂️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

How do pathogens disarm plant immunity? We discovered a widespread strategy used by plant bacterial pathogens: they directly cleave a conserved immune signaling molecule produced by plant immune receptors. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

NAD to the bone: How bacteria put phages under aRES-t … and how phages fight back Preview of work IDing aRES, bacterial proteins that deplete cellular NAD+, generating products that cannot be utilized by phage NAD+ regeneration pathways www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

NAD to the bone: How bacteria put phages under aRES-t … and how phages fight back

In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Osterman et al. discover aRES, a new family of bacterial immune proteins that deplete cellular NAD+, generating cleavage products that cannot be utilized by canon...

cell.com

How do human cells defend against viruses? @sgfern.bsky.social discovers that human immune proteins named ISGs target ancient features of replication shared between animal and bacterial viruses – opening analysis of human immunity to the power of bacterial genetics www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Balancing of immune activation and suppression during phage infection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.04.730250v1

Out Now! Functional diversity of phage sponge proteins that sequester host immune signals #MicroSky

Functional diversity of phage sponge proteins that sequester host immune signals

Nature Microbiology, Published online: 02 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02352-0A functional screen reveals phage sponge proteins that bind Pycsar, Thoeris and CBASS signalling molecules to inhibit bacterial immunity.

go.nature.com

@romihadary.bsky.social and @soreklab.bsky.social 's discovery that sponge proteins constitute enormous families of viral immune evasion factors is now out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com @reneechang.bsky.social and our lab were happy to help with this story! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Functional diversity of phage sponge proteins that sequester host immune signals - Nature Microbiology

A functional screen reveals phage sponge proteins that bind Pycsar, Thoeris and CBASS signalling molecules to inhibit bacterial immunity.

nature.com

Kranzusch Lab@kranzuschlab.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Two major breakthroughs for the nucleotide immune signaling field in pre-print by @romihadary.bsky.social @soreklab.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... (1) Beautiful bioinformatic analyses reveal known viral nucleotide sponges are members of enormous protein families ubiquitous in phages

Excited to see our work out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com! We uncovered broad functional diversity within phage sponge families🧽. Huge thanks to all coauthors and brilliant collaborators @kranzuschlab.bsky.social @reneechang.bsky.social ! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Functional diversity of phage sponge proteins that sequester host immune signals - Nature Microbiology

A functional screen reveals phage sponge proteins that bind Pycsar, Thoeris and CBASS signalling molecules to inhibit bacterial immunity.

nature.com

Romi Hadary@romihadary.bsky.social · 12mo ago

📢 Preprint out! Together with @reneechang.bsky.social @kranzuschlab.bsky.social and the amazing @soreklab.bsky.social, we explored viral sponges to map their diversity and function. Discovered huge diversity, including sponges that inhibit Pycsar & Type IV Thoeris! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our aRES story is finally out 😀 Beyond what was reported in the preprint, we found that aRES is activated by direct binding of the phage DNA polymerase. Another NAD-degrading defense system — and multiple phage strategies to overcome it. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Bacterial defense via RES-mediated NAD+ depletion is countered by phage phosphatases

Many bacterial defense systems restrict phage infection by breaking down the molecule nicotinamide (Nam) adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) into adenosine di…

sciencedirect.com

Osterman Ilya@ostermanilya.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🧬 Metabolic arms race continues! We discovered a new NAD⁺-depleting bacterial immune system aRES and phage enzymes that overcome it. Our preprint is out: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Very exciting story about phage RyRs! An anti-defense family with members function either as an enzyme or as a sponge inhibiting Thoeris🛡️🧽✂️ Striking similarity to the animal RyR! Really glad to have taken part in this discovery, congrats @riveralopz.bsky.social and coauthors on this beautiful work!

Miguel López Rivera@riveralopz.bsky.social · 2mo ago

(1/6) Thrilled to share this story! In our preprint from my PhD in the @kranzuschlab.bsky.social, with help from the Hatfull lab and @soreklab.bsky.social, we discover RyDEP, a phage-encoded RyR-domain glycosidase that allows phages to evade Thoeris defense. Highlights below! doi.org/10.64898/202...

🚨After 4 fantastic years in the Sorek lab @soreklab.bsky.social, I’ll be starting my own group at EMBL @embl.org bl.org Hamburg. www.embl.org/groups/oster... Metabolism-driven immunity: phages, metabolites, and discovery of new enzymes, molecules, and pathways 🦠🧬

This week on the @science.org podcast, @richardastone.bsky.social talks about our bacterial brothers in arms. Listen here: www.science.org/content/podc...

Great piece and cover @science.org about how our field is uncovering the evolutionary and mechanistic connections between bacterial and eukaryotic immunity ! www.science.org/content/article/ancient-wars-between-microbes-gave-us-key-immune-defenses

Predicting phage anti-defenses that shoot the messenger Mahler & @yuping-li.bsky.social highlight @science.org work developing a structure-guided approach to identify phage proteins counteracting bacterial nucleotide signaling defenses using metagenomic data. www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Predicting phage anti-defenses that shoot the messenger

Locked in a constant arms race, bacteria and their phage predators have evolved various defenses and counter-defenses. Compared to the numerous identified defenses, phage-encoded counter-defenses are ...

cell.com

Phage encodes a sponge protein blocking bacterial TIR-Caspase immune signaling, inhibiting type IV Thoeris. Discovered through phage mating assays. PMID:41968157, Nat Commun 2026, @NatureComms https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71527-4 #Medsky #Pharmsky #RNA #ASHG #ESHG 🧪

#microsky #phagesky #phage defence academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

The SAVED domain of the type III CRISPR protease CalpL is a ring nuclease

Abstract. Prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas immune systems detect and cleave foreign nucleic acids. In type III CRISPR-Cas systems, the Cas10 subunit of the activated

academic.oup.com

Excited to share our discovery of a new programmable RNA-guided DNA-targeting system hiding inside bacteriophages that predates CRISPR. We call it VIPR (Viral Interference Programmable Repeat), and it uses an entirely new logic to find its targets. Thread + link below.

We found that TIR domains in animal immune proteins, including the human TLR4, are enzymes that cleave NAD+ to produce the signaling molecule cADPR Read our new preprint by talented Bohdana Hurieva: “Conserved catalytic activity of immune TIR domains in animals” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Huge effort to systematically characterize TIR domains🔬 revealing conserved catalytic activities, including surprising human TIR! Beautiful work by @bhurieva.bsky.social and coauthors, congrats!!✨👏🏻

Bohdana Hurieva🇺🇦@bhurieva.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🎉Excited to share our new preprint! TIR domains from diverse animals, including human TLR4, are catalytically active and produce cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR). This enzymatic activity is widespread in animals and conserved across the tree of life. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

How diverse is bacterial immunity ? We report in @science.org how language models allowed us to predict 2.4M antiphage proteins spanning >23K novel potential systems. 👏 @emordret.bsky.social, @alexhv.bsky.social & al doi.org/10.1126/scie... Explore them here defensefinder.mdmlab.fr/wiki/refseq_...

We are excited to share our new paper in Molecular Cell uncovering how the viral lncRNA RNA2.7 reshapes host cell biology! sciencedirect.com/science/authShare/S1097276526001565/20260324T143400Z/1?md5=16c84051c2f253c4665427f837a529d3&dgcid=author A thread 🧵