Facultative predation expands the ecological repertoire of Streptomyces | mBio Soil is a rich environment for microbes, where they compete for space and resources. Streptomyces bacteria are well known for their ability to synthesize natural products, particularly antibiotics, th...

This is one of the cooler papers I have seen in a while: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

New study from @ivanzheng.bsky.social and colleagues in the Dang lab @ragoninstitute.bsky.social reveals a spatial TH2-STAT6 immune checkpoint in pulmonary #granulomas that suppresses extracellular clearance of #Cryptococcus, promoting persistent infection. rupress.org/jem/article/...

Cell Bio 2023-An ASCB|EMBO Meeting Network, learn, and collaborate with top cell biologists from around the globe.

🚨Hear, hear, fellow microbial cell biologists!🚨
🦠 Bacterial and Archaeal Cell Biology will be represented again at this year’s CELL BIO (ASCB-EMBO) meeting! The deadline to be considered for a talk in our Minisymposium is June 9. Help us spread the word!
www.ascb.org/cellbio2026/

Interested in miRNAs, early animal evolution, and RNA biology? We’re recruiting a BBSRC-funded Postdoctoral Research Associate @bristolbiosci.bsky.social #Postdoc #microRNA #RNAbiology
Apply by 14 May 2026. 👉 www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find-in...

Harnessing random peptide mixtures to combat multidrug-resistant fungal infections | mBio The rising prevalence of invasive fungal infections, particularly among immunocompromised individuals, has become a critical public health concern. However, antifungal drug development has not kept pace with this growing need, and treatment options remain limited to a small number of drug classes. The emergence of multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens, such as Candida auris, further exacerbates this crisis by reducing the efficacy of existing therapeutics and increasing the risk of treatment failure. In this study, we evaluate the antifungal potential of FK20, a random peptide mixture (RPM) composed of L-phenylalanine and L-lysine. FK20 displays potent activity against C. auris and other clinically relevant Candida species, impairs biofilm formation, and exhibits synergy with caspofungin. Importantly, FK20 limits the emergence of resistance and demonstrates therapeutic efficacy in a murine model of systemic candidiasis. These findings establish RPMs as a promising new class of antifungals with broad-spectrum activity and clinical potential against drug-resistant fungal infections.

🚨A random solution to a growing fungal threat🚨
Our work on random peptide mixtures reveals potent antifungal activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens like C. auris, with low resistance potential and strong biofilm activity.
Now out in mBio!
Congrats to John and Yael for the fantastic work 👏

After Lifeline Musical (24 April), join a Q&A with @seanaduggan.bsky.social and Ange Brennan, supported by the FAILSAFE project, exploring antifungal resistance and the work being done to tackle this growing global health threat.

🎟️ southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/...

#microscopycommunity- looking for help on your image analysis? GloBIAS offers free help sessions!
Dates: 20-24 April 2026
Registration deadline: 15 April 2026
Registration may close earlier if all available slots are filled.
Register here buff.ly/KzgIYOd

More information: buff.ly/vaCW4sF

A new study from our group, led by Iris Eisermann, of the septin interactome during appressorium development, revealing many new interactors and significantly widening the biological function of septins in fungal pathogenesis. 👇

@thesainsburylab.bsky.social

If you know a graduating undergraduate looking for the chance to spend 1-2 years in a lab before graduate school, we're hiring! Our lab explores morphogenesis, defining how the cell adhesion & cytoskeletal machinery work together to allow cells to change shape & move tarheels.live/peiferlab/ 1/n RT

Linked in post from Sarah Bray The Company of Biologists (known for its 5 journals, Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models and Mechanisms, Biology Open, as well as its charitable activities) is looking to appoint a new CEO. An opportunity to guide the next chapter! More information here:

The Company of Biologists @biologists.bsky.social has a more than 100 year history of supporting science through its journals, meetings, and fellowships. Help lead it into its second century! pls share
www.inspiredselection.com/jobs/jo00000...

I appreciate this speech from Maria Leptin on why scientific research requires intellectual diversity: Innovation requires the accumulation of knowledge that crosses domains in unexpected ways.

CARA does important work to ensure threatened academics continue to contribute, to all our benefit.

Excited to share our latest publication @natcomms.nature.com
Non-canonical IL‑22 receptor signaling remodels the oral mucosal barrier during #Candida albicans immunosurveillance
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Only one week left to apply to our bootcamp! If you're looking to build bioimage analysis skills (or have a friend who is), please consider applying! We're so excited to be able to reduce fees for folks this time.

🔬 This image by PhD student Jake Elton shows how lungs react to Aspergillus fumigatus. Yellow marks narrowed airways; red/blue are immune cells fighting fungal spores. MACSima imaging reveals how mould exposure may worsen asthma.

