Stephen Garrett

New paper alert! Outstanding work by PhD candidate Nathan Roberge, great collab with the Ellison and Maxwell labs. #Pseudomonas #phage DMS3 encodes Aqs1, an inhibitor of #T4P assembly ATPase PilB, but how it binds and leads to loss of function was unknown. @mcmasteriidr.bsky.social

Bacterial Schlafen proteins mediate phage defence Nature Microbiology, Published online: 09 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02277-8This study highlights that Schlafens are ancient, mechanistically conserved immune effectors that mediate antiviral immunity in organisms ranging from humans to bacteria.

Out Now! Bacterial Schlafen proteins mediate phage defence #MicroSky

The unique architecture of umbrella toxins permits a two-tiered molecular bet-hedging strategy for interbacterial antagonism Umbrella toxin particles produced by Actinobacteria contain five spokes tipped with variable lectin domains. Here, Zhao et al. show that these lectins mediate species-specific binding to a previously unrecognized cell surface carbohydrate polymer and propose that the modular nature of umbrella particles enables bet hedging against unpredictable competitor encounters.

Now online! The unique architecture of umbrella toxins permits a two-tiered molecular bet-hedging strategy for interbacterial antagonism

➡️ preprint from the lab! Bacteria have loads of antiviral defences in their mobile genetic elements (MGEs). So when MGEs move between bacteria, the defences move with them, generating a fast turnover of defences in bacteria. But what about the antiviral defence turnover in the MGEs themselves? 🤔

🧵👇

Another brilliant opportunity to work the fantastic Andreas in St Andrews!

Research Fellow at University of St Andrews Searching for an academic job? Explore this Research Fellow opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.

🚨 We’re hiring – MRC-funded Postdoc (3 yrs)

Research Fellow to investigate how mobile genetic elements interact in Staphylococcus aureus and shape gene transfer and pathogenicity.

University of St Andrews
Closes 31 March 2026

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQR250/r...

Enquiries: afh22@st-andrews.ac.uk

Protease-Controlled Prophage Activation in Staphylococcus aureus: New Mechanisms Driving Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence at University of St Andrews on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Protease-Controlled Prophage Activation in Staphylococcus aureus: New Mechanisms Driving Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence at University of St Andrews, listed on FindAPhD.com

📢 Funded PhD in molecular microbiology & phage biology

How do bacterial stress responses control prophage activation and horizontal gene transfer?

Join us at St Andrews to dissect Clp protease–mediated regulation in Staphylococcus aureus.

Apply:
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

A set of genetic tools for use in Clostridioides difficile and related species The Clostridia are a phylogenetically diverse group of anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria that include species of medical, veterinary and industrial importance. The last two decades have seen major adv...

New paper from us.

If you're interested in genetic manipulation of Clostridia, we have a few new tools for you! 36 new plasmids - all available from @addgene.bsky.social

www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

#microsky

Postdoctoral position - Synthetic Biology / Bacterial Immunity - Research The Bikard lab at Institut Pasteur in Paris is seeking to hire postdoctoral researchers. We are investigating bacteria / bacteriophages interactions, and the genetic innovation that happens at this in...

🚨 Hiring Alert! 🚨My lab at Institut Pasteur is recruiting several Postdocs! We have exciting open projects in: 🦠 Synthetic Biology and🛡️ Bacterial Immunity. Come do great science with us in the middle of Paris! 🇫🇷🥐 research.pasteur.fr/en/job/postd...

It was great to play a part in this study, using all of the work on alphaproteobacterial GTAs to help inform and identify key tell-tale patterns of GTAs in the human gut microbiome. I'm sure there will be many great followup studies on these fascinating particles.

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

Exploiting the bacterial DNA damage response as an alternative antimicrobial at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Exploiting the bacterial DNA damage response as an alternative antimicrobial at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com

E. coli is the leading bacterium causing death from AMR infections worldwide. If you'd like to explore approaches to exploit the DNA damage response as alternative antimicrobial, please apply to the following PhD studentship available in my lab starting October 2026: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Microbial metal-head: the integrated roles of metal homeostasis in host-pathogen interaction at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Microbial metal-head: the integrated roles of metal homeostasis in host-pathogen interaction at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com

PhD position available in our team to study how UPEC exploits metals to successfully colonise the host gut. Cool collaboration with @thecopperdoctor.bsky.social and @banzhaflab.bsky.social Please share and get in touch for more details

Bacteriophages mobilize bacterial defense systems via lateral transduction Bacteriophages and PICIs spread bacterial defenses via lateral transduction, shaping microbial immunity and pathogen evolution.

#microsky #phagesky #phage defence

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

If you or someone you know is looking for a post-doctoral position working on mycobacterial envelope biology, please get in touch. I am recruiting here at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.

Very happy to have been part of this work from the Mariano lab, identifying 11 hotspots enriched in phage defence systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It was great to get the chance to collaborate with @giusym1990.bsky.social again!

academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...

