Infection-induced elevation of gut glycosaminoglycans fosters microbiota expansion in Drosophila melanogaster

Thrilled to share our new paper! With @tomtom-auer.bsky.social team, we asked how #evolution reshapes what animals #eat to match their ecological niches. Using pan-neuronal Ca2+ imaging, we show that the changes are in how the brain processes #taste. Link @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Ever wonder how host genetics shape the microbiota? We found that heparan sulfate biosynthesis is a major host driver of L. plantarum levels. During infection, NF-κB increases HS, expanding commensals, enhancing resistance and maintaining gut homeostasis. www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Ever wonder how host genetics shape the microbiota? We found that heparan sulfate biosynthesis is a major host driver of L. plantarum levels. During infection, NF-κB increases HS, expanding commensals, enhancing resistance and maintaining gut homeostasis. www.cell.com/cell-reports...

#NatMicroPicks CRISPR Metagenome Engineering! 🦠🔧🧬 MetaEdit enables precise genetic editing of native gut bacteria in mice. #MicroSky #SynBio www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

What if even the core of bacterial nanomachines wasn’t static? We found that the T3SS core protein SctD in Yersinia dynamically exchanges subunits — and this flexibility is essential for proper assembly & function. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... @kit.edu @t3sss.bsky.social

Cool new bioorthogonal reaction: malononitrile addition to azodicarboxylate www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Our latest Research Briefing is out, on using metaproteomics and stable isotope labelling to uncover rare species involved in carbon turnover www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Enteropathogenic bacteria evade ROCK-driven epithelial cell extrusion Out now in Nature by Giovanni Luchetti, Isabella Rauch, Vishva M. Dixit and colleagues. #microsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Our department is recruiting four microbiologists! jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/675662/m...

The MUC1 extracellular domain and cytoplasmic tail play distinct roles during Salmonella invasion of enterocytes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.15.682509v1

Sleep is often only investigated from a single dimension. @bttyeo.bsky.social &co identify 5 sleep-biopsychosocial profiles that link self-reported #sleep patterns to variability in #health, #cognition & #lifestyle factors in 770 healthy young adults @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/42tRXSc

#Perspective Estrela and Huang discuss nutrient starvation in the context of the gut microbiome, outlining what is known and highlighting key questions for future research to address knowledge gaps. #MicroSky #MicrobiomeSky 🦠 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Now completely published :) Really proud of this paper led with Karla at @cstairs.bsky.social lab. doi.org/10.1093/isme...

How do your #linguistic, #economic & #gender backgrounds impact your #scientific productivity? @tatsuya-amano.bsky.social & co reveal that being a woman, a non-native English speaker, and from a low-income country is associated with a 70% reduction in productivity @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4n3RLRQ

The #Drosophila Dscam1 gene generates 10000s of isoforms, but only a small fraction supports neuronal functions. This study shows that #fitness & #immunity are the likely primary evolutionary drivers of Dscam1 isoform diversity in #arthropods @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4gp8cWd

Many bacteria use #QuorumSensing to control genes based on population density. @jrchandler.bsky.social &co explore a @plosbiology.org study showing that in P. aeruginosa, 2 QS circuits activate each other, enhancing robustness & explaining redundancy 🧪 Paper: plos.io/3I7DhRG Primer: plos.io/4niSZZd

First batch of fly food is ready in the Maya lab! Huge thanks to everyone who helped get us up and running. Excited to see where the next experiments with flies take us!!

Early immune education mechanisms remain poorly understood. This Primer explores a @plosbiology.org study which uses math modeling to provide mechanistic insights into how the infant #ImmuneSystem learns to distinguish beneficial & harmful #microbes 🧪 Paper: plos.io/4lsJ8i5 Primer: plos.io/4oHrDNI

#NewResearch Streptomyces use both polar and dispersed cell wall synthesis during rapid, exploratory growth @mcmasteriidr.bsky.social #BacteriaCellWall #MicroSky 🦠 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Our review on the last decade+ of hybrid incompatibility research is now out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Original thread here: bsky.app/profile/moll...

