(not) Imran Khan
@imrsankhan.bsky.social
📤 158
📥 238
📝 25
UCC. Staph man. Insane for the membrane. He/Him.
pinned post!
Our work deciphering the substrate preferences of a di-/tripeptide transporter from S. aureus is now available as a proof at
@plos.org
Pathogens! Big thanks to the reviewers and to all the brilliant co-authors, particularly Callum who helped get those last few crucial experiments across the line
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Defined roles for the Staphylococcus aureus POT transporter DtpT in di/tripeptide uptake and glutathione utilisation inside human macrophages
Author summary The environments where bacterial pathogens thrive are often rich in proteins and their degradation products, including oligopeptides, which can be taken up by the bacterium and used as ...
https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1013535
6 months ago
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Faria Tryps Lab
about 14 hours ago
(1/7) How does T. brucei achieve a 140-fold stoichiometric excess of VSG mRNA over upstream ESAGs from a single polycistronic unit? Our latest research in
@natmicrobiol.nature.com
reveals a mechanism of spatially regulated RNA decay to fine-tune expression of virulence genes
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Nature Microbiology
14 days ago
Out Now! Clostridia from preterm infants metabolize human milk oligosaccharides to suppress pathobionts and modulate intestinal function in organoids
#MicroSky
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Clostridia from preterm infants metabolize human milk oligosaccharides to suppress pathobionts and modulate intestinal function in organoids
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 16 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02297-4Clostridium perfringens lacking perfringolysin O toxin isolated from preterm infants metabolizes human milk oligosaccharide disialyllacto-N-tetraose to produce metabolites that promote the growth of commensal bifidobacteria, inhibit pathogens and suppress inflammation in an organoid model.
https://go.nature.com/3P3RBhp
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
18 days ago
Staph-tastic day at UCC 😁@uccmicrobiology.bsky.social
@apcmicrobiomeirel.bsky.social
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Elegant work from Lizzie!! And very important for anyone interested in Staph biofilms
add a skeleton here at some point
24 days ago
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Nature Microbiology
about 1 month ago
Out Now! Skin androgens regulate Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity via quorum sensing
#MicroSky
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Skin androgens regulate Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity via quorum sensing
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 27 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02261-2Testosterone produced by skin cells enhances Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity by activating quorum sensing, and a stereoisomer of testosterone that blocks this interaction inhibits bacterial cytotoxicity towards human cells.
https://go.nature.com/4u15woi
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Cool new study suggesting that some Staphs use collagen binding to evade immunity on the skin, with a substantial trade-off in terms of bacterial load and disease severity. Congrats to the authors!
#microsky
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Collagen binding adhesin restricts Staphylococcus aureus skin infection - Nature Communications
Staphylococcus aureus is able to evade host immune responses by expressing surface adhesins, like collagen binding adhesin (Cna). Here, the authors report the role of Cna during S. aureus skin infecti...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-68788-4
about 1 month ago
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Cool new paper from Amy Pickering in Edinburgh comparing phenotypes in Staph between host species, highlighting a key role for proteolysis and peptide utilisation in bovine mastitis. Great work!
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Bacterial metabolic remodeling by convergent evolution unlocks nutrient availability after a host switch
Staphylococcus aureus has undergone metabolic remodeling to adapt to the dairy niche.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw9419
about 2 months ago
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Staph papers
about 2 months ago
Non-canonical stringent response signaling mediates antimicrobial fatty acid sensitivity in Staphylococcus aureus
t.co/tuVo4Frbzk
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Non-canonical stringent response signaling mediates antimicrobial fatty acid sensitivity in Staphylococcus aureus - PubMed
<span><i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections, and persistent skin colonization is a significant risk factor for infection. Antimicrobial fatty acids (AFAs), produced...
https://t.co/tuVo4Frbzk
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Absolutely love this story! Turns out Staph aureus strains in the wild have developed some cool tricks to survive and thrive in the presence of other common bugs. Metal transport seems to be key! Great work from Sam 👏🏼👏🏼
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Awesome story from Sam!
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Conlon Lab
3 months ago
Congratulations to MD-PhD student, Amanda Velez and all co-authors on our new PNAS paper describing how the innate immune protein calprotectin incapacitates autolysins, inducing tolerance to B-lactam antibiotics. A fun collaboration with Thomas Kehl-Fie.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2513462123
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
bioRxiv Microbiology
3 months ago
Lipolysis of host triacylglyceride-rich lipoproteins creates a toxic microenvironment for Staphylococcus aureus
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.12.699058v1
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Just got round to reading this great new(ish) study by Paul Fey and colleagues in Nebraska, identifying a major Arg transporter in S. aureus. Elegant work!
