Leah McPhillips
@leahmcphillips.bsky.social
Microbiology PhD student in Tung Le’s lab at the John Innes Centre - interested in all things Streptomyces and plasmid related 🔬🧫 She/Her
Pinned
Stable inheritance of the Streptomyces linear plasmid SCP1 by dual ParABS partition systems
Low-copy-number plasmids often rely on dedicated maintenance mechanisms, such as partitioning systems, to ensure stable inheritance across generations. These partition systems actively segregate siste...
www.biorxiv.org
📄 Delighted to share that the preprint of my main PhD work is out now!
👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved, @tommclean.bsky.social, Govind Chandra, Ngat Tran (both not on BlueSky) and especially my PhD supervisor @tunglejic.bsky.social 👏
🧵 below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved, @tommclean.bsky.social, Govind Chandra, Ngat Tran (both not on BlueSky) and especially my PhD supervisor @tunglejic.bsky.social 👏
🧵 below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
Delighted to see the main work from my PhD finally published in @mbio.bsky.social! It all started with the observation that deleting the cutRS two-component system in S. venezuelae caused this amazing explorer phenotype in the presence of glucose. But what was going on?! (1/n)
December 16, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Delighted to see the main work from my PhD finally published in @mbio.bsky.social! It all started with the observation that deleting the cutRS two-component system in S. venezuelae caused this amazing explorer phenotype in the presence of glucose. But what was going on?! (1/n)
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
Very happy to see this remarkable work published. Led by @tommclean.bsky.social and @ainsley-beaton.bsky.social. We show how Streptomyces bacteria sense & respond to misfolded secreted proteins. A great collaboration with @barriewilks.bsky.social
#microsky
1/2
journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10....
#microsky
1/2
journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10....
The conserved two-component systems CutRS and CssRS control the protein secretion stress response in Streptomyces
journals.asm.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Very happy to see this remarkable work published. Led by @tommclean.bsky.social and @ainsley-beaton.bsky.social. We show how Streptomyces bacteria sense & respond to misfolded secreted proteins. A great collaboration with @barriewilks.bsky.social
#microsky
1/2
journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10....
#microsky
1/2
journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10....
📄 Delighted to share that the preprint of my main PhD work is out now!
👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved, @tommclean.bsky.social, Govind Chandra, Ngat Tran (both not on BlueSky) and especially my PhD supervisor @tunglejic.bsky.social 👏
🧵 below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved, @tommclean.bsky.social, Govind Chandra, Ngat Tran (both not on BlueSky) and especially my PhD supervisor @tunglejic.bsky.social 👏
🧵 below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Stable inheritance of the Streptomyces linear plasmid SCP1 by dual ParABS partition systems
Low-copy-number plasmids often rely on dedicated maintenance mechanisms, such as partitioning systems, to ensure stable inheritance across generations. These partition systems actively segregate siste...
www.biorxiv.org
December 11, 2025 at 1:25 PM
📄 Delighted to share that the preprint of my main PhD work is out now!
👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved, @tommclean.bsky.social, Govind Chandra, Ngat Tran (both not on BlueSky) and especially my PhD supervisor @tunglejic.bsky.social 👏
🧵 below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved, @tommclean.bsky.social, Govind Chandra, Ngat Tran (both not on BlueSky) and especially my PhD supervisor @tunglejic.bsky.social 👏
🧵 below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
NEWS - Professor Mark Buttner receives Marjory Stephenson Prize 2026
Professor Buttner, one of our Emeritus Fellows, has received the @microbiologysociety.org Marjory Stephenson Prize for 2026. Congratulations Mark! 👏
Read about his exceptional research and career: www.jic.ac.uk/news/profess...
Professor Buttner, one of our Emeritus Fellows, has received the @microbiologysociety.org Marjory Stephenson Prize for 2026. Congratulations Mark! 👏
Read about his exceptional research and career: www.jic.ac.uk/news/profess...
December 11, 2025 at 12:12 PM
NEWS - Professor Mark Buttner receives Marjory Stephenson Prize 2026
Professor Buttner, one of our Emeritus Fellows, has received the @microbiologysociety.org Marjory Stephenson Prize for 2026. Congratulations Mark! 👏
Read about his exceptional research and career: www.jic.ac.uk/news/profess...
