Kumaran Ramamurthi

We're hiring! Check out our ad and please re-post or forward to interested #Microbiology parties: apply.interfolio.com/174783

UChicago Microbiology is searching for tenured or tenure-track faculty working in host-pathogens interactions, viral and bacterial pathogenesis, and emerging infectious diseases. Come join our vibrant Department! microbiology.uchicago.edu
Apply here apply.interfolio.com/174404

Effects of extreme acceleration, microgravity, and deceleration on Bacillus subtilis onboard a suborbital space flight - npj Microgravity npj Microgravity - Effects of extreme acceleration, microgravity, and deceleration on Bacillus subtilis onboard a suborbital space flight

Humans began travelling into space in 1961 with single orbits of the Earth. Now Bacillus subtilis!

👉

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

#subtiwiki

Thank you @joergstuelke.bsky.social for the reading recommendation!

(p)ppGpp-dependent activation of gene expression during nutrient limitation | mBio Bacteria often experience nutrient limitation and, in response, attenuate energetically costly metabolic processes like protein synthesis. At the same time, however, they stimulate the expression of a subset of proteins that facilitate survival under ...

(p)ppGpp-dependent activation of gene expression during nutrient limitation

#mBio from Jonathan Dworkin

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

"Cascading failure" is my new favorite term

Five Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Positions in Microbiology, Evolution, and Biological Clocks - College Station, Texas job with Department of Biology - TAMU | 675062 Texas A&M University (TAMU) invites applications for five full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor positions

We're hiring! 5 tenure track assistant professors. 2 #microbiology, 2 #Evolution, 1 #biologicalclocks

jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/675062/f...

Rich Losick’s Farewell Publication Reexamines a Molecular Biology Milestone - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology Richard Losick, Maria Moors Cabot Professor of Biology, Emeritus in Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is about to publish what he describes as his “last paper”—though […]

Rich Losick’s Farewell Publication Reexamines a Molecular Biology Milestone 🧪 🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @cryptogenomicon.bsky.social @craigphunter.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @harvardmagazine.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social

Wonderful collaboration with labs of Kandice Tanner and David Fitzgerald, both at NCI, that really allowed our lab to pursue this very different (to us) line of research that begins to translate years of our basic studies in bacterial cell biology into an applied technology

Domenico surprisingly found that 1) particle size and 2) mode of peptide antigen delivery (surface displayed or internalized peptide) affects cross-presentation efficiency and the robustness of antigen-specific T cell expansion.

Immunization with peptides can elicit antigen-specific T cell responses, but they're not widely used because they are poorly immunogenic and are rapidly cleared. Domenico D'Atri solves this by using our "SSHEL" platform (synthetic bacterial spores) .
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

asm.org/press-releas...

Super cool Pseudomonas-Bacillus interaction paper in @natmicrobiol.nature.com from Yun Chen
with @gabrieleberg.bsky.social

Phenazines shape Gram+ abundance & influence Bacillus cell biology

Phenazines contribute to microbiome dynamics by targeting topoisomerase IV
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Triple-Drug Combination for Cystic Fibrosis Wins Lasker Award Jesús (Tito) González, Paul Negulescu, and Michael Welsh received the 2025 Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award for the development of a life-saving cystic fibrosis treatment.

Fundamental science producing life-saving treatment

www.the-scientist.com/triple-drug-...

Translational coupling of neighboring genes in prokaryotes | Journal of Bacteriology Prokaryotic genes are arranged in operons, with functionally related genes often located adjacent to one another (1). There are several ways in which the operonic organization of genes facilitates the...

Check out our new paper: a review of translational coupling, the phenomenon where translation of one prokaryotic gene can promote translation of the gene downstream. We cover the history, and delve into the mechanism, which is still not fully understood. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

The endoribonuclease Rae1 from Bacillus subtilis cleaves mRNA upstream of stalled ribosomes Abstract. The ribosome-associated endoribonuclease 1 (Rae1) cleaves messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in a translation-dependent manner. Here, we identify a new Rae1

The endoribonuclease Rae1 from Bacillus subtilis cleaves mRNA upstream of stalled ribosomes - academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

Widespread purine bias in bacterial genes driven by runaway transcription Genes in many bacteria are rich in purine nucleotides and poor in pyrimidines. We show that this purine preference is critical for gene expression because it prevents premature transcription terminati...

