Peter Fineran
@peterfineran.bsky.social
Prof. and Head of Phage-host interactions (Phi) lab. Phage defences, counter-defences, CRISPR-Cas, toxin-antitoxin. FRSNZ / James Cook Fellow
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Bacteria can sense when a virus starts shredding their genome — by detecting methylated mononucleotides.
Here’s the story of how we discovered the Metis defense system 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Here’s the story of how we discovered the Metis defense system 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 6, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Bacteria can sense when a virus starts shredding their genome — by detecting methylated mononucleotides.
Here’s the story of how we discovered the Metis defense system 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Here’s the story of how we discovered the Metis defense system 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Really excited to be hosting @jcornlab.bsky.social here at @universityofotago.bsky.social next year. Looking forward to lots of fun science ahead.
In 2026 I'm taking a sabbatical in @peterfineran.bsky.social lab @universityofotago.bsky.social. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from Peter's lab and excited to get back to my prokaryotic/viral roots! Also planning to some trips to the rest of the Pacific and Asia. So much to look forward to!
November 5, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Really excited to be hosting @jcornlab.bsky.social here at @universityofotago.bsky.social next year. Looking forward to lots of fun science ahead.
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Use antisense oligomers to silence phage genes and discover new biology.
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de
print: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
highlight: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
briefing: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de
print: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
highlight: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
briefing: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
October 31, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Use antisense oligomers to silence phage genes and discover new biology.
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de
print: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
highlight: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
briefing: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de
print: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
highlight: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
briefing: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
The Wilkinson Lab is open for science! @mskcancercenter.bsky.social
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
Wilkinson Lab
We discover and study reverse transcriptases
wilkinsonlab.bio
October 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The Wilkinson Lab is open for science! @mskcancercenter.bsky.social
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬
annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Please RT:
We have an opening for a junior group leader position in „Phage Biology & Biotechnology“.
www.fz-juelich.de/de/karriere/...
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact me via email for further details.
@spp2330.bsky.social; @mibinet.bsky.social
We have an opening for a junior group leader position in „Phage Biology & Biotechnology“.
www.fz-juelich.de/de/karriere/...
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact me via email for further details.
@spp2330.bsky.social; @mibinet.bsky.social
Junior Group Leader - Phage Biology & Biotechnology
As a leading research institution for microbial biotechnology the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences - Biotechnology (IBG-1, https://www.fz-juelich.de/de/ibg/ibg-1 ) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich foc...
www.fz-juelich.de
October 8, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Please RT:
We have an opening for a junior group leader position in „Phage Biology & Biotechnology“.
www.fz-juelich.de/de/karriere/...
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact me via email for further details.
@spp2330.bsky.social; @mibinet.bsky.social
We have an opening for a junior group leader position in „Phage Biology & Biotechnology“.
www.fz-juelich.de/de/karriere/...
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact me via email for further details.
@spp2330.bsky.social; @mibinet.bsky.social
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Welcome @isvm-society.bsky.social to bsky, the International Society for the Viruses of Microorganisms. Check the new look website isvm.org and become a member for free!
#phagesky #microsky
#phagesky #microsky
August 23, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Welcome @isvm-society.bsky.social to bsky, the International Society for the Viruses of Microorganisms. Check the new look website isvm.org and become a member for free!
#phagesky #microsky
#phagesky #microsky
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Come and work with me and @ariannebabina.bsky.social on #Streptomyces evolution and antibiotic production
Origins of a tangled bank: Adaptation and evolution in antibiotic-producing Streptomyces
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
please repost
Origins of a tangled bank: Adaptation and evolution in antibiotic-producing Streptomyces
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
please repost
University of Glasgow - Postgraduate study - Centres for Doctoral Training - NorthWest Biosciences - Our Projects - Underpinning Bioscience - Paul A Hoskisson
www.gla.ac.uk
September 30, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Come and work with me and @ariannebabina.bsky.social on #Streptomyces evolution and antibiotic production
Origins of a tangled bank: Adaptation and evolution in antibiotic-producing Streptomyces
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
please repost
Origins of a tangled bank: Adaptation and evolution in antibiotic-producing Streptomyces
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
please repost
Reposted by Peter Fineran
The Department of Biology at Colorado State University is hiring an Assistant Professor in the area of plant-microbe interactions! Please spread the word!
jobs.colostate.edu/postings/165...
jobs.colostate.edu/postings/165...
