How small can you go? “Convergent extreme reductive evolution in ancient planthopper symbioses” #MicroSky

Just dug out a cloned fragment of B burgdorferi cp32-1, which we used for restriction mapping the genome back in 1996 We were working in the dark, back before the B burgdorferi genome had been sequenced. #PostDocDays #MicroSky

Borrelia mayonii induces carditis but not arthritis in Lyme-susceptible mice from Cleveland, Wijetunga, Casselli, Tourand, Pecoraro, and Brissette @brissettelab.bsky.social www.frontiersin.org/journals/imm... #MicroSky

Starvation-independent alarmone production inhibits translation through GTP depletion in Bacillus #MicroSky

Seema Mattoo on Bordetella pertussis and whooping cough! Matters Microbial, @mattoolab.bsky.social @markowenmartin.bsky.social #MicroSky

Postdoc memories (sort of) "Green Light", 1937, is partially set in the Bitterroot Valley, Montana, deals with tick-borne disease. It includes shots of my old lab home at Rocky Mountain Labs, Hamilton. The lab itself looks almost identical to when I was there, 1994-1998. The film stars Errol Flynn.

Comparative genomics of Borrelia lusitaniae Complete genome sequences of three isolates. Each has very few plasmids. A most unusual feature is that their important cp26 plasmids are partially degraded dimers, carrying multiple, distinct ospC genes. academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad... #MicroSky

The new US budget includes funding for the Tick-Borne Disease Research Program of the CDMRP. Details on the program and requests for applications to be announced soon. cdmrp.health.mil/pubs/press/2... #MicroSky

Leptospira interrogans produces effectors, structurally related to toxin-like proteins, that modulate calcium homeostasis and disrupt cell-cell junctions, thereby allowing translocation across epithelium barriers, tissue colonization and pathogenicity. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41634022/ #MicroSky

A 5500-year-old Treponema pallidum genome from Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia "This genome falls outside of known T. pallidum lineages today, but it has many genetic hallmarks associated with virulence in modern pathogens of these subspecies" Science pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41570125/ #MicroSky

On restriction systems among Lyme spirochetes: "Comparative analysis of Borrelia's Defence mechanisms and their impact on genetic manipulation of low-passage isolates of Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii" by Ruivo and colleagues pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41551585/ #Microsky

Peptidoglycan architecture dictates protein interactions, tissue tropism, and arthritis in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi Exciting new research from @jutraslab.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plospathogen... #MicroSky

The Originals. Attendees of last weeks Spirochete GRC who were also at the first edition in 1994 (noting at least 2 people who missed the photo) @wolfzueckert.bsky.social @therealjskare.bsky.social

2026 Biology of Spirochetes Gordon Conference wrapped up. Photo of the 4 of us who have attended every Spirochete GRC, which began in 1994. A long, strange trip so far, and may we continue to solve many more mysteries! Scott, Jon, me, and Wolf @therealjskare.bsky.social @wolfzueckert.bsky.social

Temperate phage evolve to integrate host stress and quorum signals in lysis–lysogeny decisions (In Bacillus spp) #MicroSky #PhageSky

Looking forward to seeing good friends and colleagues at the Biology of Spiochetes Gordon Conference, beginning this Sunday! Sadly, not on the beach in Ventura, but inland in Pomona, California www.grc.org/biology-of-s... #MicroSky

Lipid scavenging by the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi By Peter Gwynne and colleagues #MicroSky

Curious job application letter today, which included: "I am particularly interested in your recent work on integrated proteogenomic and immunopeptidomic analyses to understand host–pathogen and tumor–immune interactions (e.g., Cell, 2020; Nature Communications, 2020)" Not my research, not my papers

Happy Holidays to all ! (Image source not known)

Recent news brings back memories of friend and colleague Nate Nieto, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 44, in 2019. This disease has cut short many lives. Nate was well known in the tick-borne disease community, particularly for his “citizen science” approaches. #MicroSky #TickSky

Phage-encoded small RNA hijacks host replication machinery to support the phage lytic cycle #MicroSky

Received notice of new grant funding today! The lab can continue to operate for another couple of years! Thanks, GLA #MicroSky

HLp, a bacterial "histone" from the spirochete Leptospira perolatii #MicroSky

Congratulations to Reddy Palli, Ph.D., Chair of the UK Dept. of Entomology (one of my depts), for being named Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, in recognition of his studies on RNA interference to kill insect pests and fight insecticide resistance. uknow.uky.edu/professional...