@drpetercook.bsky.social

Fellows4FungiMSCA Postdoctoral Network - Leibniz-HKI

📣 Check out this excellent #Postdoc opportunity @leibniz-hki.de which is part of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions #MSCA #COFUND. Consider applying to join my lab if you’re interested in opportunistic infections caused by #Fusarium (research area 5). Call ends 26 May 2026

www.fellows4fungi.eu

Assistant or Associate Professor (Research and Education) - School of Biosciences - 107106 - Grade 8 or 9 Evidence of a developing track record in publishing work of high academic quality and impact is essential, as is an emerging portfolio (or clear potential) of external research funding. Applicants mus...

Dear fungal friends: my School have Assistant/Associate Professor openings for mycology! UoB has a lot to offer, and UK fungal community is more than amazing - join us!
edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Exeter led international collaboration given £4.5 million to tackle deadly fungal disease An international collaboration led by the University of Exeter has been awarded £4.5 million to help improve understanding of fungal diseases that kill 2.5 million people each year.   The funding from...

You can read more about the Mycology Bioimaging Initiative below. Watch this space for new opportunities, including postdoc and technican roles; training events; and new tools that we're excited to share with the wider community buff.ly/s3MgPRX

Mycoscopers from the first Mycology Bioimaging Initiative Training course, held at the University of Cape Town, and hosted by UCT's Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine and the African Microscopy Initiative

The project builds on our work over the last several years, including a wonderful microscopy training course hosted last summer in Cape Town by @uctidm-mu.bsky.social, along with @caronjacobs.bsky.social @darrenthomson.bsky.social, Lucian @clairehoving.bsky.social and @rdangarembizi.bsky.social

Announcing the Mycology Bioimaging Initative, funded by the @wellcometrust.bsky.social and bringing together expertise in fungal pathogens, molecular tools, quantitative imaging, microfluidics, open science, and training to deliver tool sets and technologies for non-model human fungal pathogens.

Of course, to me the obvious answer was "Look at the cells!" Microscopy can teach us so much about how fungi grow, interact with the immune system, and evade antifungals. But it can be surprisingly hard to image fungi because they are so diverse and dynamic, even within a single condition.

From https://bit.ly/4v9ieC6, figure showing the WHO priority fungal pathogens classified as critical, high, or medium proiority. The 18 different groups are accompanied by illustrations showing their different shapes and ways of growing, from spores and hyphae to yeast and other species-specific growth forms.

When we saw the WHO Priority Fungal Pathogen List, we were struck by the sheer diveristy of species and by the lack of fundamental understanding for most of them.

We asked: how do we grow research infrastructure for neglected organisms? What can we do to help rapidly close this gap?

WHO fungal priority pathogens list to guide research, development and public health action The WHO fungal priority pathogens list (WHO FPPL) is the first global effort to systematically prioritize fungal pathogens, considering their unmet R&D needs and perceived public health importance.

You all know fungal pathogens are an urgent global issue. They kill 2.5 million people annually & leave millions more with severe, long-lasting illness. Fungi target the sick and those with traumatic injuries due to climate change or war. New dianostics and drugs are urgently needed bit.ly/3P8qoKq

ALT:

I've been very quite on here, but am so excited to share a new project we just had funded together with @clairehoving.bsky.social @ewjwallace.bsky.social @darrenthomson.bsky.social @rdangarembizi.bsky.social Lucian Duvenage, Iana Kalinina, and @swainqbiolab.bsky.social the result of 3 years of work

📣 Still time to apply to this bioinformatics postdoc position with us! If you have any questions, please DM me here or send me an email. Deadline 3 April.

🔊 Looking for a Research Assistant in Bacterial Evolution to join my lab 🦠
🥼Main duties: Research (AMR + microbiome) + lab assistance.
⏲️ Post duration: 30 months
🗓️ Closing date for applications: 20th April 2026
💰 Salary: ~£35k

Details and how to apply: tinyurl.com/2a3v66y7

Please share!

There is little to no evidence that trees communicate with each other through fungal networks

We’ve been sciencing! M abscessus makes a arabinanase toxin to chop up the cell wall of competitor mycobacteria! #glycotime 🦠 thanks to @wellcometrust.bsky.social for the funding that makes this collaborative work possible! Also Sam’s structures are 😍 and Jean-Lou did some lovely biochem

Benny Kleinerman asks how does the ancient evolution and modern variation of Ssd1 RNA binding leads to phenotypic diversity across diverse homologs

#fungal26

Advances in molecular tools for elucidating nucleic acid biology in fungal pathogens Check out this new review highlighting advances in DNA-, RNA-, and chromatin-based technologies and how they are used to keep pace with the emerging threat

Check out our new review on exciting advances in molecular tools for studying DNA and RNA biology of fungal pathogens!
w/ Matthew Blango
@femsjournals.bsky.social
@trr124-funginet.bsky.social @leibniz-hki.de

academic.oup.com/microlife/ar...

Hey #fungal26 our lab is hiring a postdoctoral researcher for an NSF funded project in ectomycorrhizal competition. Come find me for more info!

www.lotuslofgren.com/pd2026