Protein and genomic language models uncover the unexplored diversity of bacterial immunity The bacterial pangenome contains a vast diversity of antiphage systems, whose overall extent is still unknown. In this study, we developed complementary machine learning approaches to systematically p...

#microsky #phagesky #phage defence

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Arbitrium phages can manipulate each other’s lysis/lysogeny decisions Many viruses can switch between lytic replication and dormancy (or lysogeny). It was recently discovered that some viruses that infect bacteria (known…

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#phage #phagesky

λcI857 lytic infections and host lysogenization following induction of lysogens embedded within Escherichia coli biofilms with either WT curli production (curli+) or no curli production (curli−). Host biofilms were inoculated with λcI857 lysogens and uninfected host cells at a 1:10 ratio and cultured for 72 h prior to λcI857 phage induction. The image shows a time series of biofilms inoculated with lysogens and uninfected E. coli hosts that either produce (top row) or do not produce (bottom row) curli extracellular matrix. The first image in each row was taken just after heat was applied to induce some biofilm-embedded lysogens to switch to the lytic infection cycle.

How do #bacteriophage life history strategies influence host invasion & inter- #phage competition in #biofilms? This study shows that spatial structure shapes invasion success, favoring temperate phages over lytic ones when diffusion is limited @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/47Aripq

λcI857 lytic infections and host lysogenization following induction of lysogens embedded within Escherichia coli biofilms with either WT curli production (curli+) or no curli production (curli−). Host biofilms were inoculated with λcI857 lysogens and uninfected host cells at a 1:10 ratio and cultured for 72 h prior to λcI857 phage induction. The image shows a time series of biofilms inoculated with lysogens and uninfected E. coli hosts that either produce (top row) or do not produce (bottom row) curli extracellular matrix. The first image in each row was taken just after heat was applied to induce some biofilm-embedded lysogens to switch to the lytic infection cycle.

How do #bacteriophage life history strategies influence host invasion & inter- #phage competition in #biofilms? This study shows that spatial structure shapes invasion success, favoring temperate phages over lytic ones when diffusion is limited @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/47Aripq

λcI857 lytic infections and host lysogenization following induction of lysogens embedded within Escherichia coli biofilms with either WT curli production (curli+) or no curli production (curli−). Host biofilms were inoculated with λcI857 lysogens and uninfected host cells at a 1:10 ratio and cultured for 72 h prior to λcI857 phage induction. The image shows a time series of biofilms inoculated with lysogens and uninfected E. coli hosts that either produce (top row) or do not produce (bottom row) curli extracellular matrix. The first image in each row was taken just after heat was applied to induce some biofilm-embedded lysogens to switch to the lytic infection cycle.

How do #bacteriophage life history strategies influence host invasion & inter- #phage competition in #biofilms? This study shows that spatial structure shapes invasion success, favoring temperate phages over lytic ones when diffusion is limited @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/47Aripq

#microsky #phagesky

Temperate #phage better than lytic at infecting E. coli biofilms

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

#phage #phagesky

So good to hang out with @lucyleef.bsky.social and @laurabonofiglio.bsky.social in Perth

Taking over the @abacbs.bsky.social Meetup to talk #phage

#microsky #phagesky on #phage cocktails

Parasitic connections: a patescibacterial epibiont, its methylotrophic gammaproteobacterial host, and their phages
#microbiology #bacteria #phage #virus #MicroSky
@asm.org
doi.org/10.1128/mbio...

Another week, another paper that we liked so much, we made a brief comment on

You should take a look! It's only a short thread 🧵

#Phage #Phagesky

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

Phages drive the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes by facilitating host adaptation to heavy metal stress

#phage #phagesky

While more experimental evidence is warranted, this work motivated a vivid discussion in our team!
It also reminds us that we are still far from understanding #phage biology even after >100 years of research.

We're partnering with Parallel Health, a company that is redefining what precision #phagetherapy looks like with their MD-03 Protocol™ - a comprehensive system that integrates #microbiome sequencing, personalized #phage serums, and clinical support. www.bacteriophage.news/parallel-hea...

Living with #Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab)? You could help advance personalized
#phage therapy research, while potentially benefiting from future treatment options.
We're building a patient-focused Mab #biobank. Learn more: tolka.ai/biobank

Cross-order detection of bacteriophage transduction in microbial communities using RNA barcoding - Nature Communications Bacteriophages are the most abundant life form on earth and can be applied to eliminate or engineer bacteria. Here, authors demonstrate RNA barcoding as a high throughput tool to measure bacteriophage...

#microsky #phagesky #phage

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

Phage-Antibiotic Therapy Clears Spine Implant-Associated MRSA | The Phage A successful case report was published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, supporting personalized phage therapy treating chronic MRSA vertebral osteomyelitis

In a recently published peer-reviewed case report in the International Journal of #Infectious Diseases, a critical case of chronic MRSA Vertebral osteomyelitis involving spinal hardware was resolved using personalised #phage therapy.

