Delighted to see the main work from my PhD finally published in @mbio.bsky.social! It all started with the observation that deleting the cutRS two-component system in S. venezuelae caused this amazing explorer phenotype in the presence of glucose. But what was going on?! (1/n)

Very happy to see this remarkable work published. Led by @tommclean.bsky.social and @ainsley-beaton.bsky.social. We show how Streptomyces bacteria sense & respond to misfolded secreted proteins. A great collaboration with @barriewilks.bsky.social #microsky 1/2 journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10....

📄 Delighted to share that the preprint of my main PhD work is out now! 👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved, @tommclean.bsky.social, Govind Chandra, Ngat Tran (both not on BlueSky) and especially my PhD supervisor @tunglejic.bsky.social 👏 🧵 below! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

If successful, the ViTaL-D Study would be a step towards using biofortified tomatoes to overcome a growing global problem of vitamin D deficiency 🌎 This step forward is of particular interest to people who follow a plant-based diet because vegan sources of vitamin D are nearly non-existent 🌿

We are hiring‼️ Two cool projects in my group for a PhD student in plant immunity and for a Postdoc in plant microbiota research 🌿🧫🚀🚀

We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs. Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...

Independent research fellowships leading to tenured positions at the John Innes Centre. Repost = nice. Thank you very much!!!

Start independent research at the JIC with us 👇. Really interested in finding those with an interest in structural biology and biochemistry of plants and microbes. Please do get in touch by email if you'd like to know more 👍

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There is still some time left to apply for these two Group Leader positions in Plant Biology and Microbe-Plant Interactions. Spread the word, apply & become our colleague @johninnescentre.bsky.social

Interested in host-associated microbiomes? Attending @eseb2025.bsky.social? Then come check out Symposium S07 on Monday August 18th and hear all about how microbiomes contribute to adaptation. Gut microbiomes, climate change, thermal physiology, behaviour, invasion biology, blood-feeding, and more!

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VACANCY - We’re recruiting for a visionary group leader to lead fundamental research on Discovery Plant Science as part of our vibrant research community Successful candidate will be offered a six-year tenure-track position with the opportunity to apply for tenure: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...

Ever wondered why some antibiotics are made by Streptomyces on agar plates but not in liquid cultures? Read this work on redox control of antibiotic biosynthesis. Led by katienoble241.bsky.social and Rebecca Devine, and in collaboration with @barriewilks.bsky.social journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Here we go 🇬🇧🦁🇮🇪🏉

Exciting times to be at @johninnescentre.bsky.social ! www.jic.ac.uk/press-releas...

We’re pleased to announce two new vacancies for senior roles at our institute: Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr... 🗓️ Closes 25 August Independent Fellowship in Plant-Associated Microbial Interactions: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/in... 🗓️ Closes 5 September

Congrats, great to see this out in full!

Delighted to be speaking on "A platform for lantibiotic diversification" at SynBioAustralasia 2025 this November in Wellington. If you’re working at the intersection of biology and engineering — don’t miss it. 🔗 synbioaustralasia.org/upcoming-conference #SBA2025 #SyntheticBiology #SynBioCommunity

Super happy to see our work on lydiamycin biosynthesis, structure and function published in @pnas.org 😀 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... The work is described in the thread below, where we use BGC info to guide the discovery of multiple key features of this antibiotic. @johninnescentre.bsky.social

EVENT - Early Career Microbiologists Mini-Symposium Join our Department of Molecular #Microbiology Early Career Microbiologists Mini-Symposium. Application deadline: 9 June 2025. Event: 15 - 16 September 2025. The John Innes Centre, NR4 7UH Find out more and apply: www.jic.ac.uk/event/early-...

Happy International Day of Immunology! 🧬🔬💉 “Measles: A Dangerous Illness” — a letter by Roald Dahl 'It is not yet generally accepted that measles can be a dangerous illness. Believe me, it is.'

Identification of a specific, pre-existing beta-lactam antibiotic for treating Lyme disease Borrelia infections. Cool new report from @jutraslab.bsky.social Brandon Jutras & colleagues. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40267215/ #MicroSky 🦠🧫🔬

Researchers pinpoint the genes responsible for the final three pea traits studied by Gregor Mendel more than 160 years ago https://go.nature.com/3EC3eqT

PhD opportunity in my lab @johninnescentre.bsky.social, on circadian interactions between plants and bacteria. Fully funded. Part of @microclockerc.bsky.social in collaboration with @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social @marthamerrow.bsky.social #chronobiology #ERCSyG www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

The latest discovery from the lab and great colleagues at McMaster and U Illinois, Chicago. Lariocidin, a new lasso peptide antibiotic that inhibits the ribosome. rdcu.be/efdha

congestion pricing is one of the most comprehensively successful policies NYC has ever seen, so of course all the worst people want to get rid of it

MiBIG 4.0 is online! #secmet #BGC #mibig #microsky academic.oup.com/nar/advance-...

