A single DNA methylation site regulates cell fate during Clostridioides difficile sporulation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

And check out the accompanying paper from the Grangeasse lab: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Now online @natmicrobiol.nature.com! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Calling all postdoctoral women scientists in microbiology! We're here to support you; receive up to $2,000 to travel to a meeting, visit another laboratory or take a course to enhance your research skills. Check eligibility and apply now: asm.social/2Jh

indeed, 𝘙𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘻𝘢𝘦 looke like fusilli, which are notably better at holding on salsa di pomodoro than spaghetti... and as pasta addicts, we fell instantly in love with the shape of this newly described alphaproteo from the Rhizobiales 🤭 #MicroSky

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

Three German universities offering post-docs for researchers "who cannot conduct or continue their work in the USA appropriately because of actual political pressure. " www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskoll...

The 5th of 6 faculty positions in UNC Biology is posted. We're working with the @ncbg.bsky.social to fill a joint position as Director of the UNC Herbarium at @ncbg.bsky.social and as Associate Professor within the Department of Biology (BIOL). Please share 1/n unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/308...

Excited to share my latest postdoctoral work in the Shen Lab at Tufts! In this study, we follow up on an exciting finding by former grad student @shailab.bsky.social that C diff uses its Class A PBP (PBP1) to drive cell division (unlike previously studied bacteria)! journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

Friendly reminder: 🎉 Pre-register today & get ready to join our FREE online celebration. Everyone is welcome. To keep #BlackInMicro alive Donate: tinyurl.com/GiveBiM and Register to attend: linktr.ee/BlackInMicro#BlackInMicro(see links in bio) #BiMWeek2025

UChicago Microbiology is searching for tenured or tenure-track faculty working in host-pathogens interactions, viral and bacterial pathogenesis, and emerging infectious diseases. Come join our vibrant Department! microbiology.uchicago.edu Apply here apply.interfolio.com/174404

🚨 Microbiologists! We are recruiting Assistant / Associate Professors in 3 collaborative areas of our U. Pittsburgh School of Medicine. 1) MMG (my dept): fundamental research in med micro 2) Peds ID / I4Kids institute 3) Center for Vaccine Research 🔗 to all 3 w/info: www.linkedin.com/posts/vaughn...

Fantastic meeting! Heard about SO MUCH groundbreaking work and met so many incredible people! Such a great community 😃

Rich Losick’s Farewell Publication Reexamines a Molecular Biology Milestone 🧪 🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @cryptogenomicon.bsky.social @craigphunter.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @harvardmagazine.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social

Analysis of essential genes in Clostridioides difficile by CRISPRi and Tn-seq | Journal of Bacteriology journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

NEW: Don't ask too many questions, but... NIH may not re-terminate the 900ish grants at issue in the main NIH lawsuits after all. To the PIs of reinstated grants, SPEND NOW! 🧵 Here's what NIH is probably thinking. Bear with me:

Here we show that >90% of Paenibacillus encode a unique Spo0B with a transmembrane domain! TM domain helps it interact with its phosphorelay partners. Congrats to @isabellalin.bsky.social who left for grad school this week and her mentor @cassidyprints.bsky.social! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Post a non-religious photo you think of as holy.

New preprint from us! The latest part of our C. difficile vancomycin resistance story. We identified a new two-component system (VnrRS) that can control expression of the vanG pathway - just needs one amino acid change @buddlejess.bsky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social @claireyt.bsky.social

😔

We are hiring! The Dept of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics is looking for faculty at the Assistant or Associate professor level (tenure track). Please consider joining our vibrant microbiology and immunology community at the University of Pittsburgh School of medicine

Elio Schaechter was one of my heroes. His 1958 paper with Ole Maaløe and Niels Kjeldgaard (fondly known as “SMK”) is a North Star for so much work in my group. A wonderful scientist, great communicator, and a very kind person. May his memory be a blessing.

On Aug. 1, ASM & partner societies filed an expanded amicus brief with SCOTUS to defend scientific integrity & protect early-career researchers. The brief highlights the harm caused by NIH grant terminations, including canceling the MOSAIC program. asm.org/press-releas...

The CspC:CspA heterodimer transduces germinant and co-germinant signals during Clostridioides difficile spore germination. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.01.668244v1

Excited to share this collaborative study with @ritatamayo.bsky.social showing that E. faecalis influences C. diff morphology through the phase variable CmrRST system! This work was co-led by the amazing team of @ashleyweiss.bsky.social and Jilarie Santos-Santiago!

