Anna Olina
@annaolina.bsky.social
Postdoc in Westra lab, University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK
Interested in host-MGE and MGE-MGE interactions.
💛Temperate phages!
Interested in host-MGE and MGE-MGE interactions.
💛Temperate phages!
Reposted by Anna Olina
New pre-print: Plasmid dependent phage effectively eliminate AMR bacteria and block plasmid transmission in the chicken gut microbiome
Fun collaboration with Tao He lab (JAAS) and @brockhurstlab.bsky.social lab (Manchester)
#phagesky#microsky
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Fun collaboration with Tao He lab (JAAS) and @brockhurstlab.bsky.social lab (Manchester)
#phagesky#microsky
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Plasmid dependent phage eliminate pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance plasmids from the chicken gut microbiome
Conjugative plasmids are a key reservoir of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal and pathogenic bacteria within the gut microbiome. Plasmid-dependent phage (PDPs) are a promising therapeutic op...
www.biorxiv.org
October 27, 2025 at 8:19 AM
New pre-print: Plasmid dependent phage effectively eliminate AMR bacteria and block plasmid transmission in the chicken gut microbiome
Fun collaboration with Tao He lab (JAAS) and @brockhurstlab.bsky.social lab (Manchester)
#phagesky#microsky
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Fun collaboration with Tao He lab (JAAS) and @brockhurstlab.bsky.social lab (Manchester)
#phagesky#microsky
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Anna Olina
Reposted by Anna Olina
@prczhaoyansong.bsky.social’s deep dive into the dark matter of compost communities is now out 🎉 Genomic islands hijack jumbo phages—whose capsids enable transfer of large tracts of DNA—shedding new light on the scale & scope of phage-mediated gene flow 😎
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Jumbo phage–mediated transduction of genomic islands | PNAS
Bacteria acquire new genes by horizontal gene transfer, typically mediated by mobile
genetic elements (MGEs). While plasmids, bacteriophages, and c...
www.pnas.org
October 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
@prczhaoyansong.bsky.social’s deep dive into the dark matter of compost communities is now out 🎉 Genomic islands hijack jumbo phages—whose capsids enable transfer of large tracts of DNA—shedding new light on the scale & scope of phage-mediated gene flow 😎
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Anna Olina
Three new kids on the block. ARMADA, BRIGADE, and TALON. Impressive how multiple labs all come together to contribute to discovery. Great collaboration with Simon, Chase, and Eugene. From the very talented Ryan Bell, together with Thomas Gaudin and our own Yi Wu.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
YprA family helicases provide the missing link between diverse prokaryotic immune systems
Bacteria and archaea possess an enormous variety of antivirus immune systems that often share homologous proteins and domains, some of which contribute to diverse defense strategies. YprA family helic...
www.biorxiv.org
September 16, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Three new kids on the block. ARMADA, BRIGADE, and TALON. Impressive how multiple labs all come together to contribute to discovery. Great collaboration with Simon, Chase, and Eugene. From the very talented Ryan Bell, together with Thomas Gaudin and our own Yi Wu.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Anna Olina
Reposted by Anna Olina
Efficient detection and typing of phage-plasmids https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.29.673033v1
September 1, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Reposted by Anna Olina
This work is finally published! 🥳🧬
Plasmids are associated with very variable fitness costs in their different bacterial hosts. But, what is the contribution of each of the plasmid-genes in these host-specific effects? Study led by
@jorgesastred.bsky.social, @sanmillan.bsky.social and myself! 1/14
Plasmids are associated with very variable fitness costs in their different bacterial hosts. But, what is the contribution of each of the plasmid-genes in these host-specific effects? Study led by
@jorgesastred.bsky.social, @sanmillan.bsky.social and myself! 1/14
Dissecting pOXA-48 fitness effects in clinical Enterobacterales using plasmid-wide CRISPRi screens
Nature Communications - This study investigates the effects of the carbapenem resistance plasmid pOXA-48 in clinical enterobacteria. Using CRISPRi screens, the authors revealed that the...
