Augustinas Silale

Check it out! A proper team effort from past and present group members and a great collaboration with @sergemostowylab.bsky.social

A new paradigm for outer membrane protein biogenesis in the Bacteroidota - Nature Structural and biochemical studies of the β-barrel-assembly machinery from Flavobacterium johnsoniae reveal a subunit composition and assembly that are distinct from those of the canonical Escherichia coli complex.

Berks and @smlea.bsky.social labs also found yet a different BAM architecture in Flavobacterium johnsoniae, another member of Bacteroidota.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

We think this much larger BAM enables biogenesis of outer membrane β-barrel and surface-exposed lipoprotein complexes, which are a hallmark of the Bacteroidota.

Structure of a distinct β-barrel assembly machinery complex in the Bacteroidota - Nature Microbiology Structural and functional characterization of the β-barrel assembly machinery complex in Bacteroidota reveals a distinct, seven-component complex with a large extracellular domain that may enable β-barrel–surface lipoprotein complex assembly.

Our paper on the Bacteroidota BAM complex is out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com! With @madejmar.bsky.social

We found that BAM in Bacteroides and Porphyromonas gingivalis has a distinct architecture from BAM in Proteobacteria.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Spending some time collecting memories of Harry today 🥺 - this is when he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. If anyone in the #glycotime universe has pictures or memories of Harry Gilbert they want to share please send them my way 💚

Now we are on Bluesky, over the next couple of days we would like to introduce some of the MHD groups on Bluesky who you can follow for more research updates. Or check out our handy MHD starter pack 😀
go.bsky.app/SoVnvW3

A Protein Antibiotic Inhibits the BAM Complex to Kill Without Cell Entry Many antibiotics are ineffective against Gram-negative pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa because they cannot penetrate the bacterial outer membrane. Here, we show that protein antibiotics calle...

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria blocks many antibiotics. Our latest work reveals that L-type pyocins bypass this barrier by inactivating the BAM complex, killing Pseudomonas aeruginosa without entering the cell, providing a new blueprint for beating antibiotic resistance.

Exclusion systems preserve host cell homeostasis and fitness, ensuring successful dissemination of conjugative plasmids and associated resistance genes Abstract. Plasmid conjugation is a major driver of antibiotic resistance dissemination in bacteria. In addition to genes required for transfer and maintena

Exclusion systems, far from slowing down plasmid spread, are in fact essential to preserve host cell viability and thereby ensure the successful dissemination of conjugative plasmids and antibiotic resistance genes.

@nfrk92.bsky.social
@narjournal.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

A widespread family of molecular chaperones promotes the intracellular stability of type VIIb secretion system–exported toxins | PNAS To survive in highly competitive environments, bacteria use specialized secretion systems to deliver antibacterial toxins into neighboring cells, t...

Really excited to share my first paper from the Whitney lab, alongside an amazing grad student, Polina. Here we identify a chaperone family required for the folding of a central domain of T7SS toxins, and solve the structure of the chaperone-toxin complex. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Progress Update: Tundra Installation — August 20, 2025 - NUSBF We’re excited to share the latest advances in the Tundra project as of 20 August 2025. The installation is moving swiftly, and here’s how things stand: The wiring had continued and the microscope is c...

nusbf.ncl.ac.uk/blog/2025/08...

If you want to see the progress of the installation of the Tundra TEM at @nusbf.bsky.social @newcastleuni.bsky.social Johan has been kindly updating the website with pictures as it is being assembled.

🦠 A fan of bacteria?
We're hiring a Research Technician to join our team at the @warwicklifesci.bsky.social @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social

Positive, organised, skills in molecular biology and protein purification?

Apply here 👉 warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/appcentre...

Please share! 🔬

Convergent evolution of distinct D-ribulose utilisation pathways in attaching and effacing pathogens - Nature Communications Cottam et al. identify distinct pathways for D-ribulose utilisation in pathogenic Escherichia coli and Citrobacter rodentium, providing mechanistic details and suggesting convergent evolution towards ...

Absolutely delighted to share the labs latest work. We identify and characterise two pathways for D-ribulose utilisation in pathogenic EHEC and Citrobacter.

Peptidoglycan–outer membrane attachment generates periplasmic pressure to prevent lysis in Gram-negative bacteria - Nature Microbiology Outer membrane attachment to peptidoglycan enables periplasmic pressure to build up and counter cytoplasmic turgor pressure, preventing lysis during osmotic challenges in Escherichia coli.

#microsky
We challenge the long-standing view that peptidoglycan alone protects cells from bursting.

Our study shows that the periplasm — enclosed by OM–PG connections — acts as a pressure buffer essential for osmoprotection in Gram-negative bacteria.

📄 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

*JOB AD*: interested in doing a postdoc in microbial metabolomics? Passionate about natural products mass spec?

Come join the group! Informal enquires welcome!

Closing Date: 19 August 2025

jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...

