Aditya Kamat

Submission open for the tenth YBM Meeting (deadline - 26th March)! Abstract submission link: forms.gle/SBeQeAp9MR2U...

It’s finally out! Together with @embopress.org and
@reviewcommons.org, we conducted a structured side-by-side comparison of human peer review and our AI scientific review (see thread 👇👇👇🔥).

PhD Scholarship at Monash University - MACSYS Do cutting-edge research at the intersection of cryo‑EM, genome-wide profiling, and AI-driven modelling. Work with world‑class cryo-EM/cryo-ET imaging and AI tools to discover how the dangerous bacter...

Come do a PhD with me and @trevor-lithgow.bsky.social at @monashuniversity.bsky.social ! We’re at the leading edge of pathogen biology using cutting edge Cryo-EM and AI-driven genetic screens to uncover the mysteries of outer membrane biology. Reach out to me for a chat!

macsys.org/phd-scholars...

Exciting line up of talks for CauloCon 2026 - includes keynotes from @brunlabcaulo.bsky.social @lamasonlab.bsky.social and @thanbichlerlab.bsky.social! Hear work from Isaac Payne and Trung Nguyen, 2 students in my lab, on Weds and Thurs. 🤩

Making the Vortex Mixer The forgotten story of an invention found in every biology lab.

The science writing over at @asimovpress.bsky.social is fantastic!

From the origin of the lab vortex, to the history of Xenopus, their content is creative, beautiful, and thoughtfully researched.

Consider assigning some of their pieces in science courses.

www.asimov.press/p/vortex?utm...

1/ With @maxencevincent.bsky.social, we ask: when single bacterial cells behave differently under stress, is it really just “noise”?
Read more @cp-cellreports.bsky.social :
Unveiling hidden variables in stressed bacteria (doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...)

Hey alpha aficionados - it's almost time for CauloCon 2026! This free, virtual meeting will feature talks from @brunlabcaulo.bsky.social @thanbichlerlab.bsky.social and @lamasonlab.bsky.social with opps for trainee talks. Register using the link below. 👇

#Addendum to 1970 paper, “CYTOPLASMIC FILAMENTS OF AMOEBA PROTEUS: I. The Role of Filaments in Consistency Changes and Movement,” includes eight video sequences originally recorded on 16-mm films. No technology was available at the time to include this data. 🎞️ rupress.org/jcb/article/...

#Actin

Submission open for the eighth YB Meeting (deadline - 21st January)! Abstract submission link: forms.gle/SBeQeAp9MR2U...

Registration is open for the 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Stress Response to be held on July 19-24 2026!! Submit your abstract by February 15th to be considered for a short talk. Apply now before it fills up!! Hope to see you there!! www.grc.org/microbial-st...

Widespread potential for phototrophy and convergent reduction of lifecycle complexity in the dimorphic order Caulobacterales - Nature Communications This study maps out the diversity and evolution of the bacterial order Caulobacterales, including the model organism C. crescentus, which reveals widespread phototrophy and illuminates the evolution o...

Excited to see our new work published! We have established the evolutionary and ecological context of our favorite model Caulobacter and made some unexpected findings.
Who would have thought that close relatives lack dimorphism? And have potential for phototrophy?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

indeed, 𝘙𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘻𝘢𝘦 looke like fusilli, which are notably better at holding on salsa di pomodoro than spaghetti... and as pasta addicts, we fell instantly in love with the shape of this newly described alphaproteo from the Rhizobiales 🤭
#MicroSky

Comparative analysis of the Caulobacter SOS response under mitomycin-C damage. Top left: Schematic summarizing the RNA-sequencing experiment. Caulobacter cells were treated with 0.25 μg/ml mitomycin-C for 20 and 40 min (Created in BioRender). Samples were collected for transcriptomic analysis before (0 min, control), and at 20 and 40 min post damage induction. Top right: Venn diagram representing the genes that meet the listed criteria: 1. Genes induced in wild type cells under MMC damage at 40 min (white circle). 2. Genes induced in ΔlexA in the absence of damage (blue circle). 3. Genes not induced in ΔrecA background under MMC damage at 40 min (gray circle). Genes fulfilling all three criteria are in the gray circle. Number of genes in each category is indicated. Bottom left: Bar graph indicating whether promoters of the shortlisted genes exhibit binding by the LexA protein as assessed from ChIP-seq analysis [10]. Bottom right: LexA ChIP-seq profile for genes belonging to the SOS response. Normalized reads (in rpm) are represented for 500 bp upstream and downstream of the gene CDS.

The bacterial #SOSresponse unfolds in a defined temporal order, but how does this arise? @adityakamat.bsky.social @anjbadri.bsky.social &co show that intrinsic #promoter strength, modulated by #SigmaFactor usage, governs timing of SOS gene activation in Caulobacter @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4oAKf0Q

We instead find that intrinsic promoter strength of SOS response genes, governs the temporal order of the Caulobacter SOS response. Our observations also raises the exciting possibility of differential association of sigma factors as a modulator of the observed hierarchy.

