A single-cell atlas of Toxoplasma sexual development in the feline intestinal tract Nature Microbiology, Published online: 22 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02294-7Single-cell RNA sequencing is used to study the sexual development of Toxoplasma gondii in cats, generating a transcriptional atlas and showing that the female-specific gene AP2X6 functions as a regulator of oocyst formation.

Out Now! A single-cell atlas of Toxoplasma sexual development in the feline intestinal tract #MicroSky

Logo for the International Conference on Gram-Positive Pathogens

Early registration has been extended, but not for long--it closes Feb. 13 for the 2026 International Conference on Gram-Positive Pathogens. This event, set for May 17-20 in Omaha, brings together leaders in the Gram-positive research field. Learn more: go.unmc.edu/ynmo

Logo with the words International Conference on Gram-Positive Pathogens

Early registration closes 1/31 for the 2026 International Conference on Gram-Positive Pathogens, set for May 17-20 in Omaha. This every-other-year event brings together leaders in the Gram-positive research field. Learn more: go.unmc.edu/ynmo

Comprehensive genetic interaction analysis of the Bacillus subtilis envelope using double-CRISPRi Koo et al. apply genome-scale double-CRISPRi to map cell envelope gene interactions in Bacillus subtilis, revealing >1,000 genetic interactions and uncovering gene networks in envelope biogenesis and ...

Also see the accompanying paper from Carol Gross' lab that used a similar approach for Bacillus subtilis: www.cell.com/cell-systems...

Finally out, such an awesome piece of work, very proud of this one: www.cell.com/cell-systems... #MicroSky

UChicago Microbiology is searching for tenured or tenure-track faculty working in host-pathogens interactions, viral and bacterial pathogenesis, and emerging infectious diseases. Come join our vibrant Department! microbiology.uchicago.edu
Apply here apply.interfolio.com/174404

Check out PMI talks tomorrow at the SOM Grad Student Symposium:
@catmphelps.bsky.social (in @meisellab.bsky.social ), Daria Jelic (Doug Reed lab), Kelsey Ertwine (Abby Overacre lab), @febrigunawan48.bsky.social (in Renfeng Li lab), and @dariavantyne.bsky.social !

Please share - an Assist Prof position in microbiology

employmentopportunities.umb.edu/mob/cw/en-us...

@asm.org

Super excited to share our paper online 🚨today🚨 in Cell Host & Microbe‬! Xiaomei Ren @xiaomeiren.bsky.social and Mason Clark @rmasonclark.bsky.social‬ co-led discovery of ecological factors for Acinetobacter baumannii carriage in the gut, a reservoir for pathogen spread. 🎉

tinyurl.com/443kfefk

Phage people: Rich Losick and I are combing the world looking for T4 rIIB mutant FC0 (also known as P13). FC0 was the starting point for Francis Crick's beautiful 1961 paper on the triplet nature of the genetic code. We want to sequence it. Anyone have it in an ancient stock collection?

New molecular label could lead to simpler, faster tuberculosis tests MIT chemists found a way to identify a complex sugar molecule in the cell walls of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest pathogen. This labeling could lead to simpler, faster TB tests.

𝐓𝐁 𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐁

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Study from Kiessling Lab MIT in PNAS exploits a rare sugar—methylthioxylofuranose (MTX)—to tag TB’s virulence glycans with oxaziridine probes

Method distinguishes TB from nonpathogenic relatives and enables live-cell imaging, great promise toward diagnostics

Cutting-edge tools for structural biology: bringing AlphaFold to the people The recent application of artificial intelligence-based prediction of protein and protein complex structures by AlphaFold has revolutionized biology. Here, we give an overview of the tools that make this revolution accessible to experimental microbiologists without training in bioinformatics or sophisticated computer equipment, and show how this helps to gain new insights.

Happy to share Christoph Elfmann's new paper that is now out in Trends in Microbiology! Discover tools to make the most out of AlphaFold and its iterations!
@c-elfmann.bsky.social @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social @unigoettingen.bsky.social @imprsgs.bsky.social #subtiwiki
www.cell.com/trends/micro...

The peptidoglycan of Borrelia burgdorferi can persist in discrete tissues and cause systemic responses consistent with chronic illness Polymeric Borrelia burgdorferi peptidoglycan cell wall can persist in murine livers for weeks to months after direct injection or infection.

𝘚𝘤𝘪 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘥

Weeks after 𝘉. 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪
is cleared, its peptidoglycan lingers in the liver in polymeric form—resisting degradation, rewiring mononuclear cell metabolism, and triggering low grade inflammation

Structural basis to long-lasting symptoms that affect 5-10% of people with Lyme disease?