Assistant Professor Plant-Microbe Interactions
We seek a creative, collaborative, and visionary plant biologist to establish an internationally recognized research program at the forefront of plant-microbe interactions aimed at understanding how t...
jobs.colostate.edu
September 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
The Department of Biology at Colorado State University is hiring an Assistant Professor in the area of plant-microbe interactions! Please spread the word!
jobs.colostate.edu/postings/165...
jobs.colostate.edu/postings/165...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@peterfineran.bsky.social @leahmsmith.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@peterfineran.bsky.social @leahmsmith.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
Smith and Fineran describe how priming by type I CRISPR-Cas systems facilitates adaptation
and spacer maintenance by a co-occurring type III system, which normally induces abortive
infection. While ty...
www.cell.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@peterfineran.bsky.social @leahmsmith.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@peterfineran.bsky.social @leahmsmith.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
All systems go: CRISPR crosstalk for enhanced immunity
Barrangou Previews papers led by @peterfineran.bsky.social & Meeske demonstrating CRISPR-Cas systems have unprecedented level of cooperative crosstalk between different subtypes, enabling primed spacer acquisition
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Barrangou Previews papers led by @peterfineran.bsky.social & Meeske demonstrating CRISPR-Cas systems have unprecedented level of cooperative crosstalk between different subtypes, enabling primed spacer acquisition
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
All systems go: CRISPR crosstalk for enhanced immunity
In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, companion manuscripts from Margolis & Meeske
and Smith & Fineran demonstrate that CRISPR-Cas systems have an unprecedented level
of cooperative crosstalk between ...
www.cell.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:23 PM
All systems go: CRISPR crosstalk for enhanced immunity
Barrangou Previews papers led by @peterfineran.bsky.social & Meeske demonstrating CRISPR-Cas systems have unprecedented level of cooperative crosstalk between different subtypes, enabling primed spacer acquisition
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Barrangou Previews papers led by @peterfineran.bsky.social & Meeske demonstrating CRISPR-Cas systems have unprecedented level of cooperative crosstalk between different subtypes, enabling primed spacer acquisition
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Willing to join us @pasteur.fr for a PhD for a project on how interactions between mobile genetic elements shape bacterial adaptation? Subject to be tailored to candidates with keen interest in evolution, genomics, computational biology, microbiology. Check www.pasteur.fr/en/education...
September 8, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Willing to join us @pasteur.fr for a PhD for a project on how interactions between mobile genetic elements shape bacterial adaptation? Subject to be tailored to candidates with keen interest in evolution, genomics, computational biology, microbiology. Check www.pasteur.fr/en/education...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
We're looking for a technician at Institut Pasteur for experimental work on satellite-phage-bacteria interactions, working directly with @jmouradesousa.bsky.social and myself in the lab of @epcrocha.bsky.social ! ANR funded.
Link to the job emploi.pasteur.fr/offre-de-emp...
Thx for sharing!
Link to the job emploi.pasteur.fr/offre-de-emp...
Thx for sharing!
INSTITUT PASTEUR - Technicien de recherche Microbiologie H/F
emploi.pasteur.fr
September 12, 2025 at 2:42 PM
We're looking for a technician at Institut Pasteur for experimental work on satellite-phage-bacteria interactions, working directly with @jmouradesousa.bsky.social and myself in the lab of @epcrocha.bsky.social ! ANR funded.
Link to the job emploi.pasteur.fr/offre-de-emp...
Thx for sharing!
Link to the job emploi.pasteur.fr/offre-de-emp...
Thx for sharing!
