Lilian Caesar
@liliancaesar.bsky.social
Postdoc at Newton Lab (@IUBiology). Eco-evolution of symbiosis. Microbiomes | Bees | Virus, Bact, Fungi. https://liliancaesar.com/
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
New preprint from our lab! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
@aiswarya.bsky.social tested the role of priority effects in shaping the honeybee gut microbiota using an elegant combinatorial experimental design. A thread🧵....
@aiswarya.bsky.social tested the role of priority effects in shaping the honeybee gut microbiota using an elegant combinatorial experimental design. A thread🧵....
| bioRxiv
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
www.biorxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:29 PM
New preprint from our lab! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
@aiswarya.bsky.social tested the role of priority effects in shaping the honeybee gut microbiota using an elegant combinatorial experimental design. A thread🧵....
@aiswarya.bsky.social tested the role of priority effects in shaping the honeybee gut microbiota using an elegant combinatorial experimental design. A thread🧵....
Time to start planning for ASM Microbe 2026! Among the amazing sessions announced (see link), Chris and I are thrilled to be convening “From the Rhizosphere to Pollinators: Studying Agricultural Microbiomes Across Biological Scales”. We can’t wait to see you all there! More details coming soon!
Some fantastic sessions being planned for ASM Microbe 2026, including "Long-term Dynamics of Environmental Microbiomes", and "Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Phages and Their Roles in Horizontal Gene Transfer". Get your abstract(s) ready, and join us June 4–7, 2026 in D.C. ! asm.org/events/asm-m...
November 24, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Time to start planning for ASM Microbe 2026! Among the amazing sessions announced (see link), Chris and I are thrilled to be convening “From the Rhizosphere to Pollinators: Studying Agricultural Microbiomes Across Biological Scales”. We can’t wait to see you all there! More details coming soon!
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Our work is out in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social!
Aranzazu nicely summarized it below.
#infection #symbiosky
#immunity #AcademicSky #insect #symbiosis #Drosophila
Aranzazu nicely summarized it below.
#infection #symbiosky
#immunity #AcademicSky #insect #symbiosis #Drosophila
Ever wonder how host genetics shape the microbiota? We found that heparan sulfate biosynthesis is a major host driver of L. plantarum levels. During infection, NF-κB increases HS, expanding commensals, enhancing resistance and maintaining gut homeostasis. www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Infection-induced elevation of gut glycosaminoglycans fosters microbiota expansion in Drosophila melanogaster
Arias-Rojas et al. performed a genome-wide association study in Drosophila melanogaster
and identified host genetic variants, particularly in heparan sulfate synthesis genes,
associated with increased...
www.cell.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Our work is out in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social!
Aranzazu nicely summarized it below.
#infection #symbiosky
#immunity #AcademicSky #insect #symbiosis #Drosophila
Aranzazu nicely summarized it below.
#infection #symbiosky
#immunity #AcademicSky #insect #symbiosis #Drosophila
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
New study shows bee bread has a stable core microbiota 🐝🧬 Miticides had only weak effects, with slight drops in non-core diversity. Honey bee nutrition is more microbially resilient than we thought. 💛
peerj.com/articles/203...
peerj.com/articles/203...
The bee bread of honey bees is characterized by a core microbiota despite the application of miticide treatments and variation across space and time
Background Bee bread is composed of a mixture of pollen and nectar used as the main source of proteins and lipids for the development of bee larvae. Despite its important role in honey bee food preser...
peerj.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:21 PM
New study shows bee bread has a stable core microbiota 🐝🧬 Miticides had only weak effects, with slight drops in non-core diversity. Honey bee nutrition is more microbially resilient than we thought. 💛
peerj.com/articles/203...
peerj.com/articles/203...
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Our session on symbiosis and biointeractions for the #Astrobiology meeting #AbSciCon26 was accepted! Please share widely and submit your abstract by 14 of January 2026; Let's put more biology into Astrobiology!
agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...
agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...
November 21, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Our session on symbiosis and biointeractions for the #Astrobiology meeting #AbSciCon26 was accepted! Please share widely and submit your abstract by 14 of January 2026; Let's put more biology into Astrobiology!
agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...
agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
🚨NEW paper: Benchmarking Hi-C for virus–host inference
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
A clear baseline for anyone mapping virus–host interactions that establishes robust, benchmarked thresholds for Hi-C linkages.
