Jens Hör
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jenshoer.bsky.social
Jens Hör
@jenshoer.bsky.social
1.1K followers 390 following 67 posts
Molecular Principles of RNA Phages | Junior Professor @uni-wuerzburg.de | Group Leader @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social
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jenshoer.bsky.social
Jens Hör @jenshoer.bsky.social · Sep 4
I'm really happy to have been granted an @erc.europa.eu Starting Grant! We'll study the molecular principles of RNA phages—from infection to replication to bacterial immunity. Interested in joining? Feel free to reach out! Formal job ads to follow.

More info here:

tinyurl.com/RIBO-PHAGE

#ERCStG
1.5 million euros for research into “bacterial killers”
ERC Starting Grant awarded to Jens Hör from the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg
www.helmholtz-hiri.de
Reposted by Jens Hör
erinedoherty.bsky.social
Work I co-led with @jnoms.bsky.social is now online at
@cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social ! We revealed a previously unrealized diversity of viral immune-evasion proteins that selectively destroy different cyclic nucleotide signals used in bacterial immunity.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Divergent viral phosphodiesterases for immune signaling evasion
Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) and other short oligonucleotides play fundamental roles in immune system activation in organisms ranging from bacteria to …
www.sciencedirect.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social
Bacteriophage genome-wide transposon mutagenesis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.23.690004v1
November 25, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
molmicrounihoh.bsky.social
🫴 A ubiquitin-like protein controls assembly of a bacterial type VIIb secretion system:

| Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#subtiwiki
A ubiquitin-like protein controls assembly of a bacterial type VIIb secretion system
Cryo-EM structure reveals how a ubiquitin-like protein orchestrates assembly of a bacterial weapon system.
www.science.org
November 24, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
danielarothschild.bsky.social
Thrilled to share the core of my PhD work, now published in NAR!

This project was a true collaborative effort across multiple teams, and it was a joy to bring it to life.

Huge thanks to everyone involved, and especially to @fnobrega.bsky.social for the incredible support and guidance 🙏🏻

🧵1/5
narjournal.bsky.social Nucleic Acids Research @narjournal.bsky.social · 5d
⭐ NAR Breakthrough! ⭐

A community-driven collection uniting 52 phages, 74 Klebsiella isolates, and extensive genomic + phenotypic data — all freely available at klebphacol.org.
🧬 Learn more: doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
@fnobrega.bsky.social @danielarothschild.bsky.social #antimicrobialresistance
November 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
bejalab.bsky.social
Socially parasitic ant queens chemically induce queen-matricide in host workers www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 23, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
baym.lol
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics
From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
aharms485.bsky.social
🚨Preprint alert - this is a big one! We transfer the revolutionary power of TnSeq to bacteriophages.

Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.

A thread 1/8
November 20, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
ellinoralseth.bsky.social
Very happy to see this piece out in @plosbiology.org, on the bacterial immune systems and microbial communities. It was a great team effort with Rafael Custodio, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social , @brownlab.bsky.social, and Edze Westra! 🦠🧫 #phagesky #mevosky

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Bacterial immune systems as causes and consequences of microbiome structure
Bacterial immune systems have evolved in response to diverse molecular "parasites", yet their ecological roles remain poorly understood. This Essay explores how interactions between mobile genetic ele...
journals.plos.org
November 19, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
#Bakteriophagen - der Feind meines Feindes ist mein Freund. Diese #Viren, die gezielt #Bakterien befallen und vernichten, gelten als ein Hoffnungsträger im Kampf gegen multiresistente #Keime. Mehr über #Phagen erfahrt ihr in unserem Wissensportal. #WAAW2025 www.helmholtz-hzi.de/wissen/wisse...
Rasterelektronenmikroskopische Aufnahme einer Enterococcus faecium-Zelle (hellblau), die von Bakteriophagen (rot) infiziert wird. © HZI/Mathias Müsken
November 19, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
emmseveri.bsky.social
#microsky #phagesky

