Erin Doherty

The Panoptes system uses decoy cyclic nucleotides to defend against phage - Nature The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.

A little late to the Panoptes party, but I’m delighted to share that our paper is published! 👁️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...

My pleasure @erinedoherty.bsky.social and @benmorehouse.bsky.social - for me this was the stand-out discovery of the last year in the field

New paper online at @nature.com from co-leads @erinedoherty.bsky.social + @benadler.bsky.social !

Thanks to this fantastic, interdisciplinary team for making it happen! @benadler.bsky.social, Peter Yoon, Kendall Hsieh, @kenjmloi.bsky.social , Emily Armbruster, @arushi-lahiri.bsky.social , Cydni Bolling, Xander Wilcox, Amogha Akkati, Tony Iavarone, Joe Pogliano, and Jennifer Doudna

Bacteria use a decoy defence molecule to set a trap for viruses Some bacterial-infecting viruses use ‘sponges’ to mop up defence molecules, but bacteria can fight back by responding when a sponge captures decoy molecules.

And thanks to @mfwhite2.bsky.social for this great perspective on both works! www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The Panoptes system uses decoy cyclic nucleotides to defend against phage - Nature The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.

Very excited to see our work appear alongside findings from @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social & @benmorehouse.bsky.social !

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The Panoptes system uses decoy cyclic nucleotides to defend against phage - Nature The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.

Our story describing the Panoptes bacterial immune defense system is now finally peer-reviewed and published today! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Divergent viral phosphodiesterases for immune signaling evasion Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) and other short oligonucleotides play fundamental roles in immune system activation in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. In response, viruses use phosphodiesterase...

This also leads to a major constraint for the evolution of viral proteins that inhibit immune signaling, which we explored in recent pre-print co-led with @jnoms.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Immune activation upon cyclic oligonucleotide depletion prevents the spread of viruses that attempt immune evasion by depleting host cyclic nucleotides.

A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.

Now online at @nature.com we show how the Panoptes defense system protects against viruses that attempt immune evasion - and expands our understanding of the role of oligonucleotides in immunity.

Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Bacteria use a decoy defense molecule to set a trap for viruses @doudna-lab.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social @colorado.edu @aesully98.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thank you to everyone who helped make this story happen!

Obligatory meme to summarize:
“How I imagine phage facing CBASS and mCpol”

Meme game is fire as usual

Out today in @nature.com, a new paper from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab, co-first authors @erinedoherty.bsky.social + @benadler.bsky.social and collaborators at @ucsandiego.bsky.social unveils a powerful new defense strategy in the arms war between viruses + microbes. Read here: ow.ly/mPQI50X5g68

Super cool paper by @benadler.bsky.social @erinedoherty.bsky.social

#phage #phagesky

Huge congrats for such an amazing story, @benadler.bsky.social and @erinedoherty.bsky.social!!

Thanks, Jason!!

A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.

Today in @nature.com , we highlight how a cousin of CRISPR-Cas10, mCpol, establishes an evolutionary trap in anti-phage immune systems.

Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Congrats to Doudna lab postdoc @erinedoherty.bsky.social! 🎊

AAUP Condemns Terrorist Threats to HBCUs The AAUP condemns unequivocally the recent and recurring bomb and terroristic threats against multiple HBCUs. Threats targeting HBCUs are attacks not only on individuals but on the legacy of resilienc...

The AAUP stands in full solidarity w/HBCU faculty, staff, students, admin, & alumni. We call on law enforcement & governmental authorities to treat these threats w/ the seriousness they deserve, investigate thoroughly, hold responsible parties accountable, & strengthen preventive measures on campus.

Congratulations to IGI's @erinedoherty.bsky.social who has been selected as one of the Berkeley Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellows! 🥂

Functional diversity of phage sponge proteins that sequester host immune signals Multiple bacterial immune systems, including CBASS, Thoeris, and Pycsar, employ signaling molecules that activate the immune response following phage infection. Phages counteract bacterial immune sign...

📢 Preprint out!
Together with @reneechang.bsky.social @kranzuschlab.bsky.social and the amazing @soreklab.bsky.social, we explored viral sponges to map their diversity and function.

Discovered huge diversity, including sponges that inhibit Pycsar & Type IV Thoeris!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A step closer toward my goal of serving as a professor at an R1 institution! Faculty applications set to roll this fall 🎬✨

I'm SO thrilled to share that I was selected as a Berkeley Chancellor's Postdoctoral fellow (!!!)

This program offers mentoring and a hiring incentive to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity at the UC.

A widespread family of viral sponge proteins reveals specific inhibition of nucleotide signals in anti-phage defense Chang et al. discover anti-CBASS 4 (Acb4), a family of viral sponges that inhibits bacterial immunity by sequestering nucleotide immune signals. Acb4 homologs in phages that infect hosts across all ma...

The beautiful, ever-expanding universe of viral proteins targeting nucleotide immune signals!

Paper by @reneechang.bsky.social in @cp-molcell.bsky.social on a nucleotide sponge www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

and preprint by @doudna-lab.bsky.social on viral nucleases www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

So happy to share this new preprint, co-led by @erinedoherty.bsky.social! We found that 2H PDEs exceptionally widespread across the virome. They are also structurally diverse, which enables them to degrade nucleotide messengers involved in diverse bacterial immune systems.

New pre-print from Doudna lab members @erinedoherty.bsky.social & @jnoms.bsky.social ✨

Here we explore how recurrent adaptation of a single anti-defense protein fold enables evasion of distinct immune systems.

Thanks to many members of the @doudna-lab.bsky.social who made major contributions to this story! @benadler.bsky.social, Santiago Lopez, Kendall Hsieh, Nathan Price & Nurashau Blount

Investigating these differences in PDE substrate preferences may reveal not only new signaling chemistries but also deepen our understanding of how specific molecular recognition shapes immune conflict.

Our findings suggest that PDE substrate specificity reflects a dynamic evolutionary arms race, with both viruses & hosts continually redefining the signaling landscape. Recurrent 2H PDE adaptation likely enables viruses to counter molecules responsible for a variety of bacterial immune defenses.