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Check out our new paper: a review of translational coupling, the phenomenon where translation of one prokaryotic gene can promote translation of the gene downstream. We cover the history, and delve into the mechanism, which is still not fully understood. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Translational coupling of neighboring genes in prokaryotes | Journal of Bacteriology
Prokaryotic genes are arranged in operons, with functionally related genes often located
adjacent to one another (1). There are several ways in which the operonic organization of genes facilitates
the...
journals.asm.org
September 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Check out our new paper: a review of translational coupling, the phenomenon where translation of one prokaryotic gene can promote translation of the gene downstream. We cover the history, and delve into the mechanism, which is still not fully understood. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
No Genetics? Try ASOs – A non-genetic approach to silence genes at the phage-host interface. We use it to study jumbo phage biology and anti-phage defence.
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social
@uni-wuerzburg.de @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
published now in @nature.com
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social
@uni-wuerzburg.de @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
published now in @nature.com
Programmable antisense oligomers for phage functional genomics - Nature
Establishing antisense oligomers as versatile, non-genetic tools to silence phage mRNAs opens applications in basic research and biotechnology, as shown by identifying essential factors for propagatio...
www.nature.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:10 AM
No Genetics? Try ASOs – A non-genetic approach to silence genes at the phage-host interface. We use it to study jumbo phage biology and anti-phage defence.
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social
@uni-wuerzburg.de @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
published now in @nature.com
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social
@uni-wuerzburg.de @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
published now in @nature.com
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Thrilled to share our two latest papers with the @tcostalab.bsky.social
lab! In the first, we uncover a new mechanism of satellite transfer: cf-PICIs hijack tails from diverse phages to spread across species.
@imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
lab! In the first, we uncover a new mechanism of satellite transfer: cf-PICIs hijack tails from diverse phages to spread across species.
@imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Chimeric infective particles expand species boundaries in phage-inducible chromosomal island mobilization
Capsid-forming PICIs (cf-PICIs) produce their own capsids and exploit phage tails
from unrelated species to transfer their DNA across bacterial hosts. This tail piracy
enables broad dissemination and ...
www.cell.com
September 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Thrilled to share our two latest papers with the @tcostalab.bsky.social
lab! In the first, we uncover a new mechanism of satellite transfer: cf-PICIs hijack tails from diverse phages to spread across species.
@imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
lab! In the first, we uncover a new mechanism of satellite transfer: cf-PICIs hijack tails from diverse phages to spread across species.
@imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
The ecology and evolution of bacterial immune systems'.
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Preface: the ecology and evolution of bacterial immune systems | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Can't sign in? Forgot your password?
royalsocietypublishing.org
September 8, 2025 at 6:29 AM
The ecology and evolution of bacterial immune systems'.
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Phage defence-system abundances vary across environments and increase with viral density
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B by @seanmeaden.bsky.social, Edze Westra and @peterfineran.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B by @seanmeaden.bsky.social, Edze Westra and @peterfineran.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Phage defence-system abundances vary across environments and increase with viral density | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
The defence systems bacteria use to protect themselves from their viruses are mechanistically
and genetically diverse. Yet the ecological conditions that predict when defences
are selected for remain ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
September 5, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Phage defence-system abundances vary across environments and increase with viral density
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B by @seanmeaden.bsky.social, Edze Westra and @peterfineran.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B by @seanmeaden.bsky.social, Edze Westra and @peterfineran.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@leahmsmith.bsky.social @peterfineran.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@leahmsmith.bsky.social @peterfineran.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
Smith and Fineran describe how priming by type I CRISPR-Cas systems facilitates adaptation
and spacer maintenance by a co-occurring type III system, which normally induces abortive
infection. While ty...