#antibiotics #MRSA

www.thephage.xyz/news/phage-a...

USDA-ARS Vaccine and Phage Research for Aquatic Health - The phage jobs USDA-ARS offers postdoctoral research opportunity in phage therapy, aquaculture disease prevention, vaccine development, and microbiology research.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Agricultural Research Service (ARS), is offering a Postdoctoral Research Opportunity at the Stuttgart National Aquatics Research Centre in Stuttgart, Arkansas, USA.

#phage #jobs #career

thephage.xyz/jobs/jobs/us...

Phage therapy in oncology: opportunities for cancer prevention and treatment Bacteriophages (phages) are emerging as programmable biological therapeutics in oncology, extending beyond their traditional antimicrobial applications. This review proposes a phage–microbiome–immune–...

Excited to share this review🔔, we spent sometime thinking about
phage–microbiome–immune–oncology axis for phage therapy in cancer!
#phage #phagesky
Phage therapy in oncology: opportunities for cancer prevention and treatment: Trends in Molecular Medicine www.cell.com/trends/molec...

Structural modeling reveals phage proteins that manipulate bacterial immune signaling The genomes of phages—viruses that infect bacteria—are largely composed of "dark matter": genes that encode proteins whose functions remain unknown. Less than four years ago, a team led by Prof.…

Structural #modeling reveals #phage #proteins that manipulate #bacterial #immune signaling ...

| #bacteria | #MicroSky | #genomes | #virus | #immunesystems | Via @sciencex.bsky.social

We recently had a nice lab discussion about this work and wanted to share some of it on a short thread here 🧵

BTW, word on the street is that prophages are pretty cool 😎

#Phage #Phagesky

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

Discovery of human gut #phage -encoded anti-CRISPR proteins unveils diverse mechanisms for phages to evade type II #CRISPR immunity.

Gut phages encode diverse Acrs; 651 candidates found, including some with dual regulatory & CRISPR‑inhibitory roles.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #MicroSky

Phage spiders / spore storm II Midjourney prompts by yours truly
#midjourney #giant #monster #creature #phage #spiders #spore

Capturing dynamic phage–pathogen coevolution by clinical surveillance - Nature The acquisition of a parasitic anti-phage mobile genetic element, PLE11, showing potent anti-phage activity against cocirculating ICP1, and the subsequent evolution of ICP1 to escape this defense, are...

#microsky #phagesky #phage

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

Spaceflight supercharges viruses’ ability to infect bacteria Viruses develop tricks to attack bacteria without the help of gravity

#Spaceflight #supercharges #viruses’ ability to infect #bacteria ...

| #Space | #microbes | #gravity | #ISS | #bacteriophages | #Phage | Via @sciam.bsky.social

As the antimicrobial resistance on the rise, scientists are shaking up a new kind of mix, #phage cocktails! Kaneko et al. discuss the latest technologies and strategies for designing effective phage cocktails.
#FEMSMicrobiolRev
buff.ly/on2VDAb

Congrats to Caroline on a VERY nice thesis work!!!!

#phage #phagesky

#microsky #phagesky #phage

Cross-family and phage-specific gene requirements for Klebsiella infection revealed by scalable RB-TnSeq genetic screens Bacteriophages (phages) are being cataloged at unprecedented rates and are recognized as key players in nutrient and energy cycling across ecosystems. Yet, the biological determinants of phage-host specificity and infection success remain poorly understood. Here, we used a randomly barcoded, genome-wide, loss-of-function transposon mutant library (RB-TnSeq) of Klebsiella sp. M5al, a plant-associated, nitrogen-fixing rhizobacterium, to identify bacterial genetic determinants necessary for the infection of 25 double-stranded DNA phages spanning five viral families. This approach identified 42 bacterial genes associated with phage infection, encompassing genes involved in receptor biosynthesis, regulatory pathways, electron transport, and unknown functions. Disruption of genes involved in receptor biosynthesis, such as glycosyltransferases involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) production, conferred cross-resistance to half of the phages, while intracellular gene disruptions had phage-specific effects. Taxonomically, we found significant differences in RB-TnSeq profiles across phage families and genera. While bacterial gene requirements are generally clustered by phage genus, we also observed notable divergences within genera. These differences were associated with variation in receptor usage, likely driven by divergence in tail fiber or other host recognition proteins. In some cases, differential reliance on bacterial intracellular factors suggested that even closely related phages may depend on distinct infection strategies, potentially involving phage-specific genes of unknown function. Our findings reveal key genetic dependencies shaping phage-host interactions and offer a framework for predicting infection outcomes in natural and applied settings. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Department of Energy and Environment, https://ror.org/05d5hbz44, #DE-SC0020173, #DE-SC0023307

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

#phage #phagesky

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

#phage #phagesky