Miranda

Giant DNA viruses encode a hallmark translation initiation complex of eukaryotic life In contrast to living organisms, viruses were long thought to lack protein synthesis machinery and instead depend on host factors to translate viral transcripts. Here, we discover that giant DNA virus...

Historically, viruses were thought to primarily use host cell's translational machinery. New work from @harvardcellbio.bsky.social faculty Amy Lee reveals that a giant DNA virus encodes its own IF4F initiation complex, suggesting an unexpected evolutionary innovation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Fatally defective HIV proviruses, traditionally considered evolutionary dead ends, can replicate and diversify upon superinfection without preventing disease progression
@natmicrobiol.nature.com @frsimonetti.bsky.social @jhu.edu
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Identified receptors shed light on Epstein–Barr virus infection - Nature Microbiology Epstein–Barr virus is associated with cancer and implicated in autoimmune diseases. Three studies reveal desmocollin 2 and R9AP as receptors for Epstein–Barr virus infection, highlighting new avenues for targeted therapies.

#News&Views

Epstein–Barr virus is associated with cancer and implicated in autoimmune diseases. Three studies reveal desmocollin 2 and R9AP as receptors for Epstein–Barr virus infection, highlighting new avenues for targeted therapies.

#MicroSky 🦠

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

Epstein–Barr virus exploits desmocollin 2 as the principal epithelial cell entry receptor - Nature Microbiology A genome-wide CRISPR screen helps to identify the Epstein–Barr virus receptor desmocollin 2 for primary epithelial cell infection. Additional infection assays revealed that desmocollin 3 also aids infection.

#NewResearch

A genome-wide CRISPR screen helps to identify the Epstein–Barr virus receptor desmocollin 2 for primary epithelial cell infection. Additional infection assays revealed that desmocollin 3 also aids infection.

#MicroSky 🦠

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

Quantifying the impact of a broadly protective sarbecovirus vaccine in a future SARS-X pandemic - Nature Communications Broad-spectrum vaccines have been proposed as a tool for rapid response to emerging infectious disease threats and are in pre-clinical development. Here, the authors use mathematical modelling to assess the potential impacts of broadly protective sarbecovirus vaccines for a hypothetical “SARS-X” outbreak.

NEW PUBLICATION! Check out this work in Nature Portfolio Communications quantifying the impact of a broadly protective sarbecovirus vaccine in a future SARS-X pandemic 👇
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
@imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @imperialsph.bsky.social

Feline infectious peritonitis epizootic caused by a recombinant coronavirus - Nature The emergence of a highly pathogenic FCoV–CCoV recombinant is responsible for a rapidly spreading outbreak of feline infectious peritonitis originating in Cyprus.

New Publication:

Feline infectious peritonitis epizootic caused by a recombinant coronavirus

@roslininstitute.bsky.social @thedickvet.bsky.social @edinuni-irr.bsky.social

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

A modified cyclosporine enhances lentivector transduction ex vivo and in vivo by degrading IFITM3 Intrinsic innate immune barriers have evolved to suppress viral infection and can reduce effective gene delivery in gene therapy. We have developed BG147, a novel cyclosporine A analogue, optimised vi...

New preprint from our lab, led by our postdocs Dara Annett and Kate Morling in collaboration with Selwood Lab!

We developed a modified cyclosporine, BG147, which enhances lentivector gene therapy transduction, ex vivo in HSPC and in vivo in mouse photoreceptors, by degrading IFITM3. Check it out!

The Panoptes system uses decoy cyclic nucleotides to defend against phage - Nature The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.

Very excited to see our work appear alongside findings from @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social & @benmorehouse.bsky.social !

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

Giant DNA viruses encode a hallmark translation initiation complex of eukaryotic life In contrast to living organisms, viruses were long thought to lack protein synthesis machinery and instead depend on host factors to translate viral transcripts. Here, we discover that giant DNA virus...

Are viruses capable of regulating protein synthesis in the nuanced way of cellular organisms? Kinda! I’m excited to share some of my postdoc work that leveraged giant DNA viruses to address this question.

A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.

Now online at @nature.com we show how the Panoptes defense system protects against viruses that attempt immune evasion - and expands our understanding of the role of oligonucleotides in immunity.

Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:

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

Jane Goodall: A Life in Pictures

Jane Goodall, primatologist and ambassador for #wildlife, dies at 91. Her research transformed our understanding of wild #chimpanzees and their behavior. She inspired many young scientists. A life in pictures: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/s... #rip #janegoodall @nytimes.com

See this? This = implanting mouse embryo. Usually this happens inside its mother and is invisible to us, but we can actually watch implantation ex vivo with the hope of understanding why implantation goes awry in embryos of older women. A 🧵...

🚀We’re hiring! Join our international team at @ciid-heidelberg.bsky.social and @uniheidelberg.bsky.social
as a PhD Student or Postdoctoral Researcher to lead cutting edge research projects at the virus-host interface

Postdoc: tinyurl.com/d5sdhbnp

PhD: tinyurl.com/bdz5e5u6

"If we lose hope, we're doomed."

We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.

