Wilbert Bitter
@wilbertbitter.bsky.social
Professor in Medical and Molecular Microbiology, VU university & Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
tuberculosis, cell envelope, protein secretion, Type VII secretion, ESX, host-pathogen, zebrafish, antimicrobials
tuberculosis, cell envelope, protein secretion, Type VII secretion, ESX, host-pathogen, zebrafish, antimicrobials
PPE51 is one of the best candidates to form a MOM transport channel. However, our data indicate that it is not that simple. PPE51 mutations in Mmarinum (4 close homologs) indeed reduce the growth on glycerol & glucose, but also highly increase permeability.. and no, we do not fully understand this
PPE51 modulates membrane integrity in Mycobacterium marinum | mBio
The impermeable outer membrane of pathogenic mycobacteria presents a major obstacle
to nutrient acquisition and antibiotic penetration. PPE51, a substrate of the ESX-5
secretion system, has previously...
journals.asm.org
September 23, 2025 at 7:48 AM
PPE51 is one of the best candidates to form a MOM transport channel. However, our data indicate that it is not that simple. PPE51 mutations in Mmarinum (4 close homologs) indeed reduce the growth on glycerol & glucose, but also highly increase permeability.. and no, we do not fully understand this
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
After 10 years they finally found the culprit… great work, although it is not so surprising that it turns out to be a Vibrio sp.
After 10 years they finally found the culprit… great work, although it is not so surprising that it turns out to be a Vibrio sp.
Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 is a causative agent of sea star wasting disease - Nature Ecology & Evolution
The causative agent of sea star wasting disease has been elusive. This study used genetic datasets and experimental exposures to demonstrate that a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida caused di...
www.nature.com
August 4, 2025 at 5:34 PM
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
After 10 years they finally found the culprit… great work, although it is not so surprising that it turns out to be a Vibrio sp.
After 10 years they finally found the culprit… great work, although it is not so surprising that it turns out to be a Vibrio sp.
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
Reading:
How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-biofil... via @QuantaMagazine
How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-biofil... via @QuantaMagazine
How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry | Quanta Magazine
Micro decisions can have macro consequences. A soft matter physicist reveals how interactions within simple cellular collectives can lead to emergent physical traits.
www.quantamagazine.org
June 25, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Reading:
How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-biofil... via @QuantaMagazine
How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-biofil... via @QuantaMagazine
This biologist aims to solve the cell’s biggest mystery. Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
This biologist aims to solve the cell’s biggest mystery. Could it help cancer patients, too?
Four decades after his lab found odd, massive particles inside cells, Leonard Rome is still determined to figure out what “vaults” do
www.science.org
June 15, 2025 at 7:09 PM
This biologist aims to solve the cell’s biggest mystery. Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
The #GRCMyco2025 group photo is now in everyone's mygrc folder! It was VERY sunny....
April 16, 2025 at 4:48 PM
The #GRCMyco2025 group photo is now in everyone's mygrc folder! It was VERY sunny....
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
Krista Freeman et al 𝘊𝘌𝘓𝘓
stunning atomic-level imaging (Cryo-EM, cryo-ET) reveals how 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞 Bxb1 reshapes its tail tip to breach the mycobacterial cell wall and deliver DNA to the cytoplasm
can inform precise targeted phage therapies for TB and NTM infections
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
stunning atomic-level imaging (Cryo-EM, cryo-ET) reveals how 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞 Bxb1 reshapes its tail tip to breach the mycobacterial cell wall and deliver DNA to the cytoplasm
can inform precise targeted phage therapies for TB and NTM infections
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
April 18, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Krista Freeman et al 𝘊𝘌𝘓𝘓
stunning atomic-level imaging (Cryo-EM, cryo-ET) reveals how 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞 Bxb1 reshapes its tail tip to breach the mycobacterial cell wall and deliver DNA to the cytoplasm
can inform precise targeted phage therapies for TB and NTM infections
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
stunning atomic-level imaging (Cryo-EM, cryo-ET) reveals how 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞 Bxb1 reshapes its tail tip to breach the mycobacterial cell wall and deliver DNA to the cytoplasm
can inform precise targeted phage therapies for TB and NTM infections
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... exciting new study on role of disulphide bond formation in secretion and motility in Bacteroidota
A central, shared role for disulfide bonds in Bacteroidota protein transport and gliding motility
The gliding motility and Type 9 Secretion Systems (T9SSs) of Bacteroidota share a Power Chain that in current models uses a Hub complex to distribute energy to both the T9SS translocon and a moving gl...
