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Asaf Levy

@asaflevylab.bsky.social

1.7K followers 170 following 340 posts

Interested in computational biology, microbial toxins, plant microbiome, and microbial adaptation to different hosts. PI at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. https://www.asaflevylab.com/ Expressing my personal opinions.

www.asaflevylab.com

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · Oct 22

Several years of work with several great collaborators, that combined computational biology, molecular microbiology, biochemistry, structural biology and mycology assay culminated in today's publication on discovery of novel bacterial toxins:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Systematic discovery of antibacterial and antifungal bacterial toxins - Nature Microbiology

Genome sequence mining and computational analyses lead to the discovery and functional characterization of conserved bacterial toxins with activity against bacteria and fungi.

www.nature.com

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 1h

Today my wife and I sat on a beautiful day in Rashta, an excellent Arabic restaurant close to Jerusalem, and the Chef, Ganem, went out from the kitchen to raise a toast of Hibiscus juice (he's muslim) with the attendants to Kushner and Witkoff who promoted the cease fire agreement.
To peace!

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 1d

great selection @plantevolution.bsky.social !

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 1d

Meeting...

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 1d

Very well deserved prize for Prof. Vorholt, one of my favorite productive and humble scientists! and what a great meating it was!

Julia Frunzke @frunzkelab.bsky.social · 6d

Just returning from a fantastic symposium celebrating my former postdoc mentor, Julia Vorholt, on receiving the Novonesis Biotechnology Prize! Huge congratulations to Julia — and to the Novo Nordisk Foundation on an outstanding choice!

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 1d

Paper is under revisions in Wikipedia

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 2d

This is hilarious for Nobel week.
The headstones of two late Yale chemists who shared the department at the same period.
One has his CV written on the headstones
The other: Nobel Laureate etc.

And the funny story about Onsager's son adding "* ETC" after many years:
freakonomics.com/2009/09/etc-...

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 3d

Two years into this bloody war that caused so much pain and loss.

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 4d

RFK Jr. should definitely get a Nobel in economics for reducing housing prices in the US

The Journal of Immaterial Science @immaterialscience.bsky.social · 4d

BREAKING: The 2025 Noble Prize for Medicine has been awarded to RFK Jr. for “taking bold action to reduce life expectancies in the USA”. By undermining the health system, RFK Jr. has led the charge to combat the USA's aging population and prevent a pension crisis.

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 5d

40 years ago Carol Greider and Elizabeth Blackburn reported about a new enzyme in the protozoon Tetrahymena called "telomere terminal transferase"
Known today as telomerase.
They received the 2009 Nobel in physiology and medicine.
The same organism also 'contributed' to science the 1st ribozyme.

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 7d

A very cool work on plant carbon exudation into the root and rhizosphere by Claudia Knief

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Photosynthate distribution determines spatial patterns in the rhizosphere microbiota of the maize root system - Nature Communications

The combination of isotopic tracers with root phenotyping reveals specific patterns in photosynthate allocation. These patterns are reflected in rhizodeposition and result in spatially distinct microbiomes within the plant root system.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Asaf Levy

Tiffany Lowe-Power 🌱🦠 @tlowepower.bsky.social · 17d

Please repost -- The Univ. California Davis dept of Plant Pathology is hiring a Fungal biologist / Mycologist

Applications due Dec 1

Application portal: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339

Screenshot shows part of the job posting (with alt-text of the same text)

he Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis is seeking applications for a fulltime, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Mycology, with a focus on plant pathogenic, symbiotic,
or mycotoxigenic fungi and fungal-like organisms (e.g., oomycetes). We are looking for a highly
motivated and creative scientist with a strong background in mycology and/or the biology of fungi and
fungal-like organisms that interact with plants. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a
world-class, externally funded research program that integrates both fundamental and applied aspects
of fungal biology within the context of plant pathology. We welcome applicants pursuing a wide range
of research topics related to plant-associated fungi, including but not limited to mechanisms of fungal
pathogenesis or symbiosis with plants, population genomics and evolution of fungal plant pathogens,
plant-associated fungal microbiomes and plant-microbe interactions, and/or one health approaches to
fungal diseases and antifungal resistance. Applicants working in other relevant research areas involving
pathogenic, symbiotic, or mycotoxigenic fungi or fungal-like organisms that affect plant health are also
encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will have significant opportunities for collaboration with
faculty in plant pathology, microbiology, genomics, and agricultural sciences, and to contribute to
addressing issues of importance to California’s agricultural and natural ecosystems.
The appointee primary teaching responsibilities will be teaching Introductory Mycology, an upperdivision lab class, and SAS 30, Mushroom, Molds & Society, a general education class for non-majors.
Additional graduate and undergraduate teaching responsibilities may be assigned based on
departmental needs and the candidate’s expertise. The department offers modern instructional
facilities, including a newly renovated teaching laboratory.

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 14d

Nobel prize week is approaching.

In 1980 Paul Berg was awarded the Nobel prize on recombinat DNA development.

Does anyone know why were Herbert Boyer (Genentech co-founder) and Stanley Cohen left out of this honor?
Both of them are still alive to correct a mistake...

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 15d

uniQure company reports gene therapy clinical trial results showing that miRNA-like silencing of the huntingtin gene slowed progression of the Huntington’s disease by 75% after three years.
The miRNA is delivered by AAV via a neurosurgery.

Amazing.
I don't hold their stocks...

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 16d

Quite insane if true

Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 18d

#NewResearch

Nasal colonisation by S. aureus is linked with depression in a human cohort and shown in a mouse model to cause decreased serotonin and dopamine in the brain

#MicroSky #Depression

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage promotes depressive behaviour in mice via sex hormone degradation - Nature Microbiology

Nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus is linked with depression in a human cohort and shown in a mouse model to cause decreased serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

www.nature.com

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 16d

A recent cool preprint by John Whitney's lab on a new family of antibacterial proteins secreted by Gram-positive bacteria that enter and kill a broad spectrum of bacteria. Cell entry is receptor-independent and relies on cleavage by a co-secreted protease and the PMF.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Proteolytically activated antibacterial toxins inhibit the growth of diverse Gram-positive bacteria

Many species of bacteria produce small-molecule antibiotics that enter and kill a wide range of competitor microbes. However, diffusible antibacterial proteins that share this broad-spectrum activity ...

www.biorxiv.org

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 16d

40 years ago Eyal Bartov took a picture of one of the last beautiful leopards in Israel, resting next to the dead sea. Unfortunately they have probably gone extinct in Israel.
The last one was seen in 2007.

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 16d

Classic name

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 18d

Shana Tova.
Happy new Jewish year.

Wishin for a scientifically productive and a peaceful year, with normal leadership around the world.

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 21d

With the depressing reality of the ongoing horrible war (including a mssile alarm during the ceremony) there is a small moment of joy:
Three students from the lab received MSc degrees today:
Ofir Segev, summa cum laude
Aleks Danov, magna cum laude
Avital Akerman, magna cum laude

#uberProudPI

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 22d

Benicio del Toro (center) was not famous enough to be mentioned on the poster.

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 23d

Keyser Söze was introduced 30 years ago.

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 26d

The pictures are quite dark but clear.

Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 27d

@isbergralph.bsky.social

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 27d

E. coli K-12 strain into an organism capable of invading cultured animal cells."

The protein name "invasin" was coined by them in their following Cell 1987 paper.

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 27d

On this week, 40 years ago, my friend Ralph Isberg, then a postdoc with Stan Falkow, reported the discovery of the 1st invasin gene in @nature.com "We report here the identification of a single genetic locus from this organism (Y. pseudotuberculosis) that is sufficient to convert the innocuous

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