Saria McKeithen-Mead, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Stanford University (sariam@stanford.edu); Juan Inclan Rico, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania (jmirico.k16@gmail.com); Christian Dzuvor, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University (christian_dzuvor@hsph.harvard.edu)

Next Generation Faculty Symposium

SESSION 3: Immunology and Cell-Cell Interactions

More on the speakers: www.berkeleystanfordnextgensymposium.com/speakersalumni

Stanford.Berkeley.UCSF Next Generation Faculty Symposium

Honored to be selected to speak at this symposium. Please tune in on Sept. 10th if you’re interested in hearing what I’ve learned while mapping HGT in the gut microbiome!

www.berkeleystanfordnextgensymposium.com

JB Editor's Choice: McKeithen-Mead, Grossman et al. explore the mechanism whereby ICEBs1, an integrative and conjugative element (ICE) of B. subtilis, inhibits the host SOS response and RecA function.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology

Silhouettes of infant, mouse, chick, and bacteria.

Interested in the influence of the infant microbiome on health? Quickly interrogating non-model organisms using omic approaches?

A new publication, describing genome-scale resources in bifidobacteria, is now available online: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...

#microbiome #microsky

Timing of integration into the chromosome is critical for the fitness of an integrative and conjugative element and its bacterial host Author summary Horizontal gene transfer contributes significantly to microbial evolution, enabling bacteria to rapidly acquire new genes and traits. Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are mob...

doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Cross-species MGE transfer network.

If you're excited about MGEs and the transference of this type of perspective to the gut microbiome, I hope to update everyone soon on some work I've been doing regarding HGT in the mammalian gut. Here's a snapshot of things to come.

And 2) show that the timing of integration in transconjugants is critically important and links two essential functions of the ICE lifecycle: replication and integration.

Target search by an imported conjugative DNA element for a unique integration site along a bacterial chromosome during horizontal gene transfer Abstract. Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are mobile genetic elements that can transfer by conjugation to recipient cells. Some ICEs integrate

In the paper, we delve a bit into why MGEs may have evolved these functions. If interested in more work like this, please check out some of my other publications where 1) we characterize how an integrative and conjugative element finds its integration site:
doi.org/10.1093/nar/...

Though not fully elucidated here, this seems to differ from the mechanism utilized by PsiB encoded by F-plasmid as it is active in donors and is not believed to interact directly with RecA. Alam Heredia has done excellent follow-up characterizing the mechanism of action here: doi.org/10.1101/2024...

We show that ICEBs1 in Bacillus subtilis encodes genes that inhibit RecA filament formation. This prevents activation of co-resident prophages following a DNA damage event and inhibits ICEBs1-mediated activation of the SOS response during rolling-circle replication.

Activation and modulation of the host response to DNA damage by an integrative and conjugative element | Journal of Bacteriology Bacterial genomes typically contain mobile genetic elements, including bacteriophages (viruses) and integrative and conjugative elements, that affect host physiology. ICEs can excise from the chromoso...

I'm excited to share that my third first-author publication from grad school has been published in JBAC:
doi.org/10.1128/jb.0...

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Add me please! 🙏🏽

Congrats!! 🥳🎉🥂