Widespread purine bias in bacterial genes driven by runaway transcription - www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Conservation of sporulation genes and a transmembrane-containing Spo0B variant in Paenibacillus Sporulation is a strategy employed by many bacteria to survive harsh environmental conditions. The genus Paenibacillus includes spore-forming species notorious for spoiling pasteurized dairy products ...

Here we show that >90% of Paenibacillus encode a unique Spo0B with a transmembrane domain! TM domain helps it interact with its phosphorelay partners. Congrats to @isabellalin.bsky.social who left for grad school this week and her mentor @cassidyprints.bsky.social! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Big news from the Demirer lab: first 4 research papers are preprinted! Check them out, feedback welcomed:

eCIS for plant protein delivery: tinyurl.com/mrx4d878
R2 for targeted insertion: tinyurl.com/5n73za6h
Transient expression: tinyurl.com/38p2ud6w
Chemotaxis assay: tinyurl.com/3nw9haes

More ⬇️

Accepted! Stay tuned for the final version...

Very cool #lipidtime story

We're Hiring! Assistant Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine in MCB. Learn more and apply online:
aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05096

🚨 Imagine a bacterium that refuses to follow the textbook:
It grows as tangled filaments, divides unevenly, reshapes its own membranes… and even builds grappling hooks.
Meet Litorilinea aerophila — and here’s why it blew our minds.

Cryo-EM identifies F-ENA of Bacillus thuringiensis as a widespread family of endospore appendages across Firmicutes - Nature Communications B. thuringiensis spores contain uncharacterized protein filaments that extend from the surface of the exosporium. Here, the authors show that these filaments feature conserved β-barrel neck domains an...

Many spores from the Firmicutes group are decorated with hair-like structures. Since the 60s, they remained a mystery. @remaut-lab.bsky.social named these fibres ENdospore Appendages (ENAs). Using Cryo-ID, we report the identity, structure and function of F-ENA.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Assistant/Associate Professor, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics - McGovern Medical School in Texas, United States | Faculty & Physicians at UTHealth Houston Apply for Assistant/Associate Professor, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics - McGovern Medical School job with UTHealth Houston in Texas, United States. Faculty & Physicians at UTHealth Houston

My alma mater is hiring a microbiologist! Assistant/Associate Prof. 👇👇

Remodeling of RNA-binding proteome and RNA-mediated regulation as a new layer of control of sporulation
#Bacillussubtilis

#mSystems from @clemdf.bsky.social

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

The Maryland flag consists of four quadrants depicting the Calvert and Crossland family crests in yellow, black, red, and white. A bold monument to maximalism. Chivalrous in its devotion to heraldic tradition. Is it beautiful? It loves itself, and that's beautiful. It doesn't need your approval—but it wants you to know that it sees you trying your best and it's proud of you.

Happy Friday to the Maryland State flag

Elio Schaechter was one of my heroes. His 1958 paper with Ole Maaløe and Niels Kjeldgaard (fondly known as “SMK”) is a North Star for so much work in my group. A wonderful scientist, great communicator, and a very kind person. May his memory be a blessing.

Saddened to learn of the passing of Moselio "Elio" Schaechter—Distinguished Professor at Tufts, SDSU and UCSD—humanist and visionary leader in the fields of microbiology and scientific communication—mentor, friend, and inspiration to me and so many others

Small Things Considered
Big Things Achieved

Comprehensive mapping of transcription terminator Rho utilization (Rut) sites across the Bacillus subtilis genome Abstract. Recent evidence indicates that the bacterial Rho helicase regulates Bacillus subtilis gene expression in a growth-dependent manner. This regulati

New cool work from French friends and colleagues: identification of Rho termination sites in B. subtilis! academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

#SubtiWiki @narjournal.bsky.social @inrae-france.bsky.social

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...