www.cell.com
August 29, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@leahmsmith.bsky.social @peterfineran.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Priming by type I CRISPR-Cas aids spacer maintenance by co-occurring type III. Concurrent DNA&RNA-targeting minimize phage escape for population benefit
@leahmsmith.bsky.social @peterfineran.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
In a multi-CRISPR-Cas system host, @peterfineran.bsky.social & I found that type I priming promotes spacer 🧬 uptake & maintenance by a type III system & that multiple systems minimize phage escape ⬇️ @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social @otagomicroimmuno.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
CRISPR-Cas systems are diverse, with microbes harboring multiple classes and subtypes. Type I DNA-targeting and type III RNA-targeting systems often c…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 20, 2025 at 2:06 AM
In a multi-CRISPR-Cas system host, @peterfineran.bsky.social & I found that type I priming promotes spacer 🧬 uptake & maintenance by a type III system & that multiple systems minimize phage escape ⬇️ @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social @otagomicroimmuno.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Ever wondered why some bacteria have multiple CRISPR-Cas systems? Our new study led by Leah Smith shows how type I CRISPR systems can promote the acquisition and retention of new spacers into a co-occuring type III system. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition
CRISPR-Cas systems are diverse, with microbes harboring multiple classes and subtypes. Type I DNA-targeting and type III RNA-targeting systems often c…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 18, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Ever wondered why some bacteria have multiple CRISPR-Cas systems? Our new study led by Leah Smith shows how type I CRISPR systems can promote the acquisition and retention of new spacers into a co-occuring type III system. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
We’re building a team! 🔬I currently have open positions for a lab technician/ manager and a PhD candidate. I’m also always happy to hear from curious, motivated scientists interested in microbial defense, molecular machines, or structural biology.
Please get in touch! 🚀
Please get in touch! 🚀
August 18, 2025 at 2:54 PM
We’re building a team! 🔬I currently have open positions for a lab technician/ manager and a PhD candidate. I’m also always happy to hear from curious, motivated scientists interested in microbial defense, molecular machines, or structural biology.
Please get in touch! 🚀
Please get in touch! 🚀
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Feels surreal to say but: I'm hiring! If you are or know anyone interested in looking at the evolution of phage resistance using A. baumannii and natural transformation, then this might be for you
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Research position in Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology (282139) | UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Job title: Research position in Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology (282139), Employer: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Deadline: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
www.jobbnorge.no
August 8, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Feels surreal to say but: I'm hiring! If you are or know anyone interested in looking at the evolution of phage resistance using A. baumannii and natural transformation, then this might be for you
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Stoked to finally have a preprint out for Phold, our tool that uses protein structural information to enhance phage genome annotation #phagesky 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Protein Structure Informed Bacteriophage Genome Annotation with Phold
Bacteriophage (phage) genome annotation is essential for understanding their functional potential and suitability for use as therapeutic agents. Here we introduce Phold, an annotation framework utilis...
www.biorxiv.org
August 8, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Stoked to finally have a preprint out for Phold, our tool that uses protein structural information to enhance phage genome annotation #phagesky 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Can leaf MICROBES help protect MAIRE TAWAKE from MYRTLE RUST? In our next Rangahau Rising kōrero @hanareiaehau.bsky.social shares research into the microbiome of this endangered tree and what it could mean for forest resilience in Aotearoa
Wed 20 Aug | 12–1 PM | Zoom
🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/25x2jwae
Wed 20 Aug | 12–1 PM | Zoom
🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/25x2jwae
August 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Can leaf MICROBES help protect MAIRE TAWAKE from MYRTLE RUST? In our next Rangahau Rising kōrero @hanareiaehau.bsky.social shares research into the microbiome of this endangered tree and what it could mean for forest resilience in Aotearoa
Wed 20 Aug | 12–1 PM | Zoom
🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/25x2jwae
Wed 20 Aug | 12–1 PM | Zoom
🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/25x2jwae
Reposted by Peter Fineran
Ready to lead pioneering research that bridges systems-level investigations of biological systems to molecular mechanism? The EMBL Molecular Systems Biology Unit in Heidelberg is hiring a Group Leader!
Group Leader – Molecular Systems Biology Unit
Are you ready to lead groundbreaking research in Molecular Systems Biology? Join us at EMBL! We are seeking a motivated scientist to lead an independent research group, addressing original biological ...
embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com
July 30, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Ready to lead pioneering research that bridges systems-level investigations of biological systems to molecular mechanism? The EMBL Molecular Systems Biology Unit in Heidelberg is hiring a Group Leader!