Brandon Sit

This project has been incubating for a while, and I'm very grateful to my labmates who pitched in (@laurenbird.bsky.social and others not on 🟦), @johndoench.bsky.social, and my amazing mentor @lamasonlab.bsky.social. More to come soon!

03.11.2025 19:03 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

First 🟦 post - my main postdoc work is out in the world! We designed a Cas12a-based genetic screen to identify host factors that contribute to infection by the tickborne pathogen Rickettsia parkeri, and stumbled across a really exciting direct interaction between host and bacterium🦠. Check it out!

03.11.2025 19:03 — 👍 9    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0

Thrilled to contribute to this exciting work on protein binder design together w/ @hannes-stark.bsky.social
, Felix Faltings, Regina Barzilay, Tommi Jaakkola, and co. We applied BoltzGen to design novel antimicrobial peptides targeting DNA gyrase based on inhibitory protein fragments. (1/n)

27.10.2025 12:39 — 👍 5    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0

Wall teichoic acid is required for DNA-triggered innate immune receptor activation by Staphylococcus aureus Receptors that stimulate inflammation are commonly activated by ligands that are buried within microbial cells. The mechanisms that facilitate immunostimulatory ligand release from microbes during inf...

Thrilled to share my work from the @jkagan1.bsky.social lab!

TLDR: O-acetylation and wall teichoic acid compete for space on S. aureus peptidoglycan. This competition regulates DNA release, and thus immune receptor activation, during infection!

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

#microsky #immunosky

26.09.2025 11:31 — 👍 37    🔁 15    💬 2    📌 2

Cholera toxin-induced disease generates epithelial cell-derived L-lactate that promotes Vibrio cholerae growth in the small intestine Cholera toxin (CT) promotes Vibrio cholerae colonization by altering gut metabolism to favor pathogen growth. We have previously found that CT-induced disease leads to increased concentrations of L-la...

1/ Excited to share the first preprint from my lab! 🎉

My postdoc Paz asked how cholera toxin (CT) helps Vibrio cholerae thrive in the gut.

Turns out, CT rewires epithelial metabolism toward L-lactate production—fueling pathogen growth in the small intestine during disease

18.08.2025 21:13 — 👍 62    🔁 25    💬 10    📌 0

Poster of diverse scientists chatting with each other and holding idea balloons representing various fields in the life sciences, such as DNA, cells, gears, and lightbulbs. More information is available through the QR code.

Are you an MIT postdoc in the life sciences? Come join my new initiative, the KendallSqBio Postdoc Symposium on Sept. 10, 2025!

✅ Present your science
✅ Connect with other postdocs
✅ Build your community

Abstract deadline July 11th! forms.gle/iXMTYfqgLKWR...

01.07.2025 14:01 — 👍 8    🔁 5    💬 1    📌 1

Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Response Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.

Alert! The abstract deadline for the Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Response meeting has been extended to July 7 meetings.cshl.edu/meetings.asp...

23.06.2025 20:24 — 👍 38    🔁 23    💬 1    📌 2

Coxiella burnetii manipulates the lysosomal protease cathepsin B to facilitate intracellular success - Nature Communications The zoonotic pathogen Coxiella burnetiiestablishes a unique intracellular niche within a lysosome-derived vacuole. Here Bird et al. undertook proteomic, cell biology and microbiology approaches to cha...

Excited to share this story from my PhD, out today in Nature Communications! We show that Coxiella removes cathepsin B to reduce lysosomal hostility and promote bacterial success. This depends on a vacuole established by effector CvpB.

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

25.04.2025 00:14 — 👍 24    🔁 4    💬 2    📌 3

Excited to see many in the bacterial pathogenesis community joining here in the last few weeks, so here's a Starter Pack to help make connections. Reply/DM to be added to this or future Packs. #Microsky go.bsky.app/VH64BaY

17.11.2024 01:46 — 👍 230    🔁 74    💬 85    📌 5

go.bsky.app/L3L2iFz

10.11.2024 21:46 — 👍 49    🔁 38    💬 12    📌 1