A case in point is of two SOS response genes (ccna_01391 and ccna_02355), which possess identical LexA binding sites yet display distinct time to induction post exposure to DNA damage.

The timing of the SOS response has been typically attributed to the binding kinetics of the LexA repressor (with stronger LexA binding leading to delayed induction). We observe that LexA-associated properties are inadequate for explaining the temporal hierarchy of the Caulobacter SOS response.

When bacteria encounter DNA damage, they typically deploy the SOS response- a vast network of genes contributing to DNA damage repair and tolerance. These genes are not turned on simultaneously and exhibit variation in their time of induction. What determines such temporal order?

Variability in intrinsic promoter strength underlies the temporal hierarchy of the Caulobacter SOS response induction The bacterial SOS response unfolds in a defined temporal order, but the determinants of this hierarchy are unclear. This study shows that intrinsic promoter strength, modulated in part by sigma factor...

1/Now published! We identify a novel regulatory layer underlying SOS response dynamic. Find a short summary about our findings below.
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
#MicroSky

A case in point is of two SOS response genes (ccna_01391 and ccna_02355), which possess identical LexA binding sites yet display distinct time to induction post exposure to DNA damage.

The timing of the SOS response has been typically attributed to the binding kinetics of the LexA repressor (with stronger LexA binding leading to delayed induction). We observe that LexA-associated properties are inadequate for explaining the temporal hierarchy of the Caulobacter SOS response.

When bacteria encounter DNA damage, they typically deploy the SOS response- a vast network of genes contributing to DNA damage repair and tolerance. These genes are not turned on simultaneously and exhibit variation in their time of induction. What determines such temporal order?

Versatile NTP recognition and domain fusions expand the functional repertoire of the ParB-CTPase fold beyond chromosome segregation | PNAS Nucleotide triphosphate (NTP)-dependent molecular switches regulate essential cellular processes by cycling between active and inactive states thro...

Now published. Thank you very much to our collaborative team, and very supportive editors and reviewers!!!

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

Chromosomal Topological Domain Formation Modulates Transcription and the Coupling of Neighboring Genes in Escherichia coli Chromosomal topology and transcription are tightly coupled, yet the quantitative impact of topological constraints on transcription, supercoiling, and the potential coupling between neighboring genes ...

‘Chromosomal Topological Domain Formation Modulates Transcription and the Coupling of Neighboring Genes in Escherichia coli‘ by Drs. Nico Yehya, Christopher Bohrer, and collaborators, is now available on bioRxiv. Check it out! doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Assembly, architecture and functional roles of microbial surface layers - Nature Reviews Microbiology Surface layers (S-layers) are ubiquitous protein assemblies that coat prokaryotic cells, with their functional roles increasingly coming into focus. In this Review, Isbilir and colleagues discuss rece...

Assembly, architecture and functional roles of microbial surface layers

Review article published in @natrevmicro.nature.com with @bupbuse.bsky.social, Andriko von Kügelgen and @vikramalva.bsky.social.

S-layers are everywhere!

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

Thrilled to share our multidisiplinary work on how genome-wide DNA bridging by H-NS reshapes the stationary phase bacterial nucleoid and affects the transcriptional landscape. With Xindan Wang and @meyerroc.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Versatile NTP recognition and domain fusions expand the functional repertoire of the ParB-CTPase fold beyond chromosome segregation Nucleotide triphosphate (NTP)-dependent molecular switches regulate essential cellular processes by cycling between active and inactive states through nucleotide binding and hydrolysis. These mechanis...

new preprint from our group & Antoine Hocher: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A fantastic collaboration with Antoine, with Jovana Kaljevic' initiated the collaboration and drives the project.

Independent research fellowships leading to tenured positions at the John Innes Centre.

Repost = nice. Thank you very much!!!

two men are standing next to each other and one of them is saying `` you wanna hang out shoot the breeze '' ALT: two men are standing next to each other and one of them is saying `` you wanna hang out shoot the breeze ''

🚨🚨🚨Calling all Caulophiles and Alpha aficionados - stayed tuned for a virtual CauloCon in early 2026. And HOPEFULLY an in person alpha meeting in 2027!! DM me or @chienlab.bsky.social w questions or to stay in the know.

Expanding the genetic toolbox of the obligate predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus with inducible gene expression and CRISPR interference Inducible gene expression and CRISPR interference-mediated depletion in the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.

🚨New paper out! #MicroSky
Studying obligate predators like Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is tricky—essential genes for predation are also essential for survival.
We expanded its genetic toolbox:
🧬promoters to fine-tune expression
🧬IPTG-inducible system
🧬CRISPRi for rapid knockdown
bit.ly/46GUn2c
1/4

N6-methyladenine modification of DNA enhances RecA-mediated homologous recombination | PNAS Both DNA methylation and homologous recombination (HR) are extensively studied. In bacteria, Dam methylation is the most studied DNA modification, ...

N6-methyladenine modification of DNA enhances RecA-mediated homologous recombination

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