Bob Leung

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.

Carbon monoxide metabolism in freshwater anaerobic methanotrophic archaea https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.16.676500v1

📢 PLEASE RT!
❄️ M2 Masters Internship: Metagenomic analysis of microbial cold adaptation in the cryosphere
🧬 Compile & curate ice nucleation & cold-adaptation protein database
🖥️ Build HMM profiles
🦠 Analyze existing metagenomic data using HMMs

☀️ Marseille, France
Apply by 15 Oct

2 Postdoc vacancies: Microbial dormancy in the cryosphere
@erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA
📢 PLEASE RT

Experimental:
🧬 Single cell microbial activity measurements, flow cytometry, omics, biogeochem

Modelling:
🖥️ Bioenergetics, thermodynamics, ecological, biogeochem

☀️ Marseille, France
‼️ Apply by 30 Sept

Elio (1928-2025) by The STC Team — Losing a close friend always saddens one deeply, regardless of age. Losing a person who has so immensely influenced our worldview through his guidance and example makes the sadness e...

schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2...
#MicroSky

🧪 🥼 🥽 Looking for tools to answer questions related to energy and infrastructure security? Now's your chance to apply for an investigator role at Berkeley Lab's @jgi.doe.gov.

Apply today! ⬇️
Deadline: September 9
Please share!

First isolation of a methanotrophic Mycobacterium reveals ammonia- and pH-tolerant methane oxidation | Applied and Environmental Microbiology Methane is a significant contributor to climate change (27 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide), and the largest biological sink is methane-oxidizing bacteria: methanotrophs. Alt...

“Isolation of a new methanotroph belonging to Mycobacterium” is now out! Awesome work by my former postdoc Hiromi Kambara, who led this project all the way.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

An Asgard archaeon from a modern analog of ancient microbial mats It has been proposed that eukaryotic cells evolved via symbiosis between sulfate-reducing bacteria and hydrogen-producing archaea. Here we describe a highly enriched culture of a novel Asgard archaeon...

📣 New paper alert!
One of the most exciting projects we've done in recent years is now out on BioRxiv: "An Asgard archaeon from a modern analog of ancient microbial mats".

Glimpse into early complex life! ❄️🦠 🔬🧬

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... A thread...

ATP synthesis driven by atmospheric hydrogen concentrations | PNAS All cells require a continuous supply of the universal energy currency, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), to drive countless cellular reactions. The un...

Our article showing energy production from air alone is in PNAS today. This paper provides an ultimate biochemical proof that microbes can survive simply by 'making' energy from air (making two ATP per molecule atmospheric H2 consumed) and has biotech applications. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Congratulations 🎉 now on line at @isme-microbes.bsky.social : Comparative genome analysis reveals broad phylogenetic and functional diversity within the order #Nitrospirales
Linnea Kop et al
#microbiology @ribesresearch.bsky.social (RIBES) icw
@univie.ac.at academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

Logo for the Sandpiper website

Out in @natbiotech.nature.com: Metagenome taxonomy profilers usually ignore unknown species. SingleM is an accurate profiler which doesn't, even detecting phyla with no MAGs. Profiles of 700,000 metagenomes at sandpiper.qut.edu.au. A 🧵

New #methanogen culture just dropped! Check out the 'Methanonezhaarchaeia'! Happy to see this one out. A new methylotrophic methanogen cultivated from a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. Gives insights into the metabolic diversity and evolution of this group. #microsky 🦠🔥 tinyurl.com/yw8ku2bj

Enrichment cultivation and visualization of Ca. Methanonezhaarchaeum fastidiosum

Preprint🚨 #microsky 🦠 “Cultivation of Methanonezhaarchaeia, the third class of methanogens within the phylum Thermoproteota”, authored by @kohtzarchaeota.bsky.social & Sylvia Nupp, expands the diversity of methanogens! 90% enriched, methylotrophic culture from a hot spring. A 🧵 tinyurl.com/yw8ku2bj

In about a week we (Biological Sciences @ Monash Uni in Melbourne, Australia) will be opening a search for 3 (!!!) permanent academic positions (40% research, 40% teaching, 20% service) at Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. 1 Genomics, 2 Ecology. Please share, email me, DM, follow, send carrier pigeons…

Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies Nature Microbiology - In this Consensus Statement, the authors outline strategies for processing, analysing and interpreting low-biomass microbiome samples, and provide recommendations to minimize...

Hope this is useful - consensus statement "Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies" rdcu.be/er3Io

JAMSTEC Young Research Fellow (JYRF) | JAMSTEC - JAPAN AGENCY FOR MARINE-EARTH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY JAMSTEC Young Research Fellow (JYRF)

Would you like to work with us?
At JAMSTEC, we are recruiting postdoctoral researchers through the Young Research Fellow program.
This program allows fellows to independently pursue their own research projects.
www.jamstec.go.jp/recruit/e/jy...