Excited to share our new study! Great fun working again with my good friend @stephenrgarrett.bsky.social — always a highlight! Huge thanks to fantastic co-authors @samkaytucker.bsky.social, @drandyjroe.bsky.social and our star technician Vojtech Pavelka. academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...

A ubiquitin-like protein controls assembly of a bacterial type VIIb secretion system Cryo-EM structure reveals how a ubiquitin-like protein orchestrates assembly of a bacterial weapon system.

Our latest T7SS study is now out in Science Advances!
We solved the cryoEM structure of the T7SSb core unit (T7bCU) composed of YukB, YukC, and YukD from Bacillus subtilis, revealing how these components assemble within the secretion machinery.

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

There's just over 2 weeks left to apply for a fully funded PhD studentship with us working on C. difficile vancomycin resistance. Two more studentships - linked in the thread below - close in early January

The repertoire of resistance mutations selected by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pilus-targeting lytic bacteriophage P. aeruginosa type IV pili (T4P) are complex surface-exposed nanomachines used for twitching motility and biofilm formation. Exposure to bacteriophages that use T4P as their primary receptor can selec...

#microsky #phagesky
Intriguing instance of a reversible type of mutation from #phage exposure

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

PhD opportunity (unfortunately UK home students only) to work on nanoparticles to combat AMR with @forganross.bsky.social and me in UoG. If you have a microbiology background and an interest in chemistry this would be a perfect project for you! Please share!

EASTBIO: When Phages Collide: Understanding How Multiple Prophages Shape Bacterial Behaviour at University of St Andrews on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - EASTBIO: When Phages Collide: Understanding How Multiple Prophages Shape Bacterial Behaviour at University of St Andrews, listed on FindAPhD.com

🚨 PhD opportunity! 🚨
Join us at St Andrews to study how multiple prophages shape bacterial behaviour & AMR.
Co-supervised with @tatianadimitriu.bsky.social
This is a competition-based EASTBIO PhD.
Full details and the application link are in the advert 👇
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

A fantastic opportunity with two amazing supervisors!

PhD opportunity in the lab of a young PI who’s simply going stratospheric, on using #phage for water treatment. What’s not to like? You can’t miss this chance.
#microsky #phagesky

🚨 PhD Opportunity 🚨
Interested in microbiology, phages & water security?
Join me and Prof Cindy Smith to test phages as a sustainable alternative to chlorine in drinking-water biofilters.
Metagenomics, phage discovery & ecology — all in one exciting project!
Apply: www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvl...

Specialized shuttle proteins recognize Type IX secretion signals and target effectors to their final destinations in Flavobacterium johnsoniae Communications Biology - Bacteroidota use the Type IX secretion system to secrete proteins with a conserved C-terminal domain (CTD) secretion signal domain. Type B CTDs require specific shuttle...

Happy to share the last paper form the lab:
Specialized shuttle proteins recognize
T9SS signals and target
effectors to their final destinations. Great work by @maellepllt.bsky.social, led by @thicoz.bsky.social in collaboration with @audebertstephane.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Bacteria export alarmone synthetases that produce (p)ppApp and (p)ppGpp | mBio Alarmone synthetases are intracellular enzymes that promote bacterial survival by responding to environmental stress. Although extracellular alarmone production has been reported in Streptomyces, the ...

Bacteria export alarmone synthetases that produce (p)ppApp and (p)ppGpp 🦠🤯

From Boyuan Wang and John Whitney

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Please RT. Post-doc opportunity alert! 💥 closing 10th December.. Come join our team (www.thelowlab.org) at Imperial, London, working on the structure and mechanism of bacterial secretion systems.

For more details and to apply please see

www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Labs in bacterial immunity

Hi everyone, a few years ago, we started a list of labs studying bacterial immunty for students, editors, conference organizers... (currently n=79).

Update time ! Send me a message to 1) add your lab or others 2) Correct info
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#Phagesky #Microsky

Temporal trend and individual and hospital characteristics associated to vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bloodstream infections: a retrospective analysis from the national surveillance syste... Background Several countries have reported an increase in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF), a pathogen classified by the WHO as a high-priority threat due to its role in healthcare-ass...

Remarkable increase in vancomycin resistance among clinical Enterococcus faecium isolates in Italy (from 11.5% in 2015 to 32.4% in 2023).

aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Twitching motility suppressors reveal a role for FimX in type IV pilus extension dynamics Author summary Type IV pili enable Pseudomonas aeruginosa to attach to surfaces, move (twitch), and form biofilms. Pilus extension is powered by the motor protein PilB, which is regulated by other fac...

New paper alert! We used our fav technique, genetic suppression, to understand how FimX controls function of the T4P PilB motor ATPase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Great collab with the Ellison lab at U Georgia who helped with some fancy microscopy to capture pilus dynamics! doi.org/10.1371/jour...