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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Ellie Jameson @elliejameson.bsky.social · 3d

Day 5, Moon. The physical structures of phages are often compared to the shape and landing action of a lunar lander, with tail fibres reminiscent of the landing struts, to gently settle on the surface of its host. #Drawtober #SciArt #Phagesky

Black and white ink drawing of the moon, with a giant phage on the top right that is half the width of the moon. The moon and phage are white, surrounded by a black circular background of messy, overlapping concentric circles

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Martial Marbouty @mmarbout.bsky.social · 19d

You like phages ? In this publication, we use metaHiC and our new version of the MetaTOR pipeline to challenge the traditional view of phages with a narrow host range.
@rkoszul.bsky.social @natmicrobiol.nature.com @cnrs.fr @institutpasteur.bsky.social

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

Phages with a broad host range are common across ecosystems - Nature Microbiology

Proximity-ligation-based sequencing from 111 samples and 5 environments reveals that a substantial proportion of phages infect multiple species.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Alice Maestri @alicemaestri.bsky.social · 26d

We're looking for a technician at Institut Pasteur for experimental work on satellite-phage-bacteria interactions, working directly with @jmouradesousa.bsky.social and myself in the lab of @epcrocha.bsky.social ! ANR funded.

Link to the job emploi.pasteur.fr/offre-de-emp...
Thx for sharing!

INSTITUT PASTEUR - Technicien de recherche Microbiologie H/F

emploi.pasteur.fr

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Eduardo Rocha @epcrocha.bsky.social · Sep 8

Willing to join us @pasteur.fr for a PhD for a project on how interactions between mobile genetic elements shape bacterial adaptation? Subject to be tailored to candidates with keen interest in evolution, genomics, computational biology, microbiology. Check www.pasteur.fr/en/education...

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Siân Owen @sianowen.bsky.social · Aug 28

An inspiring read!
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
A beautiful historical perspective on Ester Lederberg's legacy from @ccwendling.bsky.social & @zacharybailey.bsky.social

Pioneer of bacterial genetics: the legacy of Esther Miriam Lederberg

Abstract. Esther Miriam Lederberg's brilliant scientific lifework, from the discovery of phage lambda, bacterial conjugation, and replica plating, provided

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Carolin Wendling @ccwendling.bsky.social · Sep 4

Interested in exploring prophages in your (meta)genomes, but don't know how and where to start? We've put together a beginners guide to exploring viral diversity in prokaryotes @marievasse.bsky.social
@sebwielgoss.bsky.social
@oxunipress.bsky.social

Séb Wielgoss @sebwielgoss.bsky.social · Sep 4

Our new review is out in
Briefings in Bioinformatics

Phage quest: a beginner’s guide to explore viral diversity in the prokaryotic world

@ccwendling.bsky.social
@marievasse.bsky.social
@sebwielgoss.bsky.social
@oxunipress.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1093/bib/...

Phage quest: a beginner’s guide to explore viral diversity in the prokaryotic world

Abstract. The increasing interest in finding new viruses within (meta)genomic datasets has fueled the development of computational tools for virus detectio

doi.org

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Anne Chevallereau @annechevallereau.bsky.social · Sep 5

Happy to see our paper out!

Functional assessment of anti-phage defence systems in their native clinical E. coli host
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Thread in previous post 👇

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · Aug 22

Part of the XPLAIN team (Xanthomonas-PLAnts INteractions) from @phimresearch.bsky.social, Montpellier, at the @eseb2025.bsky.social meeting in Barcelona ! (with Claire Neema)

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Chloé Feltin @chloe-feltin.bsky.social · Aug 11

New preprint out! 🧬🦠🌱

What shapes #phage–bacteria #networks in #plant environments?
- Ecological origins of bacteria and phages?
- Phage taxonomy?
- Bacterial phylogeny?
- #Prophages? #Defence-systems?

📖 here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Discover which of these actually shape the network 👇

Ecological ubiquity and phylogeny drive nestedness in phages–bacteria networks and shape the bacterial defensome

Identifying the ecological and evolutionary factors that shape phage–bacterial interactions is key to understanding their dynamics in microbial communities. Yet, such interactions remain poorly charac...

www.biorxiv.org

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · Jul 28

(4/4)
This study underscores the importance of genetic analyses and ecological trade-offs in understanding phage host range, with implications for basic research and applied use in biocontrol or therapy. We hope the PHRI will support #phage researchers in exploring host-range! 😀

Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · Jul 28

(3/4)
PHRI values align with modular/nested structures in phage–bacteria networks, confirming methodological consistency. We also propose and provide evidence that generalist phages are more likely to be represented in #CRISPR-Cas immune system of bacteria than specialist phages.

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · Jul 28

(2/4)
We present a new phylogenetic host-range index (PHRI) that incorporates bacterial genetic diversity to classify phages as specialists or generalists. Using epidemiological data, we link host range to local bacterial diversity and show that virulence–host range trade-offs are context-dependent

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · Jul 28

(1/4)
Phage host range matters for both fundamental and applied research, but how do we measure viral specialisation or generalism? We analyse diverse phages from Mauritius and Reunion infecting #Ralstonia spp. to test eco-evolutionary hypotheses and improve host-range analysis methods.