www.biorxiv.org
March 13, 2025 at 3:38 PM
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... exciting new study on role of disulphide bond formation in secretion and motility in Bacteroidota
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
For all its prominence in research, E. coli is a blip in a rich microbial world. Scientists are rethinking our infatuation with microbiology’s superstar and considering what can—and should—constitute a model organism going forward. Read the article: asm.org/Articles/202...
February 20, 2025 at 5:17 PM
For all its prominence in research, E. coli is a blip in a rich microbial world. Scientists are rethinking our infatuation with microbiology’s superstar and considering what can—and should—constitute a model organism going forward. Read the article: asm.org/Articles/202...
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
Stopping clinical trials with such haste is unethical and potentially dangerous and violates the very principles that all who conduct interventional studies must adhere to. It is sad and exposes ignorance and a complete lack of respect for people!
February 7, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Stopping clinical trials with such haste is unethical and potentially dangerous and violates the very principles that all who conduct interventional studies must adhere to. It is sad and exposes ignorance and a complete lack of respect for people!
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
New preprint 🚨: with @madejmar.bsky.social we found that the Bacteroidetes beta-barrel assembly machinery is quite different to E. coli. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #cryo-EM
February 3, 2025 at 8:52 AM
New preprint 🚨: with @madejmar.bsky.social we found that the Bacteroidetes beta-barrel assembly machinery is quite different to E. coli. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #cryo-EM
Last ever lecture in the infamous W&N building at the VU Amsterdam…apparently it had one of the longest hallways in the Netherlands, 250 meter.
January 30, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Last ever lecture in the infamous W&N building at the VU Amsterdam…apparently it had one of the longest hallways in the Netherlands, 250 meter.
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
How do animals compensate for trait loss?
In beetles, symbiosis is a consistent strategy. Where the repeated loss of endogenous digestive enzymes is offset by functionally convergent symbioses: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Excited to share our latest, out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social!
In beetles, symbiosis is a consistent strategy. Where the repeated loss of endogenous digestive enzymes is offset by functionally convergent symbioses: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Excited to share our latest, out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social!
January 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
How do animals compensate for trait loss?
In beetles, symbiosis is a consistent strategy. Where the repeated loss of endogenous digestive enzymes is offset by functionally convergent symbioses: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Excited to share our latest, out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social!
In beetles, symbiosis is a consistent strategy. Where the repeated loss of endogenous digestive enzymes is offset by functionally convergent symbioses: www.cell.com/current-biol...
Excited to share our latest, out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social!
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
Researchers have engineered symbiotic associations between fungal cells and introduced organelles in an effort to explore how endosymbiosis might have given rise to eukaryotic cells.
🌱🐋🧪🦫🧠 #Evolbio
🌱🐋🧪🦫🧠 #Evolbio
Is this how complex life evolved? Experiment that put bacteria inside fungi offers clues
Biologists created a symbiotic system that hints at how cell features such as mitochondria and chloroplasts might have emerged a billion years ago.
www.nature.com
October 4, 2024 at 5:14 PM
Researchers have engineered symbiotic associations between fungal cells and introduced organelles in an effort to explore how endosymbiosis might have given rise to eukaryotic cells.
🌱🐋🧪🦫🧠 #Evolbio
🌱🐋🧪🦫🧠 #Evolbio
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
Out today! Our review on the current evidence of protein import into endosymbionts/early organelles. We cover protists, insects and plant systems, so something for everybody!
