Lori L. Burrows
@dr-lori-burrows.bsky.social
microbiologist, McMaster U 🇨🇦 • type IV pili, phages, biofilms, antibiotic resistance • equestrian🐴 • cancer survivor🎗️
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...
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...
doi.org
October 13, 2025 at 8:18 PM
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...
New paper! Specific PilA and PilY1 sequences make PilU dispensable for T4P-dependent twitching motility in P. aeruginosa. However, most suppressors still had high cAMP levels from loss of PilU, showing that motility and surface sensing responses can be uncoupled.🧐 ⏩ journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Separation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pilus-dependent twitching motility and surface-sensing responses | mBio
The ability of bacteria to sense and respond to contact with surfaces is important
for triggering changes in secondary messenger levels and gene expression, leading
to the formation of biofilms and in...
journals.asm.org
October 7, 2025 at 5:09 PM
New paper! Specific PilA and PilY1 sequences make PilU dispensable for T4P-dependent twitching motility in P. aeruginosa. However, most suppressors still had high cAMP levels from loss of PilU, showing that motility and surface sensing responses can be uncoupled.🧐 ⏩ journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
@knutdrescher.bsky.social is advertising a PhD position in their group in Basel 🇨🇭 with a focus on bacterial biofilms
Application deadline: 14 November 2025
www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/open-positio...
Application deadline: 14 November 2025
www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/open-positio...
PhD student – Bacterial biofilms
www.biozentrum.unibas.ch
October 5, 2025 at 10:08 AM
@knutdrescher.bsky.social is advertising a PhD position in their group in Basel 🇨🇭 with a focus on bacterial biofilms
Application deadline: 14 November 2025
www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/open-positio...
Application deadline: 14 November 2025
www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/open-positio...
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Such a fun project & massive team effort. We sampled tree cores my 1st yr of grad school then took a year to figure out how to grind wood… ! But we were amazed to find such a complex & unexpected ecosystem inside trees. And we’ve just scratched the surface! We explored 150 trees— 3 trillion to go!
#NatMicroPicks
Hidden microbial world in trees🌳
Living wood hosts trillions of bacteria making trees a complex ecosystems with major roles in forest health and function.
#PlantMicro #MicroSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Hidden microbial world in trees🌳
Living wood hosts trillions of bacteria making trees a complex ecosystems with major roles in forest health and function.
#PlantMicro #MicroSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A diverse and distinct microbiome inside living trees - Nature
Microbiome analyses of living trees show that a single tree can host approximately one trillion bacteria, with microbial communities distinctly partitioned between heartwood and sapwood and with minim...
www.nature.com
August 10, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Such a fun project & massive team effort. We sampled tree cores my 1st yr of grad school then took a year to figure out how to grind wood… ! But we were amazed to find such a complex & unexpected ecosystem inside trees. And we’ve just scratched the surface! We explored 150 trees— 3 trillion to go!
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Zip "prevents internalization and destruction of newly released phage progeny, a phenomenon that we call the anti-Kronos effect after the Greek god who consumed his offspring. Zip activity promotes the accumulation of free phages in bacterial lysogen communities, thereby enhancing viral spread."
Prophages block cell surface receptors to preserve their viral progeny www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Prophages block cell surface receptors to preserve their viral progeny - Nature
Zip promotes the accumulation of free phages in bacterial lysogen communities, safeguarding phage progeny.
www.nature.com
July 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Zip "prevents internalization and destruction of newly released phage progeny, a phenomenon that we call the anti-Kronos effect after the Greek god who consumed his offspring. Zip activity promotes the accumulation of free phages in bacterial lysogen communities, thereby enhancing viral spread."
New paper alert! PhD candidate Nathan Roberge is studying regulation of the #T4P assembly ATPase PilB and identified suppressors of FimX with enhanced motility. Where did they map? Find out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Twitching motility suppressors reveal a role for FimX in type IV pilus extension dynamics
In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, retractable protein filaments called type IV pili (T4P) facilitate surface adherence, sensing, and directional movement known as twitching motility. T4P are necessary for th...
www.biorxiv.org
July 15, 2025 at 5:12 PM
New paper alert! PhD candidate Nathan Roberge is studying regulation of the #T4P assembly ATPase PilB and identified suppressors of FimX with enhanced motility. Where did they map? Find out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Lovely work by @ianyyen.bsky.social and @gregwhitfield99.bsky.social on the bifunctional ATPase that powers assembly and disassembly of #T4cP type IV pili! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Conformational changes in the motor ATPase CpaF facilitate a rotary mechanism of Tad pilus assembly - Nature Communications
The bacterial Tad pilus extends and retracts using a single bifunctional ATPase CpaF. Here, the authors employ cryo-EM, fluorescent microscopy, and AlphaFold modelling to propose how a rotary mechanis...
