Senior Research Associate in the Sorek Lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Since August 2026, Group Leader at EMBL Hamburg. https://www.embl.org/groups/osterman/
Riboseek is a fast RNA/DNA search. More sensitive than nhmmer at 250x speed. Structure-aware realignment produces MSAs approaching rMSA quality. Plus 1.7M precomputed RNA MSAs, and an API to search your own 📄 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 💾 github.com/steineggerla... 🌐 search.foldseek.com/riboseek
Out Now! Cell-autonomous immunity as an integrated immune network against bacterial and viral pathogens #MicroSky
Cell-autonomous immunity as an integrated immune network against bacterial and viral pathogensNature Microbiology, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02428-xThis Review summarizes the current knowledge about the cell-intrinsic factors that act against pathogenic bacteria and viruses and the immune evasion strategies that pathogens have to counteract cell-autonomous immunity.go.nature.com
Glad to have this out in the world 🤓 If you want to genetically modify Staphylococcus haemolyticus, you have to dodge its phage defence systems! 🧬🧫 www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
Genetic engineering of Staphylococcus haemolyticus: overcoming restriction-modification barriers and targeting virulence genesStaphylococcus haemolyticus is an emerging multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen noted for robust biofilm formation and complex restriction-modification (RM) systems that hinder genetic manipulation...www.microbiologyresearch.org
Nature research paper: Diverse bacterial pattern recognition receptors sense the core phage proteome go.nature.com/45fpXCZ
Diverse bacterial pattern recognition receptors sense the core phage proteome - NatureSystematic analysis of prokaryotic STAND NTPases — relatives of animal and plant immune receptors — uncovers diverse antiviral sensors that detect most of the core structural and replicative proteins of bacteriophages.go.nature.com
Octameric dGTPase assemblies mediate broad anti-phage defense | Nature Communications
Octameric dGTPase assemblies mediate broad anti-phage defense - Nature CommunicationsDeoxyguanosine triphosphatases (dGTPases) are nucleotide-depleting enzymes that contribute to antiviral defense. Here, the authors reveal widespread and structurally diverse dGTPases and characterize oligomeric dGTPases in distinct assembly states, providing insights into their architecture, activation, and regulation.www.nature.com
Happy to share the first preprint out of the Nomburg lab! Many aspects of cellular immunity are shared across the tree of life. Here, we show that some of these conserved aspects of cellular immunity are mirrored by conserved effectors of immune antagonism. Thread below! 1/15
bioRxiv MicrobiologyConserved folds enable immune antagonism across the tree of life https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.21.739742v1
Starting with the DNA sequence of a #phage genome, #PholdAPhage will create a 3D reconstruction of the complete phage, almost like you did cryoEM on it! Check out Renee's awesome software github.com/reneegreen81... to assemble unknown phage particles one protein at a time
1/4 Every good defence needs a backup! 🛡️⚔ Out now in @natrevmicro.nature.com our Comment on "𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴"! 🎉 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Immune safeguarding as a conserved principle of antiviral defence - Nature Reviews MicrobiologyAll organisms defend against viral infections through active immunity mechanisms that clear the virus or population-level mechanisms that cause regulated cell death. Recent research increasingly shows...www.nature.com
Out @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social, natural products meet bacterial immunity! We used genomics to identify lanthivirins: a family of >2,000 lanthipeptide BGCs that protect Actinobacteria against phages. Led by @hshomar.bsky.social & @mariegllm.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A family of lanthipeptides with anti-phage functionBacteria produce natural products to adapt to their environments, with phage interactions as major ecological and evolutionary drivers. While some nat…www.sciencedirect.com
Gabija restricts phage circularization & DNA replication Gabija prevents phage genome circularization & replication w/out impacting bacterial host. Exposed DNA ends & phage end-binding proteins license DNA targeting while RecBCD protects host from Gabija www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Gabija restricts phage circularization and DNA replicationGabija acts early during phage infection, preventing phage genome circularization
and replication. Phage DNA end-binding proteins prevent RecBCD loading onto linear
DNA, and the absence of RecBCD lice...www.cell.com
🧬 Thrilled to share our latest @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social preprint! Here we find that Retron-IX build crazy supramolecular rings scaffolded by DNA molecules that sense phage infection! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Read more below🧵! (1/X)
1/10 🚨Preprint! One RING to rule them all (phages)👑💍⚔️ Bacteria build giant DNA-scaffolded RNase rings (larger than the ribosome!) to shut down viral infection🧬🧵👇 biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Thrilled to share! We present the structure of a prototypical P2 OLD and reveal that its tRNAse activity is triggered by ssDNA hