Claudia Hemsley
@chemsley.bsky.social
Molecular Biologist | Microbiologist with an interest in gene-regulation and pathogenesis. Currently in Dundee 🏴 Favourite bugs are #Pseudomonas #Coxiella #Burkholderia #UPEC
Views are my own.
Views are my own.
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Most microbes don't live in shaking flasks; spatial structure shapes how microbes interact and evolve at every scale, as we discuss in our recent review @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @simonvanvliet.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social and others
academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇
academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇
Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities
Spatial structure naturally emerges in microbial communities, shaping growth, interactions, and evolution, and revealing how microscale processes scale up
academic.oup.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Most microbes don't live in shaking flasks; spatial structure shapes how microbes interact and evolve at every scale, as we discuss in our recent review @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @simonvanvliet.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social and others
academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇
academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
New in JB: Wang, Liu et al. review the role and regulation of type VI secretion system of the marine V. parahaemolyticus during pathogenesis.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
February 12, 2026 at 5:14 PM
New in JB: Wang, Liu et al. review the role and regulation of type VI secretion system of the marine V. parahaemolyticus during pathogenesis.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
1/2
"All T6SS-inducing regulators are equal, but some regulators are more equal than others".
Preprint 🚨: We use #Vibrio to show that #T6SS activation by regulator manipulation may result in the expression of different effector repertoires, affecting toxicity 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
"All T6SS-inducing regulators are equal, but some regulators are more equal than others".
Preprint 🚨: We use #Vibrio to show that #T6SS activation by regulator manipulation may result in the expression of different effector repertoires, affecting toxicity 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 12, 2026 at 9:53 AM
1/2
"All T6SS-inducing regulators are equal, but some regulators are more equal than others".
Preprint 🚨: We use #Vibrio to show that #T6SS activation by regulator manipulation may result in the expression of different effector repertoires, affecting toxicity 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
"All T6SS-inducing regulators are equal, but some regulators are more equal than others".
Preprint 🚨: We use #Vibrio to show that #T6SS activation by regulator manipulation may result in the expression of different effector repertoires, affecting toxicity 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Unveiling hidden variables in stressed bacteria
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social Review by @divyach.bsky.social and @maxencevincent.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social Review by @divyach.bsky.social and @maxencevincent.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
February 11, 2026 at 8:40 AM
Unveiling hidden variables in stressed bacteria
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social Review by @divyach.bsky.social and @maxencevincent.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social Review by @divyach.bsky.social and @maxencevincent.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
New in JB: Jackson, Kearns et al. describe a role for ClpX-dependent proteolysis of a global regulator controlling expression of the flagellar genes and thus motility.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
February 11, 2026 at 3:18 PM
New in JB: Jackson, Kearns et al. describe a role for ClpX-dependent proteolysis of a global regulator controlling expression of the flagellar genes and thus motility.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
New online! Massively parallel reporter assays: from barcodes to biology
Massively parallel reporter assays: from barcodes to biology
Nature Reviews Genetics, Published online: 10 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41576-026-00944-4In this Journal Club, Fumitaka Inoue discusses a 2009 paper by Patwardhan et al. that introduced a massively parallel saturation-mutagenesis assay that leverages high-throughput DNA synthesis and sequencing to quantify the effects of single-nucleotide changes on regulatory element activity.
dlvr.it
February 10, 2026 at 4:30 PM
New online! Massively parallel reporter assays: from barcodes to biology
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli
@narjournal.bsky.social by Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios et al from @kirstenjunglab.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
#MicroSky
@narjournal.bsky.social by Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios et al from @kirstenjunglab.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
#MicroSky
Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli
Abstract. The impacts of various stressors on bacterial systems have been studied at the phenotypic, transcriptional, and translational levels during the e
academic.oup.com
February 10, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli
@narjournal.bsky.social by Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios et al from @kirstenjunglab.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
#MicroSky
@narjournal.bsky.social by Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios et al from @kirstenjunglab.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
#MicroSky
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
New in JB: Latimer, Agbavor & Cahoon discuss the HtrA protein, which serves double duty as a protease and chaperone and plays key roles in maintaining envelope integrity, stress resistance, and virulence in Gram-positive organisms.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
February 10, 2026 at 3:43 PM
New in JB: Latimer, Agbavor & Cahoon discuss the HtrA protein, which serves double duty as a protease and chaperone and plays key roles in maintaining envelope integrity, stress resistance, and virulence in Gram-positive organisms.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
www.growkudos.com/publications...