www.nature.com
April 24, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Lovely work by @ianyyen.bsky.social and @gregwhitfield99.bsky.social on the bifunctional ATPase that powers assembly and disassembly of #T4cP type IV pili! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Nifty - circular pilins! Cryo-EM structure of the conjugation H-pilus reveals the cyclic nature of the TrhA pilin | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
April 22, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Nifty - circular pilins! Cryo-EM structure of the conjugation H-pilus reveals the cyclic nature of the TrhA pilin | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
While I watch chaotic dismantling efforts in the name of efficiency: 'Few humans on their deathbed have celebrated their achievement of “Inbox Zero.”'
www.forkingpaths.co/p/against-op...
www.forkingpaths.co/p/against-op...
Against Optimization
We are bombarded by messages telling us to worship the gods of efficiency and optimization, life hacking our way to prosperity. It's a trap. Resilience is a smarter, sturdier goal.
www.forkingpaths.co
February 6, 2025 at 2:47 PM
While I watch chaotic dismantling efforts in the name of efficiency: 'Few humans on their deathbed have celebrated their achievement of “Inbox Zero.”'
www.forkingpaths.co/p/against-op...
www.forkingpaths.co/p/against-op...
If I was 30 years younger...awesome lab!
Would you like to do a post-doc in the Bowdish lab? Interested in human immunology? Want to discover age-related differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccinations and infections? Check us out! (Please share broadly)👩🔬🧪 #immunosky #IDsky www.bowdish.ca www.bowdish.ca/lab/wp-conte...
www.bowdish.ca
January 27, 2025 at 6:06 PM
If I was 30 years younger...awesome lab!
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Please repost!!!!!
Abstraction submission for the next Great Wall Symposium is now open!
Come to Sicily in September and learn the latest on bacterial cell wall biology.
thegreatwall-symposium.org/abstract-sub...
Abstraction submission for the next Great Wall Symposium is now open!
Come to Sicily in September and learn the latest on bacterial cell wall biology.
thegreatwall-symposium.org/abstract-sub...
Pre-registration and Abstract Submission - The Greatwall-symposium
Registration and abstract submission open on January 15th, 2025.The organizers will select the final list of participants based on abstract submission, particularly for young scientist, and the applic...
thegreatwall-symposium.org
January 17, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Please repost!!!!!
Abstraction submission for the next Great Wall Symposium is now open!
Come to Sicily in September and learn the latest on bacterial cell wall biology.
thegreatwall-symposium.org/abstract-sub...
Abstraction submission for the next Great Wall Symposium is now open!
Come to Sicily in September and learn the latest on bacterial cell wall biology.
thegreatwall-symposium.org/abstract-sub...
Great week at BLAST XVIII in Cancún - terrific science and conversations with smart people, plus no polar vortex!
January 23, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Great week at BLAST XVIII in Cancún - terrific science and conversations with smart people, plus no polar vortex!
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors
@naturecomms.bsky.social from Daniel Unterweger
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@naturecomms.bsky.social from Daniel Unterweger
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors - Nature Communications
Populations of a single bacterial species can possess a great diversity of type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) and secreted effectors. Here, Habich et al. apply molecular population genetics to the T6SS...
www.nature.com
January 22, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors
@naturecomms.bsky.social from Daniel Unterweger
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@naturecomms.bsky.social from Daniel Unterweger
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Confirmed speakers for the next Great Wall Symposium is coming along! thegreatwall-symposium.org/program/
Abstracts will open next week 15th so start thinking!
September 15-17th, Catania, Sicily
Its a Microbiological opportunity you cant refuse!
Abstracts will open next week 15th so start thinking!
September 15-17th, Catania, Sicily
Its a Microbiological opportunity you cant refuse!
January 10, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Confirmed speakers for the next Great Wall Symposium is coming along! thegreatwall-symposium.org/program/
Abstracts will open next week 15th so start thinking!
September 15-17th, Catania, Sicily
Its a Microbiological opportunity you cant refuse!
Abstracts will open next week 15th so start thinking!
September 15-17th, Catania, Sicily
Its a Microbiological opportunity you cant refuse!
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
“Now is the time to halt the spread of #H5N1 that is encroaching all around us.”—Bright
6 steps that Biden or Trump admin can take now to prevent a pandemic...
fortune.com/well/2025/01...