#microsky
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
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ArgT functions as an arginine transporter in Staphylococcus aureus | Journal of Bacteriology
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of both community and hospital-acquired infection worldwide. In addition, S. aureus is resistant to many commonly used antibiotics, which make the treatment of bacteremia, infective endocarditis, and other invasive diseases more challenging. It is essential to obtain a basic understanding of how S. aureus survives in a variety of host niches, including those niches where S. aureus is dependent upon amino acid catabolism. We hypothesize that arginine acquisition is critical for S. aureus pathogenesis; therefore, identifying these transporters is essential for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jb.00362-25
3 months ago
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Exciting new work using high-throughput microscopy to identify important virulence factors in S. aureus! Some awesome insights here
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Systematic identification of bacterial factors driving Staphylococcus aureus intracellular lifestyle in non-professional phagocytes - Nature Communications
The pathogen Staphylococcus aureus can invade and replicate within human cells. Here, Rodrigues Lopes et al. use an image-based screening approach to identify S. aureus factors important for invasion,...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66373-9
4 months ago
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Matt Hutchings
4 months ago
Sensor kinase interacts directly with two distinct classes of cell wall targeting antibiotics to detect cell envelope stress. Great work
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
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The Histidine Kinase VraS Interacts with Vancomycin and Penicillins Through its Membrane‐Anchored N‐terminal Domain
The signals triggering activation of VraTSR, a key regulator of the cell wall stress response in Staphylococcus aureus, remain unknown. Combining crosslinking assays with vancomycin- and ampicillin-d....
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ange.202516608
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Emmanuele Severi
4 months ago
#microsky
New on the regulation of porins function in E. coli.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Metabolic control of porin permeability influences antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli - Nature Microbiology
The permeability of bacterial porins is dynamically regulated by periplasmic proton and potassium concentrations, altering antibiotic resistance.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02175-5
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Ross Fitzgerald
4 months ago
PhD position on bacterial (Staph aureus) transporters and host-adaptation in my group
@roslininstitute.bsky.social
@edinburgh-uni.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
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EASTBIO How do transporters promote the fitness of Staphylococcus aureus in different host-species ? at University of Edinburgh on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - EASTBIO How do transporters promote the fitness of Staphylococcus aureus in different host-species ? at University of Edinburgh, listed on FindAPhD.com
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/eastbio-how-do-transporters-promote-the-fitness-of-staphylococcus-aureus-in-different-host-species/?p190789
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Rob Fagan
4 months ago
There's just over 2 weeks left to apply for a fully funded PhD studentship with us working on C. difficile vancomycin resistance. Two more studentships - linked in the thread below - close in early January
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Steve Diggle
4 months ago
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Fluorescein-based dyes are not valid reporters of oxidative stress in bacteria, and conclusions based on their use must be reconsidered | PNAS
Dihydrodichlorofluorescein derivatives have been employed as reporters of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in innumerable studies. Their...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2516113122
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Ákos T Kovács
5 months ago
#ISMEJournal
paper from Simon Heilbronner Competitive fitness of Staphylococcus aureus against nasal commensals depends on biotin biosynthesis and acquisition
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
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Competitive fitness of Staphylococcus aureus against nasal commensals depends on biotin biosynthesis and acquisition
Abstract. The human nasal microbiome can serve as a reservoir for pathogens. In particular, the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus can be a membe
https://academic.oup.com/ismej/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ismejo/wraf248/8314006
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
5 months ago
Both the UCC and Bristol based lab members getting together in person at the Irish Division
@microbiologysociety.org
meeting.
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New tricks for OppA! Very exciting work
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Emmanuele Severi
6 months ago
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
#microsky
#microbiome
from the
@gavinhthomas.bsky.social
lab in York in collab with Hull
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High-resolution Staphylococcus profiling reveals intra-species diversity in a single skin niche
The skin microbiome is dominated by a few key genera, among which Staphylococcus is one of the most well characterized. Recent studies have examined the roles of various Staphylococcus species such as...
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001531
0
8
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Jason Yang
6 months ago
Very happy to share some more good news. Our collaboration with Jeffrey Boyd's lab is now published at J Inorganic Biochemistry! Here, Jeff found that iron limitation reprograms S. aureus metabolism towards fermentation. We're grateful to be part of this study.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Fermentative growth decreases the iron demand of Staphylococcus aureus
Iron (Fe) is an essential nutrient for S. aureus survivability and pathogenesis, but excess Fe can catalyze the formation of toxic oxygen radicals, em…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016201342500265X?dgcid=coauthor
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Our work deciphering the substrate preferences of a di-/tripeptide transporter from S. aureus is now available as a proof at
@plos.org
Pathogens! Big thanks to the reviewers and to all the brilliant co-authors, particularly Callum who helped get those last few crucial experiments across the line
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Defined roles for the Staphylococcus aureus POT transporter DtpT in di/tripeptide uptake and glutathione utilisation inside human macrophages
Author summary The environments where bacterial pathogens thrive are often rich in proteins and their degradation products, including oligopeptides, which can be taken up by the bacterium and used as ...
