Karthik Anantharaman

An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine Multiple genetic codes developed during the evolution of eukaryotes and bacteria, yet no alternative genetic code is known for archaea. We used proteomics to confirm our prediction that certain archae...

New paper out: An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#phagesky #microsky

Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 The Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list identifies and celebrates individuals who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research. Through rigorous selection criteria and ...

Thrilled to be recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher for 2025! This honor truly reflects the creativity, drive, and dedication of our lab team (past and present), and our incredible collaborators and scientific community. Here’s to pushing boundaries together!
clarivate.com/highly-cited...

Viral Dark Matter: Illuminating Protein Function, Ecology, and Biotechnological Promises Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play central roles in shaping microbiomes and influencing ecosystem functions. Yet, most viral genes remain uncharacterized, comprising w...

Viral "dark matter" dominates the virosphere. In this review by me & @karthik-a.bsky.social, we synthesize what's known, highlight major gaps, and outline paths forward for illuminating viral protein functions in diverse ecosystems.

Viral Dark Matter: Illuminating Protein Function, Ecology, and Biotechnological Promises Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play central roles in shaping microbiomes and influencing ecosystem functions. Yet, most viral genes remain uncharacterized, comprising w...

Excited to share our new review article on Viral Dark Matter led by PhD student @kosmopoulos.bsky.social. We talk about what is known and unknown in the world of viruses (specifically phage), and highlight future opportunities for research and biotechnology. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Plastic degradation by enzymes from uncultured deep sea microorganisms Abstract. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-hydrolyzing enzymes (PETases) are a recently discovered enzyme class capable of plastic degradation. PETases are

A wonderful collaboration between my lab and Andy Ellington and Edward Marcotte here at UT.

We obtained lots of thermal stable plastic degrading enzymes from the deep sea (Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California)

Delighted and honored to meet with the one and only Bruce Levin today who was the MDTP student invited speaker at UW-Madison!

Tis the season! 😂🤣

#Microsky #Microbiomesky

An updated view of metabolic handoffs in microbiomes From the human gut to the deep ocean, diverse microbial communities underpin essential ecosystem processes. Limited understanding of the dynamics and …

New review paper on metabolic handoffs in microbiomes led by PhD student Katie Klier.

We define major types of metabolic handoffs, examine their drivers and benefits, & describe their importance in different complex microbial systems and environments.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Microbial iron oxide respiration coupled to sulfide oxidation - Nature Genomic and biochemical analyses of prokaryotic sulfur metabolism identify diverse microorganisms with the capacity to oxidize sulfide using iron(iii).

📢 New paper in @nature.com

Microbes rock 🎸🤘 with sulfide and iron minerals

I am very excited to share our recent study, which describes a previously unknown microbial energy metabolism ⚡⚡⚡🦠🧫⚡⚡⚡

🆕 Microbial iron oxide respiration coupled to sulfide oxidation - MISO

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

Try pickleball instead!

A call for caution in the biological interpretation of viral auxiliary metabolic genes - Nature Microbiology This Perspective discusses virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes and provides a framework for the biological interpretation of these genes.

New paper alert! We suggest caution in the analyses of viral auxiliary metabolic genes and propose a new overarching term - 'auxiliary viral genes' (AVGs) to describe different types of such genes. @simrouxvirus.bsky.social #phagesky #Microsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Advice from NSF: grant proposals can still include outreach, community engagement, and so on. But avoid specifying particular groups

Tomorrow at 12:45-1:30 in the EEB Track Hub in the poster hall #ASMmicrobe I am talking about microbial diversity including Asgard archaea, and an expanded tree of life from marine sediments.

Excited to be a part of this effort from Mandy Joye's group showing the role of heterotrophs in deep sea carbon cycling!

Ultrafast and accurate sequence alignment and clustering of viral genomes - Nature Methods Vclust generates fast and accurate estimation of average nucleotide identity for viral genomes, scaling clustering to millions of genomes.

Ultrafast and accurate sequence alignment and clustering of viral genomes | Nature Methods https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02701-7

I use this as a joke in lectures. Works every time 😂

Very excited this part of my PhD is out 🎉 We describe vent viral and microbial traits that govern viral biogeography and contribute to mounting evidence that these communities are highly endemic, and thus likely vulnerable to disruptive activities like deep sea mining
#Microbiome #DeepSeaMining

A few weeks ago we met in the Scottish Highlands to launch our HFSP @hfspo.bsky.social funded project on virus-prokaryotic interactions in wetlands and impact on the methane cycle. What a fantastic team to be part of. @karthik-a.bsky.social @soilmicrobes.bsky.social & Joanne Emerson

#phagesky #microsky

Endemism shapes viral ecology and evolution in globally distributed hydrothermal vent ecosystems - Nature Communications Viruses are pivotal players in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, shaping microbiomes by preying on key hosts. Through a global-scale analysis of vent viruses and their interactions, this study reveals that...

Excited to share our lab's latest work led by PhD student
@maggielangwig.bsky.social
describing the ecology and evolution of viruses in globally distributed hydrothermal vents.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Come and work with me!

The Nature Micro team is expanding and we're looking for someone to champion microbial ecology, plant micro & related areas for the journal

Knowledge of microbial ecology/plant micro is desirable but we're open to applications from all microbiologists

Link below 👇

Beneath the surface: Unsolved questions in soil virus ecology Soil virus ecology is an exciting but still nascent field of research in soil microbiology. While there has been a recent surge in soil virus research…

Our perspective on soil virus ecology research is out!

Fantastic collab with
@christinahazard.bsky.social @karthik-a.bsky.social @lukehillary.bsky.social @urineri.bsky.social @simrouxvirus.bsky.social @gtrubl.bsky.social @KurtWilliams @jeffinerca.bsky.social @graemenicol.bsky.social @JoanneEmerson

Phage interactions may contribute to the population structure and dynamics of hydrothermal vent microbial symbionts Deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems are sustained by chemoautotrophic bacteria that symbiotically provide organic matter to their animal hosts through the oxidation of chemical reductants in vent fl...

Amidst all the bad news, I still want to share two new preprints from our lab group. The first is led by newly minted Dr. Michelle Hauer, in collaboration with @karthik-a.bsky.social @katiekliermicrobe.bsky.social and @maggielangwig.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

World's only freshwater river 'Ganga' with a remarkable 50 times faster elimination of germs, says expert | Delhi News - The Times of India Despite over 60 crore visitors and countless holy dips during Maha Kumbh, the Ganga remains germ-free. A study by Padma Shri Dr. Ajay Sonkar reveals G

This was published in the top newspaper in India. So much for "news". timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/w...

Our lab had a great time at the IBSE Microbiome Symposium. Looking forward to this in the future again.

I am in Bengaluru quite often (multiple times a month really). We should catch up sometime.

It was great to host @jeffinerca.bsky.social and learn about her inspirational work in the persistence of soil carbon. Hosted by the IBSE Microbiome Symposium at IIT Madras.

Great talk by Tanja Woyke on very exciting upcoming technological advancements in single cell genomics at @jgi.doe.gov Hosted by the IBSE Microbiome Symposium at IIT Madras.