Check out this bombshell publication by Michael Fischbach @mfgrp.bsky.social and coworkers @stanford-chemh.bsky.social @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social, imagine a cancer immune therapy/vaccine where treatment begins and ends with a painless topical skin treatment! 🤯 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Of interest to biotech - if we delete the cutRS operon in Streptomyces coelicolor or S. venezuelae we get massive over production of antibiotics in the presence of glucose. It bypasses carbon catabolise repression (we don’t know how…yet). #microsky

Almost 8 years after starting this project finally happy to share the main research from my PhD! Couldn't have done it without the amazing help from @ainsley-beaton.bsky.social! We untangled a fascinating new redox sensor with the most extraordinary growth phenotype (I'm biased) in Streptomyces!

Further insight into how CutRS functions in Streptomyces and some thoughts on how its redox state detection via conserved dual cysteine residues in the extra cellular domain of a sensor kinase may be present in almost all bacteria @tommclean.bsky.social @matthutchings.bsky.social

Very happy to share this work led by @tommclean.bsky.social and @ainsley-beaton.bsky.social. The conserved Streptomyces sensor kinase CutS senses disulphide bond formation outside the cell. If it fails CutS activates CutR which switches on production of foldase HtrA3 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

“Musk is killing Tesla. His lack of integrity, lack of internal consistency, and deeply fascistic leanings are now on full display for the world to see. And the world has responded by violently throwing up in their mouths.”

Today we updated streptomyces.org.uk/strepstrains... with lists of useful Streptomyces strains and plasmids we have @johninnescentre.bsky.social and details of how to request them.

Great opportunity for early career researchers at Norwich Research Park to present their work on microbial genomics 🧬 Abstract deadline is 3rd April @quadraminstitute.bsky.social @johninnescentre.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social @thesainsburylab.bsky.social

Redox control of antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces. Remarkable work led by @katienoble241.bsky.social and Rebecca Devine demonstrates why antibiotic biosynthesis is often switched on in solid cultures and off in liquid. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

We’ve had a busy few weeks with events and engagement. Thanks to everyone who supported us at Norwich Science Festival and at our inaugural annual conference! It was great to see the microbiology community come together and to share our work with new audiences 🦠

The @norwichmicro.bsky.social (CMI) Annual Conference starts tomorrow 🦠 📽️ Get a sneak peak of some of the scientific posters that will be on display with videos on microbiology research from across Norwich Research Park ⤵️

🚨🦠🧬Working in the field of Natural Products Chemistry and Biology?🧪🍃🚨 Registration and abstract submission for the #CBNP18 are open! warwick.ac.uk/naturalprodu... Look forward to seeing you at Warwick University on 26-27 June! Supported by @ukri.org, @RSC_CBBG and @natprodreports.bsky.social

Because it never loses its relevance. “Measles: A Dangerous Illness” — a letter by Roald Dahl #VaccinesSaveLives

Good to the see The Science, Art and Writing Trust @sawtrust.bsky.social on BlueSky. This amazing charity goes into schools in deprived areas to do practical science with the kids who then interpret what they learned through art and poetry. www.sawtrust.org

Cool “Behind the paper” article on our recent KorB-KorA sliding clamp-locking clamp story. I remember Chris Thomas and Lewis Bingle (Birmingham) taught me about these proteins when I was an undergrad, and I kept remembering they said the mechanism was not clear!!! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I’ve merged both starter packs - here’s 71 microbial natural products researchers - want to be added? Let me know! go.bsky.app/72NeGsT #microsky #secmet #naturalproducts #specializedmetabolites

Huge congratulations to Team Terrain Solutions today! Well-deserved winners of Your Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) #YES24 👏

Watch the animation: youtu.be/_56P7eVpTBU

Fantastic work Tom and team, congrats!

The censorship algorithm on Twitter reduced our audience by roughly 95%, and seriously, who does that to a wildlife biology & advocacy group ? So we moved 😇 over here to BlueSky If you could, please help us regain our following Follow Retweet and Repeat ;-) Together we can change the world.

Ten species comprise half of the bacteriology literature, leaving most species unstudied https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.04.631297v1