Professor Buttner, one of our Emeritus Fellows, has received the @microbiologysociety.org Marjory Stephenson Prize for 2026. Congratulations Mark! 👏
Read about his exceptional research and career: www.jic.ac.uk/news/profess...
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
Our preprint is now published in PNAS! This came together thanks to a great collaboration with Antoine Hocher and a strong team effort from the Le Lab. Thank you to the reviewers and to everyone who helped improve it. I hope ParB aficionados will enjoy it.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Versatile NTP recognition and domain fusions expand the functional repertoire of the ParB-CTPase fold beyond chromosome segregation | PNAS
Nucleotide triphosphate (NTP)-dependent molecular switches regulate essential cellular
processes by cycling between active and inactive states thro...
www.pnas.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Our preprint is now published in PNAS! This came together thanks to a great collaboration with Antoine Hocher and a strong team effort from the Le Lab. Thank you to the reviewers and to everyone who helped improve it. I hope ParB aficionados will enjoy it.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
Bacteriologists - save the date for the next BacNet meeting in September 2026 #BacNet26 organised by @lalouxlab.bsky.social
Bacterial networks #BacNet26 in September 2026 will be chaired by @lalouxlab.bsky.social and co-chaired by @s-lab.bsky.social with @coralietesseur.bsky.social
Sneak peak on invited speakers and preliminary program:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bac...
Sneak peak on invited speakers and preliminary program:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bac...
November 20, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Bacteriologists - save the date for the next BacNet meeting in September 2026 #BacNet26 organised by @lalouxlab.bsky.social
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs.
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Beyond Immunity: Uncovering the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs (SCHLIMPERT_J26DTP) | Doctoral Training Partnership
Join us in exploring the hidden functions of ancient immune proteins in bacteria. Bacteria, like plants and animals, have evolved sophisticated systems to detect and respond to threats.
biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM
We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs.
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
new preprint from our group & Antoine Hocher: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A fantastic collaboration with Antoine, with Jovana Kaljevic' initiated the collaboration and drives the project.
A fantastic collaboration with Antoine, with Jovana Kaljevic' initiated the collaboration and drives the project.
Versatile NTP recognition and domain fusions expand the functional repertoire of the ParB-CTPase fold beyond chromosome segregation
Nucleotide triphosphate (NTP)-dependent molecular switches regulate essential cellular processes by cycling between active and inactive states through nucleotide binding and hydrolysis. These mechanis...
www.biorxiv.org
October 11, 2025 at 11:36 AM
new preprint from our group & Antoine Hocher: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A fantastic collaboration with Antoine, with Jovana Kaljevic' initiated the collaboration and drives the project.
A fantastic collaboration with Antoine, with Jovana Kaljevic' initiated the collaboration and drives the project.
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
Finally published! Many thanks to the reviewers and editor whose comments & suggestions improved this work significantly more than the first preprint version!!!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Expanding the diversity of bacterial DNA partitioning: A CTP-independent ParABS system for plasmid partitioning in Streptomyces | PNAS
The ATP- and CTP-dependent ParA-ParB-parS segrosome is a macromolecular complex that
segregates chromosomes/plasmids in most bacterial species. CTP...
www.pnas.org
July 2, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Finally published! Many thanks to the reviewers and editor whose comments & suggestions improved this work significantly more than the first preprint version!!!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Leah McPhillips
1/ Excited to share our latest work on gene transfer agents (GTAs) in Caulobacter crescentus, led by Emma Banks in collaboration with Pavol Bardy and Mai Nguyen from York!!! See a brief thread below.
shorturl.at/o6S1w
shorturl.at/o6S1w
A bacterial CARD-NLR immune system controls the release of gene transfer agents
Bacteria have evolved a wide array of immune systems to detect and defend against external threats including mobile genetic elements (MGEs) such as bacteriophages, plasmids, and transposons. MGEs are ...
shorturl.at
May 9, 2025 at 8:08 AM
1/ Excited to share our latest work on gene transfer agents (GTAs) in Caulobacter crescentus, led by Emma Banks in collaboration with Pavol Bardy and Mai Nguyen from York!!! See a brief thread below.
shorturl.at/o6S1w
shorturl.at/o6S1w