Key results: 👇
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
A clear baseline for anyone mapping virus–host interactions that establishes robust, benchmarked thresholds for Hi-C linkages.
Key results: 👇
Benchmarking with synthetic communities provides a baseline for virus-host inferences from Hi-C proximity linking
Virus discovery has accelerated but linking viruses to hosts remains challenging. This study uses synthetic microbiomes to optimize and benchmark Hi-C for virus-host linkage inference, and applies thi...
journals.plos.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:31 PM
🚨NEW paper: Benchmarking Hi-C for virus–host inference
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
A clear baseline for anyone mapping virus–host interactions that establishes robust, benchmarked thresholds for Hi-C linkages.
Key results: 👇
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
A clear baseline for anyone mapping virus–host interactions that establishes robust, benchmarked thresholds for Hi-C linkages.
Key results: 👇
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
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/...
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
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/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Excited to share our new review article on Viral Dark Matter led by PhD student @kosmopoulos.bsky.social. We talk about what is known and unknown in the world of viruses (specifically phage), and highlight future opportunities for research and biotechnology. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Viral Dark Matter: Illuminating Protein Function, Ecology, and Biotechnological Promises
Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play central roles in shaping microbiomes and influencing ecosystem functions. Yet, most viral genes remain uncharacterized, comprising w...
pubs.acs.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Excited to share our new review article on Viral Dark Matter led by PhD student @kosmopoulos.bsky.social. We talk about what is known and unknown in the world of viruses (specifically phage), and highlight future opportunities for research and biotechnology. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Hey folks, we (the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University) are looking for an Assistant Teaching Professor in microbiology and immunology. Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested, or check it out if you are interested yourself!
apply.interfolio.com/176994
apply.interfolio.com/176994
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Hey folks, we (the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University) are looking for an Assistant Teaching Professor in microbiology and immunology. Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested, or check it out if you are interested yourself!
apply.interfolio.com/176994
apply.interfolio.com/176994
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Absolutely delighted to have been awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship! I will be moving to the University of Manchester @mermanchester.bsky.social to research early endosymbiont evolution
#microsky #symbiosky
#microsky #symbiosky
Meet the new cohort of exceptional researchers who have been awarded more than £83 million worth of early career fellowships by the Royal Society, working on research spanning the sciences: #RSGrants: https://bit.ly/49jMkKx
Exceptional researchers awarded early career fellowships worth more than £83 million | Royal Society
A new cohort of exceptional researchers at have been awarded funding through the Royal Society’s early career schemes, the University Research Fellowship (URF), Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship (DHF) and Ne...
bit.ly
November 14, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Absolutely delighted to have been awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship! I will be moving to the University of Manchester @mermanchester.bsky.social to research early endosymbiont evolution
#microsky #symbiosky
#microsky #symbiosky
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
In mice yes: this type of “one-sided” selection experiment has been done in plants (with positive outcomes) and was tried in flies (no effect). So this is the second time it’s been tried in an animal and first time in a mammal @suzukilab.bsky.social 🦠🧫
Selection and transmission of the gut #microbiome alone, without changes in the host genome, can shift mammalian behaviour
(in mice)
@microbiome.bsky.social
(in mice)
@microbiome.bsky.social
Selection and transmission of the gut microbiome alone can shift mammalian behavior - Nature Communications
Here, the authors present evidence that the gut microbiome alone, without changes in the host genome, can shape how animals respond to selection, identifying a bacterium and its metabolite that independently reduce mouse locomotion.
bit.ly
November 14, 2025 at 4:57 PM
In mice yes: this type of “one-sided” selection experiment has been done in plants (with positive outcomes) and was tried in flies (no effect). So this is the second time it’s been tried in an animal and first time in a mammal @suzukilab.bsky.social 🦠🧫
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
The Lariviere lab at UMiami is recruiting PhD students! Incoming students will join us in studying host-microbe interactions in the honey bee gut, using molecular and genetic approaches. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
#Symbiosis #SymbioSky #MicroSky #PhDOpportunity #AcademicJobs
#Symbiosis #SymbioSky #MicroSky #PhDOpportunity #AcademicJobs
November 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The Lariviere lab at UMiami is recruiting PhD students! Incoming students will join us in studying host-microbe interactions in the honey bee gut, using molecular and genetic approaches. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
#Symbiosis #SymbioSky #MicroSky #PhDOpportunity #AcademicJobs
#Symbiosis #SymbioSky #MicroSky #PhDOpportunity #AcademicJobs
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Fungi coat the eggs of stinkbugs, creating a shield that protects the embryos from parasitic wasps, researchers report.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/43kl3np
Learn more: https://scim.ag/43kl3np
November 10, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Fungi coat the eggs of stinkbugs, creating a shield that protects the embryos from parasitic wasps, researchers report.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/43kl3np
Learn more: https://scim.ag/43kl3np
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
🚨vConTACT3 preprint live!🚨(Peer Review soon...!)