Very excited to share that I’ve been awarded the @aussocmic.bsky.social 2025 Jim Pittard Award! (alongside the fantastic Rhys Parry and Heema Vyas!) 🦠 🌾

The award recognises the important contributions of Aus researchers to microbiology at the ECR stage, as well as their contributions to ASM.

We are recruiting for a PhD student who wants to understand how bacterial membranes are built and how they function. It would be a biology meets maths project … if this piques your interest take a look here: macsys.org/monash-phd-s... for project details and contact info

Very proud of this story - driven by @laurenbird.bsky.social -uncovering the ways Coxiella messes with the lysosome. This has been such a fun collaboration with @lauraem-lab.bsky.social raising many new questions!

@monashuniversity.bsky.social @thedohertyinst.bsky.social @natcommag.bsky.social

The T-series bacteriophages are reductionist models that continue to shape the field - Nature Microbiology Jeremy Barr discusses how he began studying bacteriophages, the historic use of the T-series phages and how they have shaped the field.

The T-series bacteriophages have impacted my career and are microbes our lab's research continues to use as model organisms.

You can read more as part of @natmicrobiol.nature.com 'Microbes Matter' series below:

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

JGI Announces 2025 New Investigator Portfolio | Joint Genome Institute Pictured from left: [Top] Bill J.

Congratulations to the 30 new users whose proposals have been accepted for our New Investigator call, part of our #CommunityScience Program. Learn more about their projects below.

jointgeno.me/CSPNI_FY25 🖥️🧬🧪🦠🌱🍄

@nigelmouncey.bsky.social @axelvisel.bsky.social @berkeleylab.lbl.gov

Innovations in the electron transport chain fuel archaeal methane metabolism
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The Centre for Microbiome Research @cmrqut.bsky.social is looking for a postdoc dedicated to advancing our understanding towards the microbiological, biochemical and genetic processes that cause methanogenesis in the cow rumen. More info 👇

Cartoon display of the bioenergetic scenario for Huc using either bd-I oxidase or bcc-aa oxidase as pmf-generating unit, driving ATP synthesis by the F1F o-ATP synthase.

Hydrogenase-driven ATP synthesis from air
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

New work from us where we put the Huc hydrogenase to work to see if it can generate a proton motive force. It can!
cc: @ashleighkropp.bsky.social @rhyswg.bsky.social @greening.bsky.social

An excellent letter by Dennis Hazelett:

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

And below is my attempt to motivate people in my group and others elsewhere to read it. Putting it here as well in case it may work on you, too :p

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Microbial Ecology Full time, 3-year fixed term position. Located at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences on the Camperdown Campus Opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research and collaborate with leading...

We're hiring! 3 year #postdoc position in microbial ecology of gut and soil at University of Sydney. Suits folk with expertise in experimental microbial ecology (e.g. microbiome manipulation, chemostat measurements, metabolomics, metagenomics) tinyurl.com/4yn4ed5u

Screenshot of a tweet from the ARC saying the following: "DP26 EOI applicants: tomorrow all lead CIs will receive an email with their outcomes and all applicants will be able to get their results in RMS. Due to the volume of applications, emails may be staggered throughout the day. Stay tuned for an update.".

The ARC have tweeted that they will released Discovery Projects Expression of Interest outcomes tomorrow.

What a landmark discovery and achievement, congratulations to the team!!

Eukaryotes' closest relatives are internally simple syntrophic archaea Eukaryotes are theorized to have originated from an archaeal phylum Promethearchaeota (formerly 'Asgard' archaea)1,2. The first cultured representatives revealed valuable insight3,4 but are distantly ...

New isolates from eukaryote's closest archaeal relative: ‘Hodarchaeales’!! Syntrophic microaerotolerant peptide-degrading anaerobic archaea w/ simple cell structure & protrusions. Features conserved across the phylum provide new insight into our ancestor’s biology!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Eukaryotes' closest relatives are internally simple syntrophic archaea Eukaryotes are theorized to have originated from an archaeal phylum Promethearchaeota (formerly 'Asgard' archaea)1,2. The first cultured representatives revealed valuable insight3,4 but are distantly ...

Isolated in just 3 years! (previously, 12 years). We obtained two strains from 'Hodarchaeales', proposed to be closest to our archaeal ancestor. Our analysis suggests the ancestor was an anaerobic, syntrophic, peptidotrophic, archaeon with a simple intracellular structure and possible aerotolerance.