@rowancallumg.bsky.social @knightjar.bsky.social @rokkrasovec.bsky.social et al. study the antimutator ΔnudJ to highlight the value of considering mutation rate and mutational spectrum to understand the evolution of mutation rate-modifying alleles. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf182 #evobio #molbio

Great thread! All good, but this does grab the attention: "our findings with ΔnudJ suggest future anti-evolution drug strategies could suppress spontaneous resistance evolution not only through minimizing resistance mutations but also by specifically limiting access to the fittest mutations."

New paper out @molbioevol.bsky.social on antimutator Ecoli, mutational spectra and the distribution of fitness effects of antibiotic resistance with @knightjar.bsky.social @rokkrasovec.bsky.social and others @mermanchester.bsky.social doi.org/pzfm Read🧵for highlights and fun stats (1/13)

🦠 New paper led by James Horton (feat. J Cherry & @gretelwaugh.bsky.social) reveals GnT DNA motif can boost T→A mutation rates up to 1000×, & how tweaking nearby bases can fine-tune its potency. General across bacteria + potential in synbio. 📄 academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-ar… 🔗 James’s thread ⬇️

Aerobic bacteria show higher A>G (and lower G>A) mutation rate than anaerobes. First results in bioinformatic project to estimate mutation spectra across bacterial tree under my supervision. Qs and ideas are wellcome. #SMBE2025

Amazing conference

Same genome, different shape, different outcome. SOS-independent phenotypic differences shape survival in E. coli. Very happy to share our preprint!

Empty desk in Manchester ready for new adventures in microbial evolution elsewhere 🤯🦠 I can't express how much I will miss everyone in @mermanchester.bsky.social (leaving was made a little sweeter by my first ever 'best talk' prize at #northernBUG / #YUEG at @huddersfielduni.bsky.social last week)

We have a 2-year postdoc position available in the Lind Lab at Umeå University, Sweden! Predicting and steering experimental evolution of antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Reposts appreciated. umu.varbi.com/en/?jobtoken...

Thank you so much to my examiners for a great discussion. And to my supervisors and lab mates for making the past 4 years such a positive and formative experience! @mermanchester.bsky.social is the place to be ❤️ (also thank you to e coli for mutating every day, all of your mutations are appreciated)

Glad to see this out today in MEE! The rarity of mutations and the inflation of bacterial effective population sizes besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #popgen #populationgenetics #evolution #bacteriagenomics #bacteria #microsky #statsstandrews @uniofstandrews.bsky.social

Excited to speak at #PGG58 / #PopGroup58 about mutation rates, mutation spectra, antibiotic resistance and (if I talk fast enough) how the environment affects these. Tuesday in LT3 right after lunch. 🦠🧬 Come for the mutations, stay for the Bluey colour schemed ggplots. 📊🟦🟧

Fully funded PhD project on single-molecule dynamics of phages & plasmids. Join us and learn a broad range of skills, from synthetic biology and evolution to 3D microscopy. #AMR #microscopy Please contact me directly if you wish to discuss informally and please repost! tinyurl.com/mrjmze7j

Amazing project and supervisors!!! 🔬🦠🧑‍🔬

🚨 The Whelan lab is hiring! 🚨 We're looking for a Research Assistant to join our lab at U of Manchester. We're seeking someone with experience in microbiology & microbiome to support our growing group. Note this isn't a postdoc role (though keep 👀 for those announcements soon!) #Microsky 🧪 🧬 💻

1st foray into T6SS with talented @mermanchester.bsky.social fellow Will Smith: eco-evo models and experimental evolution show how and why producing multiple toxins blocks resistance evolution (even though cross-resistance can evolve under single-toxin attack) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

#Evo2024 Tomorrow! Giving my talk on mutators, multidrug resistance evolution and evolutionary rescue. 516B at 9:30 Tues 30 July in the Evolutionary Rescue Symposium.

#Evol2024 come along tomorrow morning at 10:30 in 520C if you want to hear about mutation rate/spectrum plasticity and an E. coli strain with a super low mutation rate 🧬🦠💻

Super excited that the final version of our paper on mutation rate plasticity and oxidative stress is out now at PLoS biology! This paper shows how mutation rates are a highly dynamic trait shaped by genotype, community composition and abiotic factors. 1/8 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

#SMBE2024 poster ready to go! Come and chat about mutation rate plasticity, h2o2, simulations, fluctuation assays and e.coli // e.faecalis cocultures. (Also @mermanchester.bsky.social visits teotihuacan, feeling very lucky to be in Mexico).

We had a great time at the Community Festival this weekend! It was amazing to chat with so many people about all things microbial and see the wonderful creations on our Make Your Own Bacteria stand!

@mermanchester.bsky.social Absolutely smashing the Manchester 10k once again 🧪🧑‍🔬💪

So excited to say I have been awarded a discipline hopping grant from the University of Manchester - I'll be going back to my old love Bdellovibrio and starting some work in plant systems in the dept of science and engineering 🌱 can't wait! @mermanchester.bsky.social

I’m starting a special interest group with monthly seminars + discussion focused on the role of mutation in evolution covering #evobio #popgen #histsci #philsci Upcoming speakers: @PeterALind, @DeepaAgashe, Grey Monroe, Rose Novick, Alex Klug To join, email <myfirstname>@umd.edu Please repost

Had an awesome time making multicoloured bubbles from catalase enzymes with these amazing, smart kids! (Even if the students got their own microbiology experiment going by giving me the flu 🤧)

We are hiring! RA position developing automated approaches to studying microbiomes. Lots of scope for playing with different robots etc. Feel free to get in touch if interested or have questions! www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

If understanding the eco-evo dynamics of Icelandic hot-spring microbial communities sounds like fun, then this might be the perfect PhD for you! With @coytelab.bsky.social and Sophie Nixon and part of an exciting multidisciplinary consortium www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

#MEEhubs2024 was an incredible conference with amazing organisers!! Had a great time speaking, listening and chatting!