@sauterlab.bsky.social
Virologist & Research Group Leader at @unituebingen.bsky.social Fascinated by viruses, innate immunity, evolution — and birds 🐦 #Virology #HERVs #Retrotransposons #Birds
Nature research paper: A human-specific regulatory mechanism revealed in a pre-implantation model
go.nature.com/4o2TgQs
Beyond direct microbial colonization: multisensory experiences in nature and their potential to indirectly influence the gut microbiome via multiple biological systems and axes. For example, stress can impair gut immunity in part by downregulating NLRP6 activity, a key regulator of the inflammasome and microbial balance (42); elevated cortisol increases gut permeability (43), and nature walks (and listening to nature sounds) reduce cortisol (44) and increase parasympathetic tone (45, 46). Exposure to natural biodiverse materials can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines (27, 28). All of these processes can influence the gut environment, composition, and dynamics.
#MicrobiologyMonday: Can bird song shape your microbiome? 🐦Scientists propose that interactions with nature may influence gut microbiome composition, suggesting it is shaped not just by direct microbial exposure, but by multisensory experiences. #mSystem asm.social/2Cx
29.09.2025 14:11 — 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 1
New paper alert 🎉
We explore the origins of deltaviruses and find they have infected and co-evolved with termites for 141 million years 🐜🕑🦴
This was a fascinating story to work on with @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social, Jose Gabriel and @anselmojiro.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Do you research endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) or want to learn more about them? 🧬🤔
Consider presenting at or attending AuusiERV - an inaugural online symposium for ERV research in Australia 🇦🇺 (and abroad) 🗺️
Abstracts due 1st October!
events.humanitix.com/aussierv-2025
#ERV #retrovirus
Nicht alle Viren machen uns krank, tatsächlich nur ein ganz kleiner Teil von ihnen. Andere leben auf und in uns, und manche sind sogar fester Bestandteil unseres Erbguts!
Ein Einblick in die vielen Facetten der Virologie bei @quarkswdr.bsky.social:
www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZD...
A tall Secretary bird stands in dry grassland. It has long pinkish legs, a pale gray body, black flight feathers, and a striking crest of long black quills on the back of its head, with a red-orange face patch around the eyes.
Did you know? The Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is named after the long feathers on its head, resembling quill pens tucked behind a secretary’s ear. It hunts snakes by stomping on them with its powerful feet. 📸 Hobbyfotowiki, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
#Birds #FeatheredFriday
A new analysis of individuals living with HIV reveals key sex differences in innate immune profiles and the complexity of the HIV proviral reservoir.
Read more in #ScienceTranslationalMedicine: https://scim.ag/4mridnp
Check out our new paper 🎉. Thanks to everyone who was involved 🙏🏻.
23.09.2025 19:47 — 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0Leider wurden die endogenen Retroviren mal wieder vergessen…
Die machen rund 8% unseres Genoms aus. Rechnet man das auf alle Zellen hoch, schleppt jeder Mensch (ganz grob) etwa 15 g virale DNA täglich mit sich herum. Das entspricht immerhin fünf Stück Würfelzucker!
Brazil hopes to turn the tide of dengue with a home-grown vaccine and an army of mosquitoes
go.nature.com/4pveeJf
Highlights of this year’s Ig Nobel recipients include a nutrition prize for studying the preferred pizza toppings of rainbow lizards at a seaside resort in Togo
go.nature.com/4n5HQv7
Scientists have created the first ever viruses designed by AI, and they’re capable of hunting down and killing strains of E. coli
go.nature.com/3Khz3aR
A small, dark brown bird perched among branches, next to a red blossom. The bird has a slender, slightly curved bill and faint white markings near its eyes and underparts.
Did you know? The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (Moho braccatus), once native to Hawaii, is most likely extinct. This bird was famous for its haunting love song. Listen to the last singing male recorded in 1987: tinyurl.com/2w4kuz2z. 📸 Robert Shallenberger, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
#Birds #FeatheredFriday
PIWI clade Argonautes are essential for transposon silencing. Without them, animals are sterile due to massive transposon activity.