New work with @ckarakoc.bsky.social and @shoestrapped.bsky.social in @pnas.org
New work with @ckarakoc.bsky.social and @shoestrapped.bsky.social in @pnas.org
The hidden energy cost of cellular dormancy
Many organisms survive harsh environments by switching into special survival modes. Some bacteria do this by forming spores—dormant, highly resilient cells that can persist for years or even centuries...
www.growkudos.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM
www.growkudos.com/publications...
New work with @ckarakoc.bsky.social and @shoestrapped.bsky.social in @pnas.org
New work with @ckarakoc.bsky.social and @shoestrapped.bsky.social in @pnas.org
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
#NatMicroPicks
More than just pumps? 🦠💊
Bacterial efflux pumps not only block drug entry but also disrupt intracellular drug–target interactions by preventing repeated drug rebinding
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
More than just pumps? 🦠💊
Bacterial efflux pumps not only block drug entry but also disrupt intracellular drug–target interactions by preventing repeated drug rebinding
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Efflux pumps control intracellular drug-target kinetics by limiting rebinding in bacteria
Efflux pumps disrupt antibiotic rebinding inside bacterial cells, amplifying multidrug resistance.
www.science.org
February 7, 2026 at 5:51 PM
#NatMicroPicks
More than just pumps? 🦠💊
Bacterial efflux pumps not only block drug entry but also disrupt intracellular drug–target interactions by preventing repeated drug rebinding
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
More than just pumps? 🦠💊
Bacterial efflux pumps not only block drug entry but also disrupt intracellular drug–target interactions by preventing repeated drug rebinding
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
In our most recent work David Forrest has discovered a widespread mechanisms linking transcription initiation to DNA supercoiling...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The bacterial RNA polymerase-associated CarD protein couples promoter activity to DNA supercoiling - Nature Communications
The transcription factor CarD facilitates the activation of transcription in many bacteria and in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, CarD compensates for suboptimal promoter DNA sequences. Here, the authors sho...
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:36 PM
In our most recent work David Forrest has discovered a widespread mechanisms linking transcription initiation to DNA supercoiling...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
FRED: a universal tool to generate FAIR metadata for omics experiments www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs
February 5, 2026 at 2:31 PM
FRED: a universal tool to generate FAIR metadata for omics experiments www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
What does competition for iron look like for pathogens in different environments? We had the chance to contribute to this great paper looking at Salmonella in the gut with the Cunrath Lab (UoStrasbourg). Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH url: academic.oup.com/microlife/ar...
Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH
Abstract. Salmonella enterica, a prominent enteric pathogen, employs sophisticated iron acquisition mechanisms to overcome host-imposed iron limitation, no
academic.oup.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:39 PM
What does competition for iron look like for pathogens in different environments? We had the chance to contribute to this great paper looking at Salmonella in the gut with the Cunrath Lab (UoStrasbourg). Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH url: academic.oup.com/microlife/ar...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
New in JB: Bange, Dornes, et al. review the molecular basis for flagellar patterns and numbers across bacterial species.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
February 3, 2026 at 9:34 PM
New in JB: Bange, Dornes, et al. review the molecular basis for flagellar patterns and numbers across bacterial species.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates.
Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates - Research Professional News
Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:53 AM
MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates.
Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
A paper in Nature presents AlphaGenome, a deep learning model that can predict the function of long DNA sequences, up to one million base pairs. The tool can predict how DNA sequence variations affect different biological processes. go.nature.com/4t5JQa7 🧬 🧪
January 28, 2026 at 11:29 PM
A paper in Nature presents AlphaGenome, a deep learning model that can predict the function of long DNA sequences, up to one million base pairs. The tool can predict how DNA sequence variations affect different biological processes. go.nature.com/4t5JQa7 🧬 🧪
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
#NatMicroPicks
A bacterial symbiont wraps its flagllar filaments around its cell body to propel itself through narrow gut passages in its stinkbug host and hook flexibility is key for this 🪲🦠
by Yoshitomo Kikuchi & co @natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A bacterial symbiont wraps its flagllar filaments around its cell body to propel itself through narrow gut passages in its stinkbug host and hook flexibility is key for this 🪲🦠
by Yoshitomo Kikuchi & co @natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Bacteria break through one-micrometer-square passages by flagellar wrapping - Nature Communications
Yoshioka et al. show that bacteria wrap their flagella to squeeze through near cell-width confinements, which allows symbiotic microbes to navigate constricted gut regions within insect hosts.