"Histone" - ish protein in the spirochete Leptospira perolatii #MicroSky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The Expanding Histone Universe: Histone-Based DNA Organization in Noneukaryotic Organisms #MicroSky

Bacteriophage genome-wide transposon mutagenesis #MicroSky #PhageSky

On Tick Midichloria #MicroSky #TickSky

T cell–macrophage interactions in tuberculosis: What we've got here is failure to communicate #MicroSky

Essential redundancies fuel Mycobacterium tuberculosis adaptation to the host #MicroSky

"We cannot address TB only with vaccines and medications... We must also address the root cause of tuberculosis, which is injustice. In a world where everyone can eat, and access healthcare, and be treated humanely, tuberculosis has no chance. Ultimately, we are the cause. We must also be the cure."

Multimedia photojournalism from my daughter, Arkasha, before she became a big deal film director/writer. This report of a transgender girl and her parents won World Press Photo’s 2nd place in 2013. Produced for the LA Times. vimeo.com/69513060

"tick bites and tick saliva reprogram Langerhans cells, (which) dampens protective immunity and helps explain how ticks and their pathogens evade host defense and achieve efficient transmission" www.nature.com/articles/s41... #MicroSky

There are CRISPR-based methods for detecting Lyme Borrelia already available. The problem is trying to detect bacteria in patient blood. Lyme Borrelia are in the blood for only a few days after infection, and at very low concentrations. After a week, direct tests of blood will not work #MicroSky

Identification of Previously Unknown DNA-Binding Proteins Using DNA Affinity/Pull-Down Methods Followed by Mass Spectrometry Jutras, Babb, Jusufovic, Krusenstjerna, Saylor, Verma, and Stevenson Current Protocols 2025, 5:e70264 doi: 10.1002/cpz1.70264 #MicroSky

Sent a response to a postdoc applicant: "Your 'Dear Professor' message is generic, and says nothing about why we should work together. I usually trash such messages immediately. Why should I spend time writing a response if you can't be bothered to spend time writing a message directly to me?"

Rare microbial relict sheds light on an ancient eukaryotic supergroup #MicroSky

I sat next to a women and her 10ish yo daughter on a plane last night. I overheard them talking on the jetway about the daughter's interest in becoming a paleontologist or herpetologist, and the mom saying she always wished to be an entomologist. I introduced myself after sitting down.

NIH study section that was originally scheduled for this coming Tuesday is back on track, will meet on Tuesday. No delay. Other study sections are being rescheduled for early 2026.

NIH study sections are back! PCMB is probably going to meet in early January.

The diderm cell envelope is not a stack of layers but a unified scaffold of Inner Membrane–Peptidoglycan–Outer Membrane. We discuss how tethering the OM to the PG in E. coli preserves integrity — and extend the concept across diderm bacteria. Curr Opin Microbiol: doi.org/10.1016/j.mi... #microsky 🔬

My Granddad, William Robert Fleming Stevenson, received these medals (and shrapnel in his knee) for 4 years in the European trenches, fighting The War to End All Wars. #VeteransDay #RemembranceDay

Overly honest methods #MicroSky

Congratulations to Tim Saylor for successfully defending his MS thesis! After my trainees complete their defense, I give them a custom-engraved julep cup, then we share a drink together 🥃

On interactions between Midichloria and Borrelia in Ixodes ricinus ticks: a multifaceted phenomenon likely driven by molecular mechanisms that regulate tick feeding, modulate host immunity, and provide nutritional support. www.clinicalkey.com#!/content/pl... #MicroSky #TickSky

🎃🕷️Tick or treat? Just in time for spooky season... I found a tick on an electric eel in the MCZ collections. Not even the fish are safe! Check it out here: doi.org/10.1093/jme/...

“No -canonical” cell division machinery #MicroSky

Beautiful painting of a Dermacentor variabilis @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social

Nice insights on a function of EbfC in Bacillus. EbfC is a nucleoid-associated protein/"histone-like" protein that is produced by almost all species of Eubacteria. Functions vary between species, probably correlating with presence of other NAPs. It is an essential protein in Lyme Borrelia. #MicroSky