The axolotl, represented here by the Mexican axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum, has the ability to regenerate its brain. In this 2022 issue, a group of four papers profiles amphibian and reptile brain neurons with single-cell transcriptomics. Analyses lend insight into why the axolotl brain retains regenerative capability that the mammalian brain has lost as well as how structural brain innovations arose during evolution.

The axolotl has the ability to regenerate its brain.

Using single-cell transcriptomics, four Science studies in 2022 revealed evolutionary innovations in reptile and amphibian brains.

Learn more during #AmphibianWeek: scim.ag/3EEKMxZ

UW-Madison geneticist’s cookbook offers recipe sampler from scientists across the world A genetics professor at UW-Madison teamed up with students to publish a new cookbook, “Lab Culture: A Recipe For Innovation in Science.”

“I’ve always loved to bake — I would probably be a baker if I wasn’t a scientist. It’s actually very scientific.

I had an undergrad professor that told me never trust a scientist who can’t cook. And I actually think that’s true!”

Congrats to all! I love that the service dog is also in the photo ❤️

Photo of myself and two graduating students, Karen and Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s service dog, Serenity in front of a blue and yellow background (Pitts schools colors). We are all wearing graduation regalia (caps, gowns, and PhD hoods), and Karen and Elizabeth are holding their Diploma cases.

A bright day, with two new amazing PhDs launching into the world! 🎓🐭🧬🦠

Congrats to @karenyperalta.bsky.social and @zoomingbio.bsky.social 🎉

Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...

The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants.

www.spencer.org/grant_types/...

Very cool paper and written very accessibly!

Wow, I learned the same in Hank Seifert’s lab, he was a post-doc in Maggie’s lab! Now I’ve taught my grad students the same 🥹

Biofilm architecture determines the dissemination of conjugative plasmids | PNAS Plasmid conjugation is a contact-dependent horizontal gene transfer mechanism that significantly contributes to the dissemination of antibiotic res...

New publication from our Lesterlin lab in collab with lab of @knutdrescher.bsky.social
We determined the spatiotemporal dissemination of conjugative plasmids within biofilms and found that they spread only in specific structural regions.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

SCIMaP - Impacts of Federal Cuts to Science and Medical Research Developed by an interdisciplinary research team, this website shows how funding cuts reduce economic activity and employment nationwide

Pennsylvania could lose $973 million due to federal health research cuts. Visit scienceimpacts.org to learn more. scienceimpacts.org

Don't miss the 4rth and last session of @klebclub.bsky.social focusing on #Klebsiella as part of complex microbial communities !
Our keynote speaker will be Kevin Foster, followed by some #phage talks from Mark Mimee and Sara Forsstrom!
#microsky #phagesky
Registration is free but necessary!

New immune cell population just dropped!

Unique group of ILC3s lives 𝙄𝙉𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀 lung blood vessels, not the tissue. Upon 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴 infection, they quickly mobilize CCL4 to summon neutrophils

Without them, bacterial clearance is delayed and inflammation lingers

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

Krista Freeman et al 𝘊𝘌𝘓𝘓

stunning atomic-level imaging (Cryo-EM, cryo-ET) reveals how 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞 Bxb1 reshapes its tail tip to breach the mycobacterial cell wall and deliver DNA to the cytoplasm

can inform precise targeted phage therapies for TB and NTM infections

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Help - have room for one more song on my 1980s bands clinical microbiology lab mixtape 🎧 🎶

1. Milli Bacilli
2. Sammy Agar
3. CentriFugees
4. Run HPLC
5. Dire Substrates
6. Pipette Shop Boys
7. Gram- Rod Stewart
8. Salt-N-StrepA
9. Yeastie Boys

"... autistic thinkers are responsible for many innovations and advances across human history." H. Holden Thorp, Editor-in-chief, Science journals

"If we really want the best talent in science, then let’s foster environments across the scientific enterprise that invite neurodiversity and recognize the strengths of neurological differences," writes @holdenthorp.bsky.social in a 2024 #ScienceEditorial. scim.ag/3GcwC7z

Xenotopic synthetic biology: Prospective tools for delaying aging and age-related diseases Using enzymes from lower organisms, which are not encoded in the mammalian genome, delays aging and age-related diseases.

Metabolic dysregulation is a driving force of aging.

Enzymes from lower organisms—such as bacteria and yeast—may be able to reverse age-associated metabolic changes in humans, a new #ScienceAdvances study finds.

Please spread the word about our Special Collection focused on Pseudomonads! @asm.org #JBacteriology

NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half US National Science Foundation announces lowest number of Graduate Research Fellowship Programme recipients in 15 years.

The NSF's flagship fellowship program typically gives offers to 2,000+ young scientists. This year, in the face of looming budget cuts, that number was halved: only 1,000 received an offer. Our story on what that means for the science talent pipeline: www.nature.com/articles/d41...