But how does piRNA-guided target interaction translate into silencing?
PhD student Júlia Portell Montserrat has an intriguing answer
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Malleefowl standing on a mound of soil and leaf litter, showing mottled brown, cream, and black plumage that provides excellent camouflage in its dry, scrubland habitat.
Did you know? Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) incubate their eggs in large mounds of rotting leaves. The male adjusts the mound daily to keep the temperature perfect. The chicks hatch fully independent and never meet their parents. 📸 melissadoherty, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
#Birds #FeatheredFriday
Ich denke, Jörg Timm, Vizepräsident der GfV, spricht hier für viele Virologen: "Hat uns schon überrascht"
www.ndr.de/nachrichten/...
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'TRIM28 is a target for paramyxovirus V proteins'. Work led by Gauthier Lieber seeks to address whether host activation of endogenous retroelements contributes to antiviral defences. In support of this idea, he describes a viral mechanism that might limit this host response.
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Excited to share our Science Advances paper reporting the first 3D structure of HERV‑K Env—a novel therapeutic target in cancer and autoimmune diseases. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
28.08.2025 23:28 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
A Hoatzin perched on a bare tree branch. The bird has a spiky reddish-brown crest, blue facial skin, red eyes, and brown wings with cream and chestnut highlights. Soft, blurred background of blue and green hues.
DID YOU KNOW? Hoatzin chicks (Opisthocomus hoazin) have claws on their wings to climb branches if predators attack. If that fails, they drop into water below the nest, swim away, then climb back up later—an amazing survival trick! 📸Philipp Hoenle, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) #Birds #FeatheredFriday
05.09.2025 16:02 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Scenic view of Tübingen, Germany: a traditional wooden punt boat with passengers glides along the Neckar River. A punter stands at the rear with a pole. On the riverbank are historic houses with a tower, lush green trees, and flowering plants in the foreground. Picture by Barbara Honner © Verkehrsverein Tübingen
📢 Countdown: 1 month until #Retropath2025!
Registration is still open — join us in Tübingen for outstanding keynote lectures + cutting-edge research on #retroviruses and #HERVs. More info 👉 evis.events/event/469/.
Close-up of a flamingo’s head and neck. The bird has pale pink plumage, a thick downward-curved bill that is light pink with a large black tip, and a striking yellow eye. The background is softly blurred in pastel tones.
DID YOU KNOW?! Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae) produce so-called crop milk to feed their chicks. Unlike mammals, both parents produce it. Can you guess the color of flamingo milk? It’s bright red! 📸 Carlota Vidal, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
#Birds #FeatheredFriday
🔬✨ Introducing: Expert Insights – the new seminar series by the Young Society for Virology!
We’ve combined the strengths of our previous “How to” seminar series and the GfV ROUND lunch discussions into one powerful format – Expert Insights.
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Close-up photo of two northern gannets with white plumage, pale yellow heads, and striking light-blue eyes with black outlines.
Did you know? Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) are seabirds with a light blue iris. In survivors of avian flu, the iris turns black. Fig. S1 of tinyurl.com/3f8xbbku shows images of this unusual diagnostic marker. 📸 HLI-Photography, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
#Birds #FeatheredFriday #Virology
Excited to co-organize this year's Immunobiology of Viral Infections workshop with Hannes Vietzen!
We’re looking forward to seeing many early career scientists working on all aspects of antiviral immunity — don’t miss it! 👇
Promotional banner for RetroPATH 2025, the 34th International Workshop on Retroviral Pathogenesis. The image features colorful historic buildings of Tübingen along the Neckar River at night.
The abstract deadline for #RetroPATH2025 is approaching! Submit by Aug 15 to join the international retrovirology community in Tübingen, Oct 6–9. We are excited to be co-organizing this event and hope to see many of you there!
Details & submission: evis.events/event/469/
#Retroviruses #HERVs