Jane Goodall, the trailblazing naturalist whose intimate observations of chimpanzees in the African wild produced powerful insights that transformed basic conceptions of humankind, has died. She was 91.

Read more about her legacy www.latimes.com/obituaries/s...

Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91 Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour The world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91, her institute has said. The Jane Goodall Institute announced that she had passed away of natural causes while in California as part of a US speaking tour. Continue reading...

Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91

Rookie scientists make research teams more innovative Papers from research teams with a substantial number of beginners are highly disruptive and innovative, study shows.

Beginner's charm 😊
Want to do disruptive #science? Papers from #research teams with a substantial number of beginners are highly disruptive and innovative, a new study shows. www.nature.com/articles/d41... @nature.com #ScienceCareer

🚨 New paper in Eurosurveillance - @karatasmustafa.bsky.social
We used shotgun metagenomics on indoor air in a Belgian daycare to track respiratory, enteric & skin viruses.
👉 40/42 samples contained human viruses—even when kids seemed healthy!
📄 Read here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41000028/

The hepatitis E virus capsid protein ORF2 counteracts cell-intrinsic antiviral responses to enable persistent replication in cell culture Author summary Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important yet often underestimated pathogen. Depending on the genotype, HEV infections can progress to chronicity, but the underlying mechanisms remain poo...

Super interesting virus: #hepatitas 😅 E virus #HEV!

@daothilab.bsky.social looked into its ORF2 protein and how it counteracts cell-intrinsic immune responses. Congrats Ann-Kathrin, Loan and team, and thanks for having us on board!
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

(Hepatitas® by the Orange Superbrain)

Size distribution and viral RNA load of influenza virus-laden airborne particles emitted from pigs over the course of an H1N1 infection - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Size distribution and viral RNA load of influenza virus-laden airborne particles emitted from pigs over the course of an H1N1 infection

Size distribution and viral RNA load of influenza virus-laden airborne particles emitted from pigs over the course of an H1N1 infection

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

Viro3D: a comprehensive database of virus protein structure predictions | Molecular Systems Biology imageimageViro3D provides proteome-level, high confidence AI-protein structure predictions for >4,400 viruses, allowing mapping of form and function across the human and animal virosphere. Viro3D i...

Viro3D paper is out! We predicted 85,000 protein structures from human & animal viruses. 1/5 🧵

📑 Paper doi.org/10.1038/s443...
🔭 Explore virosphere viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk

🚨 New Web Resource Alert! 🚨 We're delighted to share Viro3D a database of >85000 viral protein structure predictions from >4400 human & animal viruses.

🔗 viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
📄 www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

@molsystbiol.org @cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social #Virology #AlphaFold 🧪 🦠

Cryo-EM structure of influenza polymerase bound to the cRNA promoter provides insights into the mechanism of virus replication https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.23.677976v1

LRP8 is a receptor for tick-borne encephalitis virus - Nature LRP8, an apolipoprotein E and reelin receptor with high expression in the brain, is a receptor for tick-borne encephalitis virus.

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

Stunning work from the Chandran lab!

How a tick-borne virus enters human cells Tick-borne encephalitis virus can infect the nervous system and cause life-threatening illness. Finding the cellular gateway it uses could transform prevention and treatment.

Finding the tick-borne encephalitis cellular gateway could transform prevention and treatment

go.nature.com/3Kqp5E9

Huntington’s disease treated for first time using gene therapy Preliminary results from a small trial offer the clearest evidence yet that the brain disease’s progression can be slowed.

A one-time gene therapy can markedly slow the progression of Huntington’s disease, potentially paving the way for the first ever treatment to alter the course of this rare, inherited brain disorder.

go.nature.com/4nu6YMs

MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infection in diverse human lung organoid-derived cultures | Journal of Virology The COVID-19 pandemic heralded the upsurge in human-derived lung organoid-based studies due to their cellular heterogeneity that partly emulates the cellular complexity of the respiratory tract. A maj...

🚨 Latest publication from our group and our exceptional collaborators. Led by postdoctoral fellows Drs. Chiok and Jenik. We attempted to test the permissivity of diverse patient origin airway organoid-derived cultures to MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. #LZCI #LoveVirology

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

I am delighted to share this preprint describing the structure and transcriptomics analysis of adenovirus D10 - a fantastic collaboration - and a lot of hard work by Kasim and Rosie.

Mechanisms for cross–neutralisation of diverse bat sarbecoviruses The continuing evolution of SARS–CoV–2 variants of concern, and the increasing spillover potential of sarbecoviruses into the human population presents an important and urgent need to discover cross-r...

And the sister paper from collaborator and good friend Katie Doores ... A deeper dive into how some of these broadly neutralising #sarbecovirus #coronavirus #sars2 #covid antibodies actually work www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Understanding the future risk of bat coronavirus spillover into humans: correlating sarbecovirus receptor usage, host range, and antigenicity. Sarbecoviruses interact with their receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), via the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike, the immunodominant target for neutralising antibodies. Understandin...

Our first post on here and it's a doozy 😍🤩. Our epic piece on #sarbecovirus host range. #virology #sars2 #covid #vaccines. Enjoy and please repost. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...