With Mygg Stiller, Lena Kröninger and Eva Nowack.
#protistsonsky #SymbioSky
febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
With Mygg Stiller, Lena Kröninger and Eva Nowack.
#protistsonsky #SymbioSky
febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
FEBS Press
The acquisition of bacterial endosymbionts by ancient host cells followed by massive adaptation of the partners gave rise to mitochondria and plastids. Today, various systems with younger and less in...
febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 11, 2024 at 6:41 PM
Out today! Our review on the current evidence of protein import into endosymbionts/early organelles. We cover protists, insects and plant systems, so something for everybody!
With Mygg Stiller, Lena Kröninger and Eva Nowack.
#protistsonsky #SymbioSky
febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
With Mygg Stiller, Lena Kröninger and Eva Nowack.
#protistsonsky #SymbioSky
febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
A BCG kill switch strain protects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in mice and non-human primates with improved safety and immunogenicity
@naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
@saehrt.bsky.social @joanneflynn19.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
@saehrt.bsky.social @joanneflynn19.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Engineered Mycobacterium tuberculosis triple-kill-switch strain provides controlled tuberculosis infection in animal models - Nature Microbiology
Engineered kill-switch-encoding Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects, elicits immune responses and is cleared from immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice, providing a model of controlled tuberculosi...
www.nature.com
January 11, 2025 at 1:05 AM
A BCG kill switch strain protects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in mice and non-human primates with improved safety and immunogenicity
@naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
@saehrt.bsky.social @joanneflynn19.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
@saehrt.bsky.social @joanneflynn19.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
If you're interested in learning about the latest of fundamental mycobacteriology, sign up for #GRCMyco2025! Acceptances will start in September, check out the full program and please RT!
We're live with the program!
www.grc.org/biology-of-m...
www.grc.org/biology-of-m...
May 16, 2024 at 11:36 PM
If you're interested in learning about the latest of fundamental mycobacteriology, sign up for #GRCMyco2025! Acceptances will start in September, check out the full program and please RT!
Reposted by Wilbert Bitter
I made a Starter Pack for the Myco & TB community.
Hope to find more good friends here on Bluesky to keep in touch about mycobacterial infections. Please join and repost!
go.bsky.app/3nwpcVV
Hope to find more good friends here on Bluesky to keep in touch about mycobacterial infections. Please join and repost!
go.bsky.app/3nwpcVV
November 11, 2024 at 7:54 AM
I made a Starter Pack for the Myco & TB community.
Hope to find more good friends here on Bluesky to keep in touch about mycobacterial infections. Please join and repost!
go.bsky.app/3nwpcVV
Hope to find more good friends here on Bluesky to keep in touch about mycobacterial infections. Please join and repost!
go.bsky.app/3nwpcVV
Together with Abdallah and Qingtian we just published this pan-genome analysis for M. marinum. I think it is a nice catalog, but standing out for me was the variation in the cpnT gene and the fact that ESX-2 is present in the majority of the M. marinum strains, just not in the type strain M...
Comprehensive pan-genome analysis of Mycobacterium marinum: insights into genomic diversity, evolution, and pathogenicity - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Comprehensive pan-genome analysis of Mycobacterium marinum: insights into genomic diversity, evolution, and pathogenicity
www.nature.com
November 13, 2024 at 12:59 PM
Together with Abdallah and Qingtian we just published this pan-genome analysis for M. marinum. I think it is a nice catalog, but standing out for me was the variation in the cpnT gene and the fact that ESX-2 is present in the majority of the M. marinum strains, just not in the type strain M...
Hello, I also switched to Blue and already was welcomed by some friends, thank you! Let's hope this platform will stay safe......
November 13, 2024 at 12:26 PM
Hello, I also switched to Blue and already was welcomed by some friends, thank you! Let's hope this platform will stay safe......