https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1013535
6 months ago
0
4
4
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Nature Microbiology
6 months ago
#NewResearch
Nasal colonisation by S. aureus is linked with depression in a human cohort and shown in a mouse model to cause decreased serotonin and dopamine in the brain
#MicroSky
#Depression
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage promotes depressive behaviour in mice via sex hormone degradation - Nature Microbiology
Nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus is linked with depression in a human cohort and shown in a mouse model to cause decreased serotonin and dopamine in the brain.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02120-6?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nmicrobiol
1
22
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
6 months ago
Latest from Lizzie Ledger in the lab…. Very cool story demonstrating the cross reactivity of a single AMR mechanism to confer resistance/tolerance to two distinct classes of antibiotics.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
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Expression of mecA increases daptomycin tolerance in Staphylococcus aureus | mBio
The incidence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia is on a steady incline in many parts of the world. Given the associated mortality rates have changed little in the last 10 years, this is a major heal...
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02250-25
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Awesome story!
add a skeleton here at some point
7 months ago
0
2
0
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Judith Behnsen
7 months ago
Excited to share our new publication, out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
.
@kanchanj.bsky.social
led this fascinating fungal-bacterial interaction project. We are grateful for our wonderful collaborators Brian Peters and David Underhill.
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Commensal yeast promotes Salmonella Typhimurium virulence - Nature
Commensal Candida albicans enhances the virulence and dissemination of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09415-y
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Great work from Nathan and the team!
add a skeleton here at some point
7 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Andy Edwards
7 months ago
New preprint from the lab, in collaboration with Ed Tate, Nate Traaseth and many others!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Small molecule inhibitors of the NorA multidrug efflux pump potentiate antibiotic activity by binding the outward-open conformation
Antibiotic resistance is among the greatest threats of the modern era. Multidrug efflux pumps expel antibiotics from bacterial cells and present a particular challenge by conferring resistance to a br...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.19.671038v1
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Also proud to see some work from my friends (and former labmates!) Naz and Lucy published today! Very cool insights into the importance of nucleotide signalling in S. aureus infection. Congrats to
@corrigar.bsky.social
and all the authors on this cool work :)
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Determining the importance of the stringent response for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus virulence in vivo - PubMed
The stringent response is a stress signalling pathway with links to bacterial virulence. This pathway is controlled by the nucleotide alarmone (p)ppGpp, produced in Staphylococcus aureus by three synt...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40795378/
7 months ago
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Great to see Sigurbjorn's work on polyamine transport out now in Nature! Great work from a great scientist
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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SLC45A4 is a pain gene encoding a neuronal polyamine transporter - Nature
The SLC45A4 gene encodes a neuronal polyamine transporter and is linked to pain response in humans and mice.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09326-y
7 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Chris Mulligan
7 months ago
Really pleased to share some recent work from our lab now published in Comms Bio. Here, we’ve identified and characterised a peculiar TRAP transporter binding protein from B. pertussis that we think uses a membrane component from a completely different transporter family.
rdcu.be/eAr8v
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A new class of binding-protein dependent solute transporter exemplified by the TAXI-GltS system from Bordetella pertussis
Communications Biology - Identification and characterization of an unusual tri-domain TRAP transporter binding protein from Bordetella pertussis reveals insight into the diversity of binding...
https://rdcu.be/eAr8v
1
4
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Nature Microbiology
7 months ago
Out now! 🍫🦠A defined microbial community reproduces attributes of fine flavour
#chocolate
fermentation By Gabriel Castrillo, David Salt & co
#microsky
#microbiomesky
🧪 Read it here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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A defined microbial community reproduces attributes of fine flavour chocolate fermentation - Nature Microbiology
An in-depth microbiological and metagenomic analysis of Colombian farm and fermentation facilities resulted in the design of a defined microbial community that can reproduce the flavour of fine chocol...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02077-6
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Kranzusch Lab
8 months ago
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Characterization of an amyloid-based antiphage defence system in Escherichia coli - Nature Microbiology
Prion-like proteins in Escherichia coli trigger an abortive infection mechanism in response to phage infection—a process similar to amyloid-mediated immune signalling in fungi and animals.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02074-9
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Gavin Thomas (he/him)
8 months ago
A cool use of DALI/FoldSeek building on new human HG-SNAT protein enabled Bethan Kinniment-Williams & co., to structural unify the TmAT superfamily of membrane-bound acyltransferases first proposed by Milton Saier Jnr in TCDB.
