Durham University (@durham.ac.uk) and NEB scientists described the first biochemical characterization of GmrSD Type IV restriction enzyme substrate specificity and inhibition by phage protein IP1*. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2024.0072

Fer’s tour de force in B. anthracis is out! Fer got Tn-seq running, built an ordered knockout library, defined all essential sporulation genes, and found a peptidoglycan deacetylase inhibitor critical for engulfment. Including our first one-by-all Alphafold screen! journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Just got word that we are a go for the Bacterial Cell Biology and Development GRS and GRC at Southern New Hampshire University!

GRS will be on June 5-6, 2027

GRC will be from June 6-11, 2027

Block off your calendars Prokaryotic Cell Biologists!

More details to come! Please repost!

Phages are full of genes of unknown function that are likely adaptive in specific conditions.
New preprint: Phage TnSeq identifies essential genes rapidly and knocks all non-essentials. We would like to send a pool of phiKZ mutants to anyone wanting it! Reach out
tinyurl.com/bdcfrejh

I’m happy to share our new preprint! We uncovered the full diversity of bacterial TIR-based antiviral immune signaling, massively expanded the known diversity of Thoeris systems, and revealed conservation of TIR-derived immune signals across the tree of life.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

📢 We have multiple open PhD positions to study bacterial immune systems using cutting-edge cryo-EM, microbiology, and biochemistry in our group! Join us and uncover how bacterial defenses eliminate predators and engineer next-gen biotech tools.

🔥 Apply by Jan 8, 2026

Details: phd.pages.ista.ac.at

Check this out for the 2026 SISB (phage defense) meeting in NYC. Mark your calendar! (and note the Zoom option, if needed)
sisb2026.rockefeller.edu

Spatial constraint drives negative frequency dependent selection of phage weaponization https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.26.690769v1

First the link to the preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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/...

🚨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

I’m excited to share my recent postdoc work. Here, we interrogate how different phage infection outcomes (productive vs. restrictive) affect the expression of phage defense systems. We find that a restricted infection not only inhibits the phage but also induces increased immune protein abundance.

Join the Blokesch lab (@EPFL) as a postdoc in Molecular Microbiology 🤩
Study Vibrio cholerae defense systems (phage/plasmid) in a dynamic, collaborative environment in Lausanne close to Lake Geneva in 🇨🇭!
Please visit my lab's webpage for details about the position and how to formally apply.

Adams Group webpage is live! #NIAIDNews #IRPatNIH #ResearchingSpirochetes 🔬🧫🧬
(Consider joining our team!!)
www.niaid.nih.gov/research/ada...

Since we have had a big boom to bsky let me reintroduce myself.

I am Aisha Burton and a new PI at Cornell Micro. Currently on maternity leave but my two research techs are keeping the research going 🙏🏾. My lab is interested in studying small proteins and how they impact stress responses in bacteria

Really excited to share my first preprint as a postdoc! Here, we determined that the BREX-inhibitor, OrbA, encoded by the lytic phage ICP1 inhibits BREX through the ATPase BrxC in V. cholerae.

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

Attention phage/microbiology 🧫🦠enthusiasts- the Seed lab kimseedlab.com @UCBerkeley is hiring a staff research associate, an ideal opportunity for folks looking to gain research experience before grad school/professional school careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psp/ucb/EMPLOY… please share!

Yay @aishaburton.bsky.social glad to see this out!