rdcu.be
August 20, 2025 at 1:25 PM
This work is finally published! 🥳🧬
Plasmids are associated with very variable fitness costs in their different bacterial hosts. But, what is the contribution of each of the plasmid-genes in these host-specific effects? Study led by
@jorgesastred.bsky.social, @sanmillan.bsky.social and myself! 1/14
Plasmids are associated with very variable fitness costs in their different bacterial hosts. But, what is the contribution of each of the plasmid-genes in these host-specific effects? Study led by
@jorgesastred.bsky.social, @sanmillan.bsky.social and myself! 1/14
Reposted by Anna Olina
Kiwa is a membrane-embedded defense supercomplex activated at phage attachment sites: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Kiwa is a membrane-embedded defense supercomplex activated at phage attachment sites
Zhang, Todeschini, and Wu et al. show that the bacterial defense system Kiwa senses
phage attachment at the membrane and assembles a transmembrane complex that halts
infection by blocking phage DNA re...
www.cell.com
August 2, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Kiwa is a membrane-embedded defense supercomplex activated at phage attachment sites: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Reposted by Anna Olina
The prototypic crAssphage is a linear phage-plasmid: Cell Host & Microbe www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
The prototypic crAssphage is a linear phage-plasmid
Schmidtke et al. demonstrate that C. communis, a ubiquitous human gut phage that evades
conventional plaque-based isolation, predominately replicates as a low-copy linear
phage-plasmid with a broad ho...
www.cell.com
August 2, 2025 at 2:02 AM
The prototypic crAssphage is a linear phage-plasmid: Cell Host & Microbe www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Reposted by Anna Olina
Reposted by Anna Olina
We’re excited to bring the @phagecollection.bsky.social to #SummerScience at @royalsociety.org next week.
Big thanks to James Gallagher for covering the project in the BBC
Read more here: www.bbc.com/news/article...
Hope to see some of you there! #PhageTherapy #AMR #OpenScience
Big thanks to James Gallagher for covering the project in the BBC
Read more here: www.bbc.com/news/article...
Hope to see some of you there! #PhageTherapy #AMR #OpenScience
Phage therapy: I found a bacteria-eating virus in my loo
It's hoped phages could give us new ways of treating infections which are immune to antibiotics.
www.bbc.com
June 28, 2025 at 10:03 AM
We’re excited to bring the @phagecollection.bsky.social to #SummerScience at @royalsociety.org next week.
Big thanks to James Gallagher for covering the project in the BBC
Read more here: www.bbc.com/news/article...
Hope to see some of you there! #PhageTherapy #AMR #OpenScience
Big thanks to James Gallagher for covering the project in the BBC
Read more here: www.bbc.com/news/article...
Hope to see some of you there! #PhageTherapy #AMR #OpenScience
Reposted by Anna Olina
Shout-out to The Phage Collection Project run by @fnobrega.bsky.social
You can order your very own samplng kit and help with the discovery of new phages to combat antibiotic resistance!
Check their website for more info ➡️ www.phage-collection.org
You can order your very own samplng kit and help with the discovery of new phages to combat antibiotic resistance!
Check their website for more info ➡️ www.phage-collection.org
ThePhageCollectionProject
www.phage-collection.org
June 28, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Shout-out to The Phage Collection Project run by @fnobrega.bsky.social
You can order your very own samplng kit and help with the discovery of new phages to combat antibiotic resistance!
Check their website for more info ➡️ www.phage-collection.org
You can order your very own samplng kit and help with the discovery of new phages to combat antibiotic resistance!
Check their website for more info ➡️ www.phage-collection.org
Reposted by Anna Olina
Are you a scientist with an interest in photography? We're delighted to announce that the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition is now open for entries until 15 August 2025! 🎉 Find out more: royalsociety.org/journals/pub... #RSPphotocomp
June 2, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Are you a scientist with an interest in photography? We're delighted to announce that the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition is now open for entries until 15 August 2025! 🎉 Find out more: royalsociety.org/journals/pub... #RSPphotocomp
Reposted by Anna Olina
A very cool story from Dr Maj Brodmann in the Marraffini Lab (our upstairs neighbours!) that my advisor Prof Campbell and I were happy to have a small role in :)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
MtvS Interacts With RNA Polymerase to Regulate the Francisella Type V-A CRISPR-Cas System
CRISPR-Cas systems endow bacteria and archaea with adaptive immunity against mobile genetic elements, playing a fundamental role in shaping microbial communities. Many organisms harbor more than one C...