Structure of phage Ur-lambda

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Structural basis of bacteriophage Ur-lambda infection initiation
In situ structures reveal molecular insights into infection initiation of bacteriophage Ur-lambda.
www.science.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
whataweekhuh.bsky.social
Captain Haddock looking very frazzled, saying, “What a week, huh?” Tintin leans into the frame and says, “Captain, it’s Wednesday.” Snowy is very excited about the drink he has found.
November 19, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
sokrypton.org
A few py2Dmol updates 🧬

py2dmol.solab.org
Integration with AlphaFoldDB (will auto fetch results). Drag and drop results from AF3-server or ColabFold for interactive experience! (1/4)
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
kdebatisse.bsky.social
Our new paper is out in @narjournal.bsky.social We show that natural transformation enables bacteria to shuffle integron cassettes, boosting their phenotypic diversity.
academic.oup.com/nar/article/... 1/5
Bacterial natural transformation drives cassette shuffling and simplifies recombination in chromosomal integrons
Abstract. Integrons act as biobanks of gene cassettes conferring functions crucial for bacterial defense, including protection against phages and antibioti
academic.oup.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
Große Phagen, kleine Phagen, Phagen aus Primatenkot... 💩Die Forschenden am @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social, @helmholtz-hioh.bsky.social & HZI gehen in ihrer Bakteriophagen-Forschung an die Grenzen!
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @jenshoer.bsky.social @gerovac.bsky.social @jangogarten.bsky.social #WAAW2025
Elektronenmikroskopische Aufnahme von Pseudomonas aeruginosa, infiziert mit dem Jumbophagen ΦKZ (rot).
November 17, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
sternberglab.bsky.social
1/9 Metagenomics lets us read microbiomes in nature without cultivation, but writing (editing) them in their native context is still a major challenge.

Meet MetaEdit: a platform for pathway-scale metagenomic editing inside the gut microbiome. science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases
Although metagenomic sequencing has revealed a rich microbial biodiversity in the mammalian gut, methods to genetically alter specific species in the microbiome are highly limited. Here, we introduce ...
science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
owentuck.bsky.social
Our nuclease-protease story is out! We explored a fascinating case of coevolution and modularity in prokaryotic immune systems: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Recurrent acquisition of nuclease-protease pairs in antiviral immunity
Antiviral immune systems diversify by integrating new genes into existing pathways, creating new mechanisms of viral resistance. We identified genes encoding a predicted nuclease paired with a trypsin...
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
bostinalab.bsky.social
Cryo-EM structure of bacteriophage Bas63 reveals structural conservation and diversity in the Felixounavirus genus | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cryo-EM structure of bacteriophage Bas63 reveals structural conservation and diversity in the Felixounavirus genus
Cryo-EM of phage Bas63 reveals unique capsid and tail features, offering insights into Felixounavirus evolution and architecture.
www.science.org
November 12, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social
🚨 Applications close today! 🚨
@jenshoer.bsky.social is looking for a #postdoc & a #PhD student to join his lab. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of #phages with RNA genomes during infection, host takeover & anti-phage defense. 🧫🦠
➡️ www.helmholtz-hiri.de/en/jobs-tale...
Working at HIRI
At the HIRI, we do not just value excellent research. Short distances, an open door policy, and a good working atmosphere—this is what distinguishes us from others. Have a look at our current job…
www.helmholtz-hiri.de
November 13, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
hansonmark.bsky.social
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
jenshoer.bsky.social
Two days left to apply for a PhD or postdoc position in my lab!
jenshoer.bsky.social Jens Hör @jenshoer.bsky.social · Oct 17
Are you interested in studying RNA phages? We are looking for a PhD student and a postdoc to join the lab!

For more information and how to apply, see below 👇

Please RT!
helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social Helmholtz Institute Würzburg @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social · Oct 16
📢 The #HIRI is looking for a #postdoc & a #PhD student to join the research group of @jenshoer.bsky.social. His lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of #phages with #RNA genomes during infection, host takeover & anti-phage defense. 🧫🦠 More info: www.helmholtz-hiri.de/en/jobs-tale...
November 11, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
crisprflydesign.bsky.social
🤯This is wow! Molecular mechanism of mRNA export. by @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social @plaschkalab.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Illustration of the molecular mechanism controlling mRNA export.
November 6, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
apcamargo.bsky.social
🚨New preprint out!
We present a foundational genomic resource of human gut microbiome viruses. It delivers high-quality, deeply curated data spanning taxonomy, predicted hosts, structures, and functions, providing a reference for gut virome research. (1/8)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 6, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social
⏰ The deadline is fast approaching! Only one week left to submit your application at www.helmholtz-hiri.de/en/jobs-tale...
November 6, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Jens Hör
patrick-pausch.bsky.social
After 5 years of waiting, the new #CRISPR classification by Makarova et al. is out @natmicrobiol.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
An updated evolutionary classification of CRISPR–Cas systems including rare variants - Nature Microbiology
An exploration of previously undescribed variants from the long tail of the CRISPR–Cas distribution.
www.nature.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Jens Hör
ostermanilya.bsky.social
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...
November 6, 2025 at 5:00 AM