Colin Kleanthous' fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease Association Help Colin Kleanthous raise money to support Motor Neurone Disease Association

My wonderful colleage Colin Kleanthous is raising money for the MND association. Please support Colin in this worthy endeavor! www.justgiving.com/page/colin-k...
(Please repost!)

A porin-like protein used by bacterial predators defines a wider lipid-trapping superfamily - Nature Communications This study reveals that an outer membrane protein from the predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus forms a pentameric assembly that traps a lipid monolayer within. This allows the discovery of two superfa...

You thought all OMPs were trimeric? 🧐 Not in our predator B. bacteriovorus! 🦠
Excited to have contributed to this great collab with the Lovering lab on this intriguing protein. @lalouxlab.bsky.social
👉 Paper here!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#BacterialPredation #Bdellovibrio #StructuralBiology

Cryo-EM structures of the E. coli Ton and Tol motor complexes - Nature Communications The Ton and Tol systems are bacterial energy-transducing complexes that use the proton motive force at the inner membrane to exert force on outer membrane proteins. Here the authors present the high-r...

After an unexpectedly long editorial process, our paper describing the structures of the E coli TolAQR and TonB-ExbBD complexes is finally out. The coordinates are to be released on July 9th on the PDB.

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

Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate PFAS

Excited to share some key details on our latest research in @natmicrobiol.nature.com reporting intra-cellular accumulation of #PFAS (aka forever chemicals) by certain human gut bacteria. #microsky #mevosky #microbiomesky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy about our new paper in Nature rdcu.be/eukUB
The GluA3 structure provides a framework for understanding this disease-prone glutamate receptor - novel interfaces will provide targets for modulator development

After 5 amazing years @pilhoferlab.bsky.social I'm starting my lab @embl.org Grenoble this November embl.org/wollweber
We'll image Asgard archaea and many other strange microbes ( #archaeasky, #protistsonsky..) to understand eukaryogenesis
First job ad: #teamtomo scientist!🔬❄️ tinyurl.com/2rdu2ze6

At left, a reconstruction of the vault cap with C39 symmetry imposed; at right, the reconstruction after identifying the correct symmetry, with the three non-equivalent protomers highlighted.

1/x New story - the structure of the Vault cap, at 2.3Å! Matching a beautiful preprint from @sjorsscheres.bsky.social, we show that the cap of the vault particle has C13 symmetry, in contrast to the 39-fold symmetry of the body. Study lead by talented postdoc @huanli00.bsky.social from my group! ⬇️

Check out our latest preprint! We show that the same antibacterial toxin requires different immunity proteins depending whether it’s intra or extracellular

A tripartite protein complex promotes DNA transport during natural transformation in firmicutes. Natural genetic transformation is a conserved mechanism of bacterial horizontal gene transfer, which is directed entirely by the recipient cell and facilitates the acquisition of new genetic traits su...

Pleased to share a new preprint - a great collaboration with @jessicaandreani.bsky.social and the Guerois lab at I2BC, and the Radicella lab at the CEA. Using stuctural modelling, we reveal & validate a 3 protein complex involved in DNA import during transformation.

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

A Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron genetic locus encodes activities consistent with mucin O-glycoprotein processing and N-acetylgalactosamine metabolism - Nature Communications Ndeh et al. show that a genetic locus in the human gut bacterium, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, encodes a combination of glycosidases, a glycoprotease and a kinase enabling it to process and metabolis...

New from David Bolam’s lab at Newcastle University;

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

Really excited to share this story from Jake in the lab! We have found bacterial protein toxins that can enter Gram positive bacterial cells without the need for a receptor resulting in broad spectrum antibacterial activity.

Structural Basis of Lipopolysaccharide Assembly by the Outer Membrane Translocon Holo-Complex Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) assembly at the surfaces-exposed leaflet of the bacterial outer membrane (OM) is mediated by the OM LPS translocon. An essential transmembrane beta-barrel protein, LptD, and a...

Here our new preprint on the LPS holo-translocon doi.org/10.1101/2025... , collaboration with Yves Quentin @JulieMarcoux @fronzeslab.bsky.social @pstansfeld.bsky.social - @cbitoulouse.bsky.social

And here jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...

Come join the Palmer lab to do great science with great colleagues in a great city!

Flier for the designer biology meeting.

Interested in Engineering Biology and spending a few days in the best city in the world? Designer Biology 2025 is coming to Newcastle: 29-31st July. Abstracts and registration is open: www.efbiotechnology.org/designerbiol...

Antibiotics from the abyss – assessing the impact of deep-sea mining on biodiscovery at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Antibiotics from the abyss – assessing the impact of deep-sea mining on biodiscovery at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com

One week left to apply for this BBSRC funded PhD position in the Duncan lab, cosupervised by @thecopperdoctor.bsky.social and @ruamicro.bsky.social www.findaphd.com/phds/project...