#BlueSky #MedSky 🧪 #IDSky #scisky #medtwitter #EMSky #EMedSky #nurseSky #MedEd #fmSky #PedSky #birdflu
Bird flu will be the next pandemic unless health officials take 6 critical steps, experts say
The time for urgency, the experts say, is now.
fortune.com
January 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM
🤯
What is the diversity of antiphage systems out there ?
We used protein and genomic language models (and defense score!) to start bringing some answers: >45 000 protein families.
Leb by E. Mordret.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Interactive UMAP to have fun
mdmparis.github.io/antiphage-la...
We used protein and genomic language models (and defense score!) to start bringing some answers: >45 000 protein families.
Leb by E. Mordret.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Interactive UMAP to have fun
mdmparis.github.io/antiphage-la...
January 9, 2025 at 8:42 PM
🤯
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Another newly discovered mechanism of bacteria inhibiting competitors - increasing their sensitivity to phages - fascinating
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Streptomyces secretes a siderophore that sensitizes competitor bacteria to phage infection - Nature Microbiology
A secondary metabolite sensitizes competitor Bacillus subtilis to a wide panel of lytic phages by sequestering iron and preventing the activation of Spo0A.
www.nature.com
January 9, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Another newly discovered mechanism of bacteria inhibiting competitors - increasing their sensitivity to phages - fascinating
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Trojan horse peptide conjugates remodel the activity spectrum of clinical antibiotics doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org
January 7, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Trojan horse peptide conjugates remodel the activity spectrum of clinical antibiotics doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
We found that many bacterial species use exogenous peptidoglycan fragments - released by lysis of neighboring cells - as a general danger signal, triggering a danger response that protects bacteria against many dangers: biofilm formation.
Details here 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Details here 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Bacteria use exogenous peptidoglycan as a danger signal to trigger biofilm formation - Nature Microbiology
Peptidoglycan released by neighbouring kin or non-kin cell lysis induces physiological changes that protect from a range of stresses, including phage predation.
www.nature.com
January 6, 2025 at 10:13 AM
We found that many bacterial species use exogenous peptidoglycan fragments - released by lysis of neighboring cells - as a general danger signal, triggering a danger response that protects bacteria against many dangers: biofilm formation.
Details here 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Details here 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Peptidoglycan as danger signal promotes biofilm formation - great article by the Drescher lab
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Bacteria use exogenous peptidoglycan as a danger signal to trigger biofilm formation - Nature Microbiology
Peptidoglycan released by neighbouring kin or non-kin cell lysis induces physiological changes that protect from a range of stresses, including phage predation.
www.nature.com
January 4, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Peptidoglycan as danger signal promotes biofilm formation - great article by the Drescher lab
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Lay abstracts are hard. It's surprisingly difficult to thread the needle between: "Streptomyces are Gram-positive actinobacteria that biosynthesise a spectrum of bioactive metabolites," and "There is a tiny magic creature that lives in the soil and will make the bad-bad go away."
🧪🦠
🧪🦠
January 4, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Lay abstracts are hard. It's surprisingly difficult to thread the needle between: "Streptomyces are Gram-positive actinobacteria that biosynthesise a spectrum of bioactive metabolites," and "There is a tiny magic creature that lives in the soil and will make the bad-bad go away."
🧪🦠
🧪🦠
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Jumbo Phage HPP-Temi Infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pa9 and Increasing Host Sensitivity to Ciprofloxacin.
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13111006
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39596701/
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13111006
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39596701/
Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Jumbo Phage HPP-Temi Infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pa9 and Increasing Host Sensitivity to Ciprofloxacin - PubMed
<span><i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> is a bacteria responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. Phages are promising alternatives for treating <i>P. aeruginosa</i> infections, which are often intrinsically resistant. The combination of phage and antibiotics in clearing bacterial infection holds promi</span> …
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
January 5, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Jumbo Phage HPP-Temi Infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pa9 and Increasing Host Sensitivity to Ciprofloxacin.
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13111006
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39596701/
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13111006
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39596701/
Reposted by Lori L. Burrows
Ten species comprise half of the bacteriology literature, leaving most species unstudied https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.04.631297v1
January 5, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Ten species comprise half of the bacteriology literature, leaving most species unstudied https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.04.631297v1
Cool octopus or elephant vibes.
SpiRobs: Logarithmic Spiral-shaped Robots for Versatile Grasping Across Scales
"They are actuated by cables, which allows for fast and life-like movements. Besides, a single robot can handle a wide variety of objects (in terms of size, shape, and weight)."
Open Access
www.cell.com/device/pdf/S...
"They are actuated by cables, which allows for fast and life-like movements. Besides, a single robot can handle a wide variety of objects (in terms of size, shape, and weight)."
Open Access
www.cell.com/device/pdf/S...
January 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Cool octopus or elephant vibes.