www.biorxiv.org
May 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
A very cool story from Dr Maj Brodmann in the Marraffini Lab (our upstairs neighbours!) that my advisor Prof Campbell and I were happy to have a small role in :)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Anna Olina
Phage DNA modifications evade defense
Phage DNA modification adds arabinose to cytosines via hydroxy linkage (5ara-hC) w/ potential double & triple arabinosylation. Arabinosylated phages are protected from DNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas & restriction modification
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Phage DNA modification adds arabinose to cytosines via hydroxy linkage (5ara-hC) w/ potential double & triple arabinosylation. Arabinosylated phages are protected from DNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas & restriction modification
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Phage arabinosyl-hydroxy-cytosine DNA modifications result in distinct evasion and sensitivity responses to phage defense systems
Mahler et al. describe a phage DNA modification that adds arabinose to cytosines via
a hydroxy linkage. This 5ara-hC modification can be further modified to double and
triple arabinosylation by phage-...
www.cell.com
June 26, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Phage DNA modifications evade defense
Phage DNA modification adds arabinose to cytosines via hydroxy linkage (5ara-hC) w/ potential double & triple arabinosylation. Arabinosylated phages are protected from DNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas & restriction modification
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Phage DNA modification adds arabinose to cytosines via hydroxy linkage (5ara-hC) w/ potential double & triple arabinosylation. Arabinosylated phages are protected from DNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas & restriction modification
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Reposted by Anna Olina
What determines who a phage can infect?
We tackled this question for temperate phages of Klebsiella — a bacterial pathogen — using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a massive protein testing effort.
👇 A thread!
We tackled this question for temperate phages of Klebsiella — a bacterial pathogen — using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a massive protein testing effort.
👇 A thread!
June 26, 2025 at 7:13 AM
What determines who a phage can infect?
We tackled this question for temperate phages of Klebsiella — a bacterial pathogen — using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a massive protein testing effort.
👇 A thread!
We tackled this question for temperate phages of Klebsiella — a bacterial pathogen — using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a massive protein testing effort.
👇 A thread!
Reposted by Anna Olina
A type IV pili-mediated mutualism between two co-resident temperate archaeal viruses and their host
#microbiology #virology #virus #viruses
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#microbiology #virology #virus #viruses
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
June 24, 2025 at 9:36 AM
A type IV pili-mediated mutualism between two co-resident temperate archaeal viruses and their host
#microbiology #virology #virus #viruses
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#microbiology #virology #virus #viruses
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Anna Olina
E. coli prophages encode an arsenal of defense systems to protect against temperate phages: Cell Host & Microbe www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
E. coli prophages encode an arsenal of defense systems to protect against temperate phages
Bacteria contain an array of immune systems, with many yet to be discovered. Brenes
and Laub isolate temperate phages from diverse E. coli strains, enabling identification
of 17 conserved, prophage-en...
www.cell.com
June 1, 2025 at 3:21 PM
E. coli prophages encode an arsenal of defense systems to protect against temperate phages: Cell Host & Microbe www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Reposted by Anna Olina
. @emgoodall.bsky.social presenting her cool new transposon-based method on discovery of novel small proteins #EESMicrobiology
June 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
. @emgoodall.bsky.social presenting her cool new transposon-based method on discovery of novel small proteins #EESMicrobiology
Reposted by Anna Olina
New phage therapy publication!🦠 #phagesky
We analysed an MRSA phage therapy case study, assessing how predictions made in vitro differed when using one (standard practice) or multiple bacteria isolates from the patient.
Collaborative work: Exeter and Queen Astrid hospital
doi.org/10.1093/jamb...
We analysed an MRSA phage therapy case study, assessing how predictions made in vitro differed when using one (standard practice) or multiple bacteria isolates from the patient.
Collaborative work: Exeter and Queen Astrid hospital
doi.org/10.1093/jamb...