www.nature.com
January 26, 2026 at 2:56 PM
#NatMicroPicks
A bacterial symbiont wraps its flagllar filaments around its cell body to propel itself through narrow gut passages in its stinkbug host and hook flexibility is key for this 🪲🦠
by Yoshitomo Kikuchi & co @natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A bacterial symbiont wraps its flagllar filaments around its cell body to propel itself through narrow gut passages in its stinkbug host and hook flexibility is key for this 🪲🦠
by Yoshitomo Kikuchi & co @natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Transcription Factor Promiscuity Drives Regulatory Rewiring and Evolvability in Gene Networks in Bacteria
(=Pseudomonas fluorescens)
Advanced Science, perspective by @taylorlabgroup.bsky.social & @alanrice.ie
Uni Bath's 60th anniversary special issue
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
(=Pseudomonas fluorescens)
Advanced Science, perspective by @taylorlabgroup.bsky.social & @alanrice.ie
Uni Bath's 60th anniversary special issue
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Transcription Factor Promiscuity Drives Regulatory Rewiring and Evolvability in Gene Networks in Bacteria
This special issue marking the University of Bath's 60th anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on nearly a decade of research into the evolution of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from members....
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:35 AM
Transcription Factor Promiscuity Drives Regulatory Rewiring and Evolvability in Gene Networks in Bacteria
(=Pseudomonas fluorescens)
Advanced Science, perspective by @taylorlabgroup.bsky.social & @alanrice.ie
Uni Bath's 60th anniversary special issue
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
(=Pseudomonas fluorescens)
Advanced Science, perspective by @taylorlabgroup.bsky.social & @alanrice.ie
Uni Bath's 60th anniversary special issue
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
A quorum-sensing molecule from Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces defensive multicellularity in a coinfecting pathogen
-in PNAS from @anukharelab.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
-in PNAS from @anukharelab.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A quorum-sensing molecule from Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces defensive multicellularity in a coinfecting pathogen | PNAS
Microorganisms commonly exist in polymicrobial communities, where they can respond
to interspecies secreted molecules by altering behaviors and phy...
www.pnas.org
January 24, 2026 at 11:38 AM
A quorum-sensing molecule from Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces defensive multicellularity in a coinfecting pathogen
-in PNAS from @anukharelab.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
-in PNAS from @anukharelab.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Dual-functional quorum sensing signal synthases DspII and DspI coordinate virulence switch in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
@natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Dual-functional quorum sensing signal synthases DspII and DspI coordinate virulence switch in Pseudomonas aeruginosa - Nature Communications
Here, the authors identify DspII, a functionally equivalent and indispensable partner of DspI in mediating the chronic-to-acute virulence switch in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a key adaptive stra...
www.nature.com
January 23, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Dual-functional quorum sensing signal synthases DspII and DspI coordinate virulence switch in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
@natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH
#microLife by @ferrytin.bsky.social et al from Olivier Cunrath
academic.oup.com/microlife/ad...
#microLife by @ferrytin.bsky.social et al from Olivier Cunrath
academic.oup.com/microlife/ad...
Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH
Abstract. Salmonella enterica, a prominent enteric pathogen, employs sophisticated iron acquisition mechanisms to overcome host-imposed iron limitation, no
academic.oup.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH
#microLife by @ferrytin.bsky.social et al from Olivier Cunrath
academic.oup.com/microlife/ad...
#microLife by @ferrytin.bsky.social et al from Olivier Cunrath
academic.oup.com/microlife/ad...
Reposted by Claudia Hemsley
Bacteria are amazing! The abundant Dps protein binds and protects DNA in stationary-phase cells with minimal effect on chromosome accessibility, dynamics, and organization. Now in NAR doi.org/10.1093/nar/...; I'm really proud of our multidisciplinary team led by Lauren, Lindsay, and Xiaofeng, et al.
January 16, 2026 at 11:16 PM