@jnb-lab.bsky.social
www.jbc.org/article/S002...
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Structural unification of diverse transmembrane acyltransferases reveals a conserved fold for the Transmembrane Acyl Transferase (TmAT) superfamily
The movement of acyl groups across biological membranes is essential for many cellular processes. One major family of proteins catalysing this reaction are the acyl transferase family 3 (AT3) proteins...
https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(25)02397-X/fulltext
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Very important new paper regarding amino acid acquisition inside staph-infected macrophages! Key role for BCAAs + nice evidence that host cell nutrients can be conveyed to bacteria in the phagosome to facilitate growth... Big implications for host-path interactions. Great work!
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Inactivation of branched-chain amino acid uptake halts Staphylococcus aureus growth and induces bacterial quiescence within macrophages
Author summary Staphylococcus aureus is a prominent human pathogen causing acute and chronic disease. It is facultatively intracellular and can reside within many host cell types, including profession...
https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1013291#ppat.1013291.ref069
8 months ago
0
3
1
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
bioRxiv Microbiology
8 months ago
A single transcriptional regulator is crucial for the adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus to diverse niches
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.01.668060v1
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Tania Wong
8 months ago
Pleased to share our latest study
@natcomms.nature.com
! We show that the host metabolites fumarate and itaconate impose selective pressure on Staphylococcus aureus, driving its adaptation via the enzyme FumC. Grateful to all who contributed to this work!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Regulation of airway fumarate by host and pathogen promotes Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia - Nature Communications
This study reveals how the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus adapts to the lung microenvironment, rich in host metabolites fumarate and itaconate, by using a key enzyme, FumC, to support its metabolic fi...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62453-y
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Exciting new paper from Wonsik Lee's group in Korea, using TnSeq to study gene essentiality in various intracellular and extracellular infection niches of S aureus. Loads of cool insights into metabolism and nutrient acquisition in the host
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Environmental cues in different host niches shape the survival fitness of Staphylococcus aureus - Nature Communications
Staphylococcus aureus adapts to diverse host environments during infection. Here, the authors use transposon sequencing to reveal niche-specific genes and identify 27 core genes required for S. aureus...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62292-x
8 months ago
0
9
3
Just seen this very clever paper from Alex O'Neill's group at Leeds. Systematic approaches to identify routes of antibiotic uptake in S. aureus and E. coli! As someone who never believed the dogma of passive diffusion, I feel very vindicated..
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40631918/
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Carrier-mediated transport as a common route of antibiotic ingress into bacteria - PubMed
Increasing antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacteria is undermining our ability to treat infection, and new antibacterial drugs are urgently needed to address the problem. One of the most signif...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40631918/
9 months ago
0
5
2
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
bioRxivpreprint
10 months ago
Commensal to pathogen switch in Streptococcus pneumoniae is governed by a thermosensing master regulator
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.23.655729v1
1
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6
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Jan-Willem Veening
11 months ago
Cool work by the group of Natalia Korotkova demonstrating glycosylation of some of our favorite proteins like PBP1a, MapZ and RodZ!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Glycosylation of serine/threonine-rich intrinsically disordered regions of membrane-associated proteins in streptococci - Nature Communications
Here, the authors identify mechanisms of glycosylation of intrinsically disordered regions present in streptococci membrane proteins, uncovering a functional role for glycosylation in Streptococcus mu...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58692-8
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4
2
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
bioRxiv Microbiology
11 months ago
Competition with Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces Staphylococcus aureus in an antibiotic-tolerant viable but non culturable state
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.30.651255v1
0
3
2
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
Willem van Schaik
11 months ago
This is fascinating, but also terrible news regarding antimicrobial resistance in multidrug-resistant Gram-positives 'Emergence of transferable daptomycin resistance in Gram-positive bacteria'
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
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Emergence of transferable daptomycin resistance in Gram-positive bacteria - npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
npj Antimicrobials and Resistance - Emergence of transferable daptomycin resistance in Gram-positive bacteria
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44259-025-00109-z
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reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
ttsukaza
11 months ago
Just posted on bioRxiv! We reveal the structure of the MurJ/LysM (JM) complex. A small phage protein, LysM (37 residues), binds to MurJ like a wedge and freezes its motion.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Great to see this exciting work from Javeria, Rory and Reyme finally out there for people to see :) such a nice, clean story
add a skeleton here at some point
12 months ago
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Couldn't be happier to announce I'm officially PhDone! Huge shout-out to Gavin and Marjan for their encouragement and all their support over the years :)
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 year ago
1
16
1
reposted by
(not) Imran Khan
bioRxiv Microbiology
about 1 year ago
Pyrimidine sufficiency is required for Sae two-component system signaling in Staphylococcus aureus
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.20.644390v1
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