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · Jul 28

After many years in the making, here is our host range #phage paper with #ecology, #evolution and #biocontrol perspectives published in Molecular Ecology! @phimresearch.bsky.social‬ @inrae-pv.bsky.social‬ #PVBMT #JulianGarneau onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
These are our key findings:

A Phylogenetic Host‐Range Index Reveals Ecological Constraints in Phage Specialisation and Virulence

Phages are typically known for having a limited host range, targeting particular strains within a bacterial species, but accurately measuring their specificity remains challenging. Factors like the g...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Eugen Pfeifer @eugenpfeifer.bsky.social · Jul 28

Excited 🥳 to share our latest work on gut phages!
Big thanks to @epcrocha.bsky.social, Erick D, Camille d'H, @fplazaonate.bsky.social, Quentin LB, and all others involved for support and contributions! 🙌
Out in Cell Reports @cp-cellreports.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Here's what we found 🤓

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · Jul 9

🔬 24-month postdoc position Opening: "Rice Disease Metagenomics in East Africa"
Join UMR PHIM (Montpellier, France) @phimresearch.bsky.social
🧬 Oxford Nanopore long-read metagenomics
🌍 3-month field mission in Kenya
⚙️ Recent PhDs
Apply: [email protected]
#PostdocJobs #Metagenomics #Rice

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Danna Gifford @dannagifford.bsky.social · Jun 26

📣 Position available: Research tech in microbial experimental evolution! Working alongside postdoc Louise Flanagan (@flanagella.bsky.social) on understanding how Pseudomonas evolves resistance to antibiotics. 🦠🧫
Closing 9 July #Microsky
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Research Technician :Oxford Road

www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Vivek Mutalik @vivekmutalik.bsky.social · Jun 21

#phage #phagesky

Meaghan Castledine @mcastd.bsky.social · Jun 20

How do multiple coexisting bacteria and phages (co)evolve? Well... they don't (or do so much less!

In this paper we tracked bacteria-phage (co)evolution in monoculture (individual bacteria-phage pairs) or in polyculture (all three pairs) over 6 weeks. Read more here👇
doi.org/10.1099/mic....

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Anne Chevallereau @annechevallereau.bsky.social · Jun 4

✍️ We had a great time writing this Spotlight article on one of our favorite topics: how phages interact with each other! 🦠
From cooperation to competition, phage-phage interactions reveal a fascinating layer of microbial life that’s often overlooked.
A piece crafted by the talented Josie Elliott!

lenabue.bsky.social @lenabue.bsky.social · Jun 4

Honored to have our paper featured in the Spotlight of @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
by authors @josie-e.bsky.social & @annechevallereau.bsky.social

Thank you for making our work more accessible and highlighting its relevance!
www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X%2825%2900158-1

Fast phages outcompete by depleting host resources

In nature, phages frequently coinfect bacteria, leading to inter-species competition. Furthermore, phage therapy often involves using a cocktail of different species to circumvent bacterial resistance...

www.cell.com

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Uli Klümper @ulikluemper.bsky.social · Jun 2

Engineering soil with phages to fight #AMR. Very cool.

"Harnessing phage consortia to mitigate the soil antibiotic resistome by targeting keystone taxa Streptomyces"

by Hanpeng Liao et al. in @microbiomej.bsky.social

microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Harnessing phage consortia to mitigate the soil antibiotic resistome by targeting keystone taxa Streptomyces - Microbiome

Background Antimicrobial resistance poses a substantial and growing threat to global health. While antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are tracked most closely in clinical settings, their spread remain...

microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Jyot Antani @antanij.bsky.social · May 16

Our latest preprint just dropped @paulturnerlab.bsky.social

We evolved bacteria on swim plates, against a phage that attacks through the flagellum. Motility trades off AND trades up(!!) with phage-resistance!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

MMSB-Lyon @mmsb-lyon.bsky.social · May 14

Le MMSB propose une mobilité NOEMI
Rejoignez l'équipe "Ecologie et Évolution Moléculaire des Phages" qui travaille sur les éléments génétiques mobiles et l'immunité bactérienne. Profil Génétique bactérienne, Écologie microbienne et Evolution expérimentale
🤝Contactez-nous pour rejoindre notre unité!

MMSB – Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry

mmsb.cnrs.fr

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Reposted by Clara Torres-Barceló

Rodrigo Sánchez Martínez @rodrisanchez95.bsky.social · May 12

Officially published! 🧬🦠
What if more phages didn't mean more death? We show that even strictly lytic phages can stabilize host populations via persistent, episomal infections (often referred to as pseudolysogeny). It's time to move beyond the lysis/lysogeny binary. #phagesky #microsky

Rodrigo Sánchez Martínez @rodrisanchez95.bsky.social · Apr 11

Thrilled to share the first part of my PhD, published today in The ISME Journal! A wonderful collaboration with Akash Arani (co-first author), @joshuasweitz.bsky.social , and @mkrupovic.bsky.social . Huge thanks to my mentors Fer and Pepa for their constant support. Let’s keep going! #phage

Episomal virus maintenance enables bacterial population recovery from infection and promotes virus-bacterial coexistence

Abstract. Viruses are ubiquitous in aquatic environments with total densities of virus-like particles often exceeding 107/ml in surface marine oligotrophic

academic.oup.com

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · May 9

There are some papers on that, although they do not always agree on the best solution. For example : www.nature.com/articles/s41...; doi.org/10.1111/jam....

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Clara Torres-Barceló @clara-inrae.bsky.social · May 9

Hi! I work with phage communities from plant samples. If the sample volume allows, I typically store them at both -80°C (with glycerol) and 4°C, though I haven't systematically tested the differences. Also, the choice of tube material seems to matter!

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