Excited to post our first S. aureus preprint on biorxiv! Big congrats to co-first authors, postdocs @anjali20anil.bsky.social and Rezia Braza, and really enjoyed the collaboration with @torreslab.bsky.social !

NIH employees issued a declaration on June 9 highlighting the need for resources that NIH uses to protect the public, innovate science and research important health issues Americans are facing. Read the declaration and consider signing the support letter: www.standupforscience.net/bethesda-dec...

Joint effort from lab alumnus Dr. Sarah Anderson and her fantastic undergraduate Isabella Mack on #ppGpp mediated control of cell wall synthesis in E. coli and the consequences for #AMR now up on @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

This is shameful

Join the 22,339 people who have joined to support our NIH colleagues. Let's get this to 50,000 RT

What does 18,000+ brave signatories look like standing together in massive solidarity with the #NIH heroes of the historic Bethesda Declaration??... Find out by adding YOUR NAME to our #NIHLove letter here! - actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na... #StandUpForScience #BethesdaDeclaration #StopTrump

This is your health on MAGA.

In spite of the daily deluge of devastating news about science/the world, I’m excited to preprint some of my postdoc work (supported by an IRACDA grant-now terminated). Probing PBP1 function we uncovered unexpected features of the #Cdif #divisome 😄 We think it’s divisome could be a great drug target

It’s Pride Month! We’re celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and their ongoing fight for equality. Last year, Irish Division & Members Panel member @guerrinomacori.bsky.social‬ shared a blog on why this month matters: microb.io/3X7vsAJ 🏳️‍🌈 #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA

The MAHA repot has also cited an article of which I am first author wrongly www.notus.org/health-scien...

The goal is plainly and literally to cut the number of people involved in basic science in the US by 70%

How bad will it be? Catastrophic. Proposed cuts to #NSF, #NIH, and #NASA will set the US R&D landscape back 25 yrs+, cause economic and job loss now, and undermine innovations to come. But, this is the WH's *proposed* budget. Speak up now before it is too late. (inflation adjusted $-s below)

Two Harvard economists forecast the impact of the administration’s proposed NIH budget cuts- stunning losses in new therapies, life expectancy, and economic output with a “social cost 16 times greater than the savings the administration is attempting to achieve." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

NIH funding supporting the HMMER and Infernal software projects has been terminated. NIH states that our work, as well as all other federally funded research at Harvard, is of no benefit to the US.

I appreciate the offers from other scientists to help Harvard (students, labs, etc) through this attack, but what would be most helpful is for you to use your position to contact your elected representatives and make it clear this fight isn't just Harvard, it will affect you, and their districts too

All of NIH funding to Northwestern University is frozen. This pause includes noncompeting approved funding, new and competing grants with fundable scores. No reimbursements for money already spent have been received since March. This situation is rarely reported so please Please get the word out!

"We need the whole country to appreciate that by investing in university research and educating the next generation of explorers and innovators, the country has reaped, and will continue to reap, tremendous rewards in new cures, treatments, and inventions, and in new industries, companies, and jobs"

NEW ASSIGNMENT...NEW ASSIGNMENT...NEW ASSIGNMENT If you have not commented, DO SO BEFORE JUNE 7th After you have commented (and if you commented before), inform 5 COLLEAGUES, FRIENDS, FAMILY MEMBERS, ETC. and get them to consider commenting as well before June 7th. 3/n

All NSF GRFPs to students choosing to attend Harvard in the Fall were just terminated

Harvard today, your institution tomorrow. It's all part of the Project 2025 plan to destroy high education in America. All leading US universities depend on federal funding and tuition dollars from international students. They severely curtailed the former. Now they're eliminating the latter.

The Republican administration is also ordering all current international students (and postdocs, I believe) at Harvard to transfer or leave the country. www.dhs.gov/news/2025/05...

Lab-kept bumble bees roll small wooden balls around for no apparent purpose other than fun, a 2022 study reveals. Learn more on #WorldBeeDay: scim.ag/4dAwCuD

I met with Ruth in El Salvador just over a month ago to discuss the abysmal human rights situation there. This news of her likely disappearance is exactly the kind of abuse she warned about. The Bukele regime must release her NOW.

Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025