#NatMicroPicks Synthetic evolution overdrive 🦠🔧🚅 A highly mutagenic DNA replication system speeds up evolution in Escherichia coli, without harming the host, opening a new way to accelerate protein engineering. #SynBio #MicroSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Competition & #bacterial #PopulationDynamics. @krishnaaswin77.bsky.social @sonjalehtinen.bsky.social &co show that within-host competition in #Streptococcus increases clearance & reduces establishment; #AntibioticResistance increases susceptibility to competition @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4lqcZba

A paper in Nature Microbiology reports a smartphone-controlled ingestible capsule that can control and allow for two-way communication with gut bacteria in pigs. The findings could lay the foundation for new diagnostic and treatment strategies for diseases. go.nature.com/44P2OI2 #medsky 🧪

Congrats to postdoc Zhe Zhou on her paper out today in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social showing that gut bacteria cross-feed a common dietary antioxidant to produce energy under anaerobic conditions. Thanks to collaborators Angela Jiang and Xiaofang Jiang at NIH. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

RESEARCH | 🧪 M Cai, G Frost, C Edwards et al @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @quadraminstitute.bsky.social ‬‬‬ This study compares how meals with contrasting cellular structures affect postprandial luminal metabolites, glycaemia, gut hormones and satiety sensation. www.nature.com/articles/s42...

#News&Views Remote controlled designer probiotics! 🕹️🦠 #MicroSky www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#NatMicroPicks Cell shape drives bacterial infections! 🦠🔷🟠⬛ Tissue geometry regulates bacterial infection patterns in epithelial layers by modulating cellular forces and Piezo1 localization, offering new mechanobiology-based strategies for infection control. #MicroSky www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

#NatMicroPicks Vibrio in competition! 🦠💉 An orphan T6SS effector in non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae targets susceptible strains by disrupting ion balance, shaping Vibrio population dynamics and offering a model for precision antimicrobials. #MicroSky www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

🚨Out now! The GATE glycoprotein complex enhances cytomegalovirus entry in endothelial cells. #MicroSky🦠 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Proud of this work led by a former PhD student @aranzazuarias.bsky.social. Here, we investigated how the host controls the abundance of gut commensals and how some of them can benefit from infection. #infection #symbiosky #proudPI #immunity #AcademicSky #insect #symbiosis #Drosophila

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Thrilled to announce the release of my PhD pet project! The journey has been long, and I'm grateful to all who contributed to this meaningful work. @markorubinicc.bsky.social @iatsenkolab.bsky.social

Happy to share our new preprint! We explored the mechanisms underlying differences between male and female #Drosophila in susceptibility to intestinal #infection. #symbiosky #immunity #AcademicSky #insect #symbiosis

This is insane 🤯

"The main fates after gene duplication are gene loss, redundancy, subfunctionalization and neofunctionalization". In our new review, @fedemantica.bsky.social and I argue we are missing the most prevalent one: specialization. And the same applies to alternative splicing! 1/7 tinyurl.com/45k7kbmp

A glycan atlas of the mammalian intestine through ontogeny and inflammation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.06.641959v1

🍽️ Can you Taste a Cake in Virtual Reality? Scientists have developed a device that lets users 'taste' in virtual worlds by remotely triggering real chemical sensations. Could this change how we experience food, gaming, and more? 🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #VR #Tech #SciComm 🧪

V neat: "A naturally occurring mitochondrial genome variant confers broad protection from infection in Drosophila" from Tiina Salminen, Laura Vesala @pfvale.bsky.social et al journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

Finally, our paper, "A Conserved Bacterial Genetic Basis for Commensal-Host Specificity," has been officially published in Science. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The circadian clock gene period regulates the composition and daily bacterial load of the gut microbiome in Drosophila melanogaster #ScientificReports from @ottavia-romoli.bsky.social and Federica Sandrelli www.nature.com/articles/s41...

It’s official 🎉🎊 I earned my PhD! 🎓 Thank you so much! It's been an incredible journey, and I'm grateful for the support and guidance.