Predicting clinical phage therapy outcomes in vitro: results using mixed versus single isolates from an MRSA case study
AbstractAims. In phage therapy case studies, 1–3 bacteria isolates are typically tested against phages (phagogram). However, as bacteria populations differ
doi.org
June 23, 2025 at 2:19 PM
New phage therapy publication!🦠 #phagesky
We analysed an MRSA phage therapy case study, assessing how predictions made in vitro differed when using one (standard practice) or multiple bacteria isolates from the patient.
Collaborative work: Exeter and Queen Astrid hospital
doi.org/10.1093/jamb...
We analysed an MRSA phage therapy case study, assessing how predictions made in vitro differed when using one (standard practice) or multiple bacteria isolates from the patient.
Collaborative work: Exeter and Queen Astrid hospital
doi.org/10.1093/jamb...
Reposted by Anna Olina
Presenting a poster about Pseudomonas defence systems at #EESMicrobiology in Heidelberg. If you happen to like it, don't forget to check out our consortium @multidefence.bsky.social
June 24, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Presenting a poster about Pseudomonas defence systems at #EESMicrobiology in Heidelberg. If you happen to like it, don't forget to check out our consortium @multidefence.bsky.social
Happily representing @multidefence.bsky.social at the #EESMicrobiology in Heidelberg!
Come to my poster if interested in prophage-mediated phage defence!
Also don't miss @emgoodall.bsky.social's talk today, and @alekseiagapov.bsky.social and @davvi36.bsky.social posters!
Come to my poster if interested in prophage-mediated phage defence!
Also don't miss @emgoodall.bsky.social's talk today, and @alekseiagapov.bsky.social and @davvi36.bsky.social posters!
June 24, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Happily representing @multidefence.bsky.social at the #EESMicrobiology in Heidelberg!
Come to my poster if interested in prophage-mediated phage defence!
Also don't miss @emgoodall.bsky.social's talk today, and @alekseiagapov.bsky.social and @davvi36.bsky.social posters!
Come to my poster if interested in prophage-mediated phage defence!
Also don't miss @emgoodall.bsky.social's talk today, and @alekseiagapov.bsky.social and @davvi36.bsky.social posters!
Reposted by Anna Olina
Made it to Heidelberg for #EESMicrobiology @events.embl.org!
Find me at poster 240 and make to check out @annaolina.bsky.social & @alekseiagapov.bsky.social 's posters and @emgoodall.bsky.social 's talk to see everyone from the lab 😁
Find me at poster 240 and make to check out @annaolina.bsky.social & @alekseiagapov.bsky.social 's posters and @emgoodall.bsky.social 's talk to see everyone from the lab 😁
June 24, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Made it to Heidelberg for #EESMicrobiology @events.embl.org!
Find me at poster 240 and make to check out @annaolina.bsky.social & @alekseiagapov.bsky.social 's posters and @emgoodall.bsky.social 's talk to see everyone from the lab 😁
Find me at poster 240 and make to check out @annaolina.bsky.social & @alekseiagapov.bsky.social 's posters and @emgoodall.bsky.social 's talk to see everyone from the lab 😁
Reposted by Anna Olina
Great to get together in Manchester last week for our consortium’s annual meeting – halfway through our 5-year collaboration! Inspiring discussions, exciting updates, and lots of ideas ahead. Excited for what’s next! 💡🔬🤝 #Science #Microbiology #TeamScience
June 18, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Great to get together in Manchester last week for our consortium’s annual meeting – halfway through our 5-year collaboration! Inspiring discussions, exciting updates, and lots of ideas ahead. Excited for what’s next! 💡🔬🤝 #Science #Microbiology #TeamScience
Reposted by Anna Olina
‘Phollowing’ phage outbreaks in microbiomes with live fluorescence microscopy | Nature Microbiology https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01993-x
‘Phollowing’ phage outbreaks in microbiomes with live fluorescence microscopy - Nature Microbiology
Phollow is an in vivo tagging approach for marking bacteriophages with fluorescent proteins while new virions are assembled in bacteria, enabling direct observation of phage outbreaks with single-virion resolution. Using Phollow to track phages in situ in model gut microbial communities uncovers spatiotemporal features of transmission dynamics that shape microbiomes.
www.nature.com
May 6, 2025 at 10:25 PM
‘Phollowing’ phage outbreaks in microbiomes with live fluorescence microscopy | Nature Microbiology https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01993-x