Claudia Hemsley

The metabolome of an E. coli CRISPRi library identifies benefits of minimal metabolite levels and targets for engineering Rapp et al. combine genome-scale CRISPRi and metabolomics in E. coli. CRISPRi of enzymes enforces metabolite accumulation, which leads to regulatory crosstalk and side reactions. This suggests that ma...

#microsky #synbiosky

www.cell.com/cell-systems...

Intracellular cyclization-coupled peptide library screening yields potent transcription factor antagonists Brennan et al. integrate chemical peptide cyclization with live-cell screening, expanding the functional chemical space accessible to intracellular genetically encoded peptide libraries. The approach delivers functional cyclic peptide inhibitors of the oncogenic transcription factor CREB1, illustrating a general strategy for targeting transcription factor-DNA interactions previously considered “undruggable.”

Online now! Online now! Intracellular cyclization-coupled peptide library screening yields potent transcription factor antagonists #chembiol

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I had a contact, but the MTA has been a nightmare to sort from their end, so struggling.

Are you a post-doctoral microbiologist interested in characterising bacterial resistance evolution and want to apply your knowledge and expertise to developing new therapeutics for Klebsiella (and other Enterobacterales) infections? Then we need you! Apply now bit.ly/3MX39Ce close date March 13th 👀

Gasdermins against intracellular bacterial pathogens Nature Microbiology, Published online: 20 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02272-zThis Review discusses recent advances in our understanding of how gasdermins are activated by distinct signalling pathways and summarizes recent findings from host-adapted bacterial pathogens contrasted with environmental bacteria.

Out Now! Gasdermins against intracellular bacterial pathogens #MicroSky

Fluid flow and environmental geometry guide the journey of swimming bacteria In natural and artificial settings, fluid flow and hydrodynamic interactions shape how bacteria attach to surfaces and form biofilms. Tao et al. show that motile E. coli can swim upstream through micr...

Fluid flow and environmental geometry guide the journey of swimming bacteria

@cellcellpress.bsky.social Preview by Eleonora Secchi
on Tao et al 2026 Newton paper

www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

JB Table of Contents Volume 208, Issue 2 Journal of Bacteriology: Table of Contents Volume 208, Issue 2

The newest issue of JB is out! Topics include carboxysomes, Helicobacter & cancer, Tad pili, sulfite stress, norepinephrine & Fur, & more.
journals.asm.org/toc/jb/208/2
@asm.org #JBacteriology

Cell-free genomics reveals fundamental regulatory principles of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis transcription cycle Tiers of gene regulation govern cellular life. The intrinsic activities of RNA polymerase (RNAP) constitute a primary tier, while direct modulation by…

Congrats Ruby, Bob, Liz, and team! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

UKRI CEO updates the research community on areas of uncertainty Following an open letter of 1 February, Sir Ian Chapman responds to feedback and provides an update.

www.ukri.org/news/ukri-ce...

Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities Spatial structure naturally emerges in microbial communities, shaping growth, interactions, and evolution, and revealing how microscale processes scale up

Most microbes don't live in shaking flasks; spatial structure shapes how microbes interact and evolve at every scale, as we discuss in our recent review @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @simonvanvliet.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social and others
academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇

New in JB: Wang, Liu et al. review the role and regulation of type VI secretion system of the marine V. parahaemolyticus during pathogenesis.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology

1/2
"All T6SS-inducing regulators are equal, but some regulators are more equal than others".
Preprint 🚨: We use #Vibrio to show that #T6SS activation by regulator manipulation may result in the expression of different effector repertoires, affecting toxicity 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Unveiling hidden variables in stressed bacteria

@cp-cellreports.bsky.social Review by @divyach.bsky.social and @maxencevincent.bsky.social

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

New in JB: Jackson, Kearns et al. describe a role for ClpX-dependent proteolysis of a global regulator controlling expression of the flagellar genes and thus motility.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology

Versatile enzyme that quickly, accurately synthesizes RNA can also perform reverse transcription From vaccines and diagnostics to emerging gene-based therapies, RNA molecules are now central to modern medicine. But as their use continues to grow, so does a fundamental challenge: producing RNA qui...

phys.org/news/2026-02...
#MicroSky

Massively parallel reporter assays: from barcodes to biology Nature Reviews Genetics, Published online: 10 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41576-026-00944-4In this Journal Club, Fumitaka Inoue discusses a 2009 paper by Patwardhan et al. that introduced a massively parallel saturation-mutagenesis assay that leverages high-throughput DNA synthesis and sequencing to quantify the effects of single-nucleotide changes on regulatory element activity.

