Bacterial rRNAs are highly modified, but their functions are often mysterious. Zac Park says that methylation of 16S rRNA by MraW(RsmH) enhances translation of structured mRNAs. Thus, mRNA structure and rRNA modifications likely co-evolved to fine-tune protein dosage.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

The most boopable snoot

Thanks María!!!

Snoot

Thank you!! 🥰

Thanks!!

2/ Awardee @drohsopretty.bsky.social hypothesizes that aging is caused by a breakdown in metabolic communication 💬 between cells. Her work introduces a new conceptual layer to aging biology, and may be key to restoring metabolic aging.
🥳 Congrats Dr. McReynolds!
🙏 #HFScout @harmitmalik.bsky.social

5/ Awardee @heatherfeaga.bsky.social is investigating how bacteria decide when to go dormant💤 (ie, form spores). Her project could lead to important new advancements in the management of spore-forming bacteria in the environment, hospitals, & food supply.
🎉 Congrats Dr. Feaga!
🙏 #HFScout Dipti Nayak

I’m so honored to be included in this Hypothesis Fund cohort and grateful for this investment in our research! 🥲

Inactivation of a purine biosynthesis repressor promotes ribosome synthesis to overcome antibiotic stress | mBio The Erm rRNA methyltransferase superfamily represents the most prevalent determinant of MLS resistance in nosocomial Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Previous studies have established that erm expression is primarily governed by upstream ribosome stalling peptide and the 5′ untranslated regions. Using the widespread S. aureus ermBL-ermB (ermB+) operon as a model system, we unexpectedly identified second-site mutations in purR that synergistically enhance MLS resistance in an ermB+ background. Loss of purR function derepresses nucleotide biosynthesis and ribosome production, thereby promoting bacterial growth under antibiotic stress. While numerous purR single-nucleotide polymorphisms across multiple species have been associated with antibiotic resistance, no study has directly linked these sequence polymorphisms to their regulatory function. Our results highlight the critical role of ribosome abundance and nucleotide metabolism in shaping antibiotic efficacy.

Seemingly unrelated mutations boost multidrug resistance by promoting ribosome synthesis. Out in #mBio @asm.org, 1st author @lescorneta.bsky.social, great collaboration w/ Dapeng Zhang's and Jade Wang's groups. @nu-bsa.bsky.social #MicroSky #ribosome #AMR journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Morgan and Amena smiling !

Congratulations to undergraduate Amena Shamia and graduate student Morgan Serbagi on receiving the NSF GRFP! Proud moment for the Feaga Lab, Cornell Micro, and CUNY Community Colleges (LaGuardia and BMCC) where these two outstanding scientists started their careers!

Omg I have enough anxiety stop

Very exciting that our new paper on the forces exerted by the Rad51-Rad54 homology search complex is now online. This was a collaborative effort with the Wang here at Cornell, and this work performed primarily by a graduate student, Mitch Woodhouse
genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...

I am happy to share that SubtInfluencer @c-elfmann.bsky.social has received the Ph.D. Award of the @vaam-microbes.bsky.social ! Congratulations, Christoph!
@imprsgs.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de #SubtiWiki

Mary Oliver: What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Scientists: Write grants!

Only it doesn’t go into a shredder but to a secret purgatory for the rest of eternity

Congrats! 🎉

Open Positions -

Open postdoc position in my lab on HGT and interbacterial competition. We seek candidates with a PhD in microbiology (or related fields)+ strong 1st-author publications.
Curious, highly motivated, and dedicated team players ready to contribute fully are encouraged to apply. Details: tiny.cc/cz01101

Check out the final version of this work, out today! @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

And your orbital shaker skipped town! This is not your day.

Eukaryotic ribosomes also hibernate and SNORe.. identification of a new hibernation factor in yeast and fungi, which interacts with rRNA #ribosome 💫

Pseudomonas aeruginosa dynamically prioritizes motility and resource recycling during prolonged starvation | mSystems Molecular microbiology has traditionally focused on exponential growth in model organisms as the preferred context in which to study bacterial physiology, especially the regulation of new protein synt...

Now out in its final form, our investigation of how Pseudomonas aeruginosa manages resources to permit ongoing adaptations to environment during starvation:
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... Congrats to first author @findunmun1.bsky.social, and co-authors Claudia Hemsley and Elize Ambulte.

PcdA promotes orthogonal division plane selection in Staphylococcus aureus - Nature Microbiology PcdA interacts with DivIVA and FtsZ, promoting Z-ring formation and division plane selection in Staphylococcus aureus, which increases virulence in mice and reduces sensitivity to cell-wall-targeting ...

@felixrl.bsky.social reported that PcdA mediates orthogonal cell division in #Staphylococcus aureus: www.nature.com/articles/s41....

But what’s the point? Well, forming staphylococcal abscess communities to evade host immune responses requires this mode of division:
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Our work on understanding how Staphylococcus aureus mode of cell division contributes to pathogenesis is now available in bioRxiv

It’s true!

Ribosome is everything! Everything else just there for ribosome.

Flyer for ASM DC Branch Meeting April 10th at Howard University

Attn DC area microbiologists, please join us for @asmdcbranch.bsky.social Spring Meeting on Fri, Apr 10th from 10-4 at Howard University. Keynote by Dr. Kumaran Ramamurthi. If interested in giving a short or lightning talk, submit abstracts by Mar 25: www.washingtondcasm.org/2026-spring-...

Mike Cashel: magic spot magician | Journal of Bacteriology In July 2025, we lost Mike Cashel, a gifted scientist and critical contributor to the bacterial research community, after a long illness. Through his studies on (p)ppGpp and its modes of action, Mike ...

"Mike Cashel: magic spot magician"

journals.asm.org/doi/full/10....

Context-dependent translation inhibition as a cancer therapeutic modality - Nature Communications Robust protein synthesis by the ribosome is required for rapid cancer growth. Here authors present interdictors, small molecule inhibitors of protein synthesis with context-dependent activity that inh...

Incredibly proud of our small but mighty team at Interdict Bio as we bring the interdictor modality closer to the clinic! Check out our first publication that lays the foundation for context-dependent translation modulators as a therapeutic approach for cancer!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We’re hiring a Microscopy Core Director at the Wadsworth Center!
It's a state position (job stability & PENSION!) in a uniquely academic, research-driven environment 😎
Please share 🙏
statejobs.ny.gov/public/vacan...