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
Scalable and systematic hierarchical virus taxonomy with vConTACT3
Viruses are key players in diverse ecosystems, but studying their impacts is technically and taxonomically challenging. Taxonomic complexities derive from undersampling, diverse DNA and RNA genomes wi...
doi.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
🚨vConTACT3 preprint live!🚨(Peer Review soon...!)
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
🚨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...
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
🚨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...
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...
Enjoying Portland’s fall moss before #EntSoc2025! Join me Sunday (8–8:20 AM, Room B114) for my talk on how space and species shape stingless bee colony microbiomes — part of the symposium 'Inside and Out: Roles of Environmental and Gut Symbioses' with lots of great talks!
November 7, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Enjoying Portland’s fall moss before #EntSoc2025! Join me Sunday (8–8:20 AM, Room B114) for my talk on how space and species shape stingless bee colony microbiomes — part of the symposium 'Inside and Out: Roles of Environmental and Gut Symbioses' with lots of great talks!
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Preprint: Bacteria sense virus-induced genome degradation via methylated mononucleotides
tinyurl.com/ch3damp
We show how molecular byproducts released during virus-induced cell exploitation are used as signals to trigger host immunity
Revealed by the amazing Ilya Osterman. See his thread below👇
tinyurl.com/ch3damp
We show how molecular byproducts released during virus-induced cell exploitation are used as signals to trigger host immunity
Revealed by the amazing Ilya Osterman. See his thread below👇
November 6, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Preprint: Bacteria sense virus-induced genome degradation via methylated mononucleotides
tinyurl.com/ch3damp
We show how molecular byproducts released during virus-induced cell exploitation are used as signals to trigger host immunity
Revealed by the amazing Ilya Osterman. See his thread below👇
tinyurl.com/ch3damp
We show how molecular byproducts released during virus-induced cell exploitation are used as signals to trigger host immunity
Revealed by the amazing Ilya Osterman. See his thread below👇
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
🧬 🦠 🏙️
Urban vs rural lifestyles create dramatically different gut microbiomes. But how do these different gut microbiomes affect the host?
Excited to share our new paper: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Urban vs rural lifestyles create dramatically different gut microbiomes. But how do these different gut microbiomes affect the host?
Excited to share our new paper: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 5, 2025 at 2:04 AM
🧬 🦠 🏙️
Urban vs rural lifestyles create dramatically different gut microbiomes. But how do these different gut microbiomes affect the host?
Excited to share our new paper: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Urban vs rural lifestyles create dramatically different gut microbiomes. But how do these different gut microbiomes affect the host?
Excited to share our new paper: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Hi everyone, a few years ago, we started a list of labs studying bacterial immunty for students, editors, conference organizers... (currently n=79).
Update time ! Send me a message to 1) add your lab or others 2) Correct info
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#Phagesky #Microsky
Update time ! Send me a message to 1) add your lab or others 2) Correct info
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#Phagesky #Microsky
Labs in bacterial immunity
docs.google.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Hi everyone, a few years ago, we started a list of labs studying bacterial immunty for students, editors, conference organizers... (currently n=79).
Update time ! Send me a message to 1) add your lab or others 2) Correct info
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#Phagesky #Microsky
Update time ! Send me a message to 1) add your lab or others 2) Correct info
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#Phagesky #Microsky
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
#EntSoc25
Tuesday Nov 11 at 8am in Portland Ballroom 256
Meet our Curator Panelists
Jhon Neita 🇨🇴, Patricia Estrada 🇨🇱, Adilson Pinedo Escatel 🇲🇽, Javier Muzon 🇦🇷,Mauricio Herrera Madrid 🇪🇨, Gyanpriya Maharaj 🇬🇾, Kelli Ramos 🇧🇷
Tuesday Nov 11 at 8am in Portland Ballroom 256
Meet our Curator Panelists
Jhon Neita 🇨🇴, Patricia Estrada 🇨🇱, Adilson Pinedo Escatel 🇲🇽, Javier Muzon 🇦🇷,Mauricio Herrera Madrid 🇪🇨, Gyanpriya Maharaj 🇬🇾, Kelli Ramos 🇧🇷
November 4, 2025 at 10:42 PM
#EntSoc25
Tuesday Nov 11 at 8am in Portland Ballroom 256
Meet our Curator Panelists
Jhon Neita 🇨🇴, Patricia Estrada 🇨🇱, Adilson Pinedo Escatel 🇲🇽, Javier Muzon 🇦🇷,Mauricio Herrera Madrid 🇪🇨, Gyanpriya Maharaj 🇬🇾, Kelli Ramos 🇧🇷
Tuesday Nov 11 at 8am in Portland Ballroom 256
Meet our Curator Panelists
Jhon Neita 🇨🇴, Patricia Estrada 🇨🇱, Adilson Pinedo Escatel 🇲🇽, Javier Muzon 🇦🇷,Mauricio Herrera Madrid 🇪🇨, Gyanpriya Maharaj 🇬🇾, Kelli Ramos 🇧🇷
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Had to draw a cartoon for this fascinating finding!
Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#SymbioSky
Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#SymbioSky
November 1, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Had to draw a cartoon for this fascinating finding!
Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#SymbioSky
Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#SymbioSky
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Now online! Bacterial tubular networks channel carbohydrates in insect endosymbiosis
Bacterial tubular networks channel carbohydrates in insect endosymbiosis
Bacteria with an intracellular lifestyle need to feed from inside their host cells. This study shows an adaptation of certain symbiotic bacteria, allowing them to actively retrieve nutrients from the host. High-pressure cryofixation has been combined with volume electron microscopy and in situ high spatial resolution chemical analysis. It reveals a complex bacterial membranous network that increases the exchange interface between the bacteria and host cytosol and maximizes carbohydrate acquisition.
dlvr.it
October 28, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Now online! Bacterial tubular networks channel carbohydrates in insect endosymbiosis
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
I cannot believe our work is finally out there and in @journal-evo.bsky.social ! This was an enormous group effort!
We provide an updated estimate of the number of buzz pollinated angiosperm species, genera, and families, look at consequences for diversification, number of transitions, and more!
We provide an updated estimate of the number of buzz pollinated angiosperm species, genera, and families, look at consequences for diversification, number of transitions, and more!
October 23, 2025 at 5:34 AM
I cannot believe our work is finally out there and in @journal-evo.bsky.social ! This was an enormous group effort!
We provide an updated estimate of the number of buzz pollinated angiosperm species, genera, and families, look at consequences for diversification, number of transitions, and more!
We provide an updated estimate of the number of buzz pollinated angiosperm species, genera, and families, look at consequences for diversification, number of transitions, and more!
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Our latest Research Briefing is out, on using metaproteomics and stable isotope labelling to uncover rare species involved in carbon turnover www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Identifying rare and active species that drive carbon turnover in complex microbiotas - Nature Microbiology
By combining bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging, metaproteomics and stable isotope probing, we identified a rare and uncharacterized bacterium with a glycine-mediated metabolism for syntro...
www.nature.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Our latest Research Briefing is out, on using metaproteomics and stable isotope labelling to uncover rare species involved in carbon turnover www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lilian Caesar
Very excited to share the latest work from our lab, which was published today in Nature!
nature.com/articles/s41...
PhD graduate and now post-doc Sofia Dahlman, along with co-senior author Sam Forster from The Hudson and other researchers from our lab and others.
nature.com/articles/s41...
PhD graduate and now post-doc Sofia Dahlman, along with co-senior author Sam Forster from The Hudson and other researchers from our lab and others.
Isolation, engineering and ecology of temperate phages from the human gut - Nature
Human host-associated cellular products may act as induction agents for bacteriophages.
nature.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Very excited to share the latest work from our lab, which was published today in Nature!
nature.com/articles/s41...
PhD graduate and now post-doc Sofia Dahlman, along with co-senior author Sam Forster from The Hudson and other researchers from our lab and others.
nature.com/articles/s41...
PhD graduate and now post-doc Sofia Dahlman, along with co-senior author Sam Forster from The Hudson and other researchers from our lab and others.