New online! Massively parallel reporter assays: from barcodes to biology

Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli Abstract. The impacts of various stressors on bacterial systems have been studied at the phenotypic, transcriptional, and translational levels during the e

Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli

@narjournal.bsky.social by Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios et al from @kirstenjunglab.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

#MicroSky

New in JB: Latimer, Agbavor & Cahoon discuss the HtrA protein, which serves double duty as a protease and chaperone and plays key roles in maintaining envelope integrity, stress resistance, and virulence in Gram-positive organisms.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology

The hidden energy cost of cellular dormancy Many organisms survive harsh environments by switching into special survival modes. Some bacteria do this by forming spores—dormant, highly resilient cells that can persist for years or even centuries...

www.growkudos.com/publications...

New work with @ckarakoc.bsky.social and @shoestrapped.bsky.social in @pnas.org

Efflux pumps control intracellular drug-target kinetics by limiting rebinding in bacteria Efflux pumps disrupt antibiotic rebinding inside bacterial cells, amplifying multidrug resistance.

#NatMicroPicks

More than just pumps? 🦠💊

Bacterial efflux pumps not only block drug entry but also disrupt intracellular drug–target interactions by preventing repeated drug rebinding

#MicroSky

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

In our most recent work David Forrest has discovered a widespread mechanisms linking transcription initiation to DNA supercoiling...

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

FRED: a universal tool to generate FAIR metadata for omics experiments www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs

Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH Abstract. Salmonella enterica, a prominent enteric pathogen, employs sophisticated iron acquisition mechanisms to overcome host-imposed iron limitation, no

What does competition for iron look like for pathogens in different environments? We had the chance to contribute to this great paper looking at Salmonella in the gut with the Cunrath Lab (UoStrasbourg). Salmonella relies on siderophore exploitation at low pH url: academic.oup.com/microlife/ar...

New in JB: Bange, Dornes, et al. review the molecular basis for flagellar patterns and numbers across bacterial species.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology

MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates - Research Professional News Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls

MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates.

Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

This is figure 1, which shows AlphaGenome model architecture, training regimes and comprehensive evaluation performance.

A paper in Nature presents AlphaGenome, a deep learning model that can predict the function of long DNA sequences, up to one million base pairs. The tool can predict how DNA sequence variations affect different biological processes. go.nature.com/4t5JQa7 🧬 🧪

Bacteria break through one-micrometer-square passages by flagellar wrapping - Nature Communications Yoshioka et al. show that bacteria wrap their flagella to squeeze through near cell-width confinements, which allows symbiotic microbes to navigate constricted gut regions within insect hosts.

#NatMicroPicks

A bacterial symbiont wraps its flagllar filaments around its cell body to propel itself through narrow gut passages in its stinkbug host and hook flexibility is key for this 🪲🦠

by Yoshitomo Kikuchi & co @natcomms.nature.com

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

Single cell profiling framework reveals metabolic subpopulations as drivers of bioproduction heterogeneity - Nature Communications Heterogeneity within clonal cell populations affects bioprocess engineering. Here, the authors report a biosensor-based toolkit to investigate phenotypic heterogeneity in engineered yeast, reveal pH-b...

#microsky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Transcription Factor Promiscuity Drives Regulatory Rewiring and Evolvability in Gene Networks in Bacteria This special issue marking the University of Bath's 60th anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on nearly a decade of research into the evolution of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from members....

Transcription Factor Promiscuity Drives Regulatory Rewiring and Evolvability in Gene Networks in Bacteria
(=Pseudomonas fluorescens)
Advanced Science, perspective by @taylorlabgroup.bsky.social & @alanrice.ie
Uni Bath's 60th anniversary special issue
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

A quorum-sensing molecule from Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces defensive multicellularity in a coinfecting pathogen | PNAS Microorganisms commonly exist in polymicrobial communities, where they can respond to interspecies secreted molecules by altering behaviors and phy...

A quorum-sensing molecule from Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces defensive multicellularity in a coinfecting pathogen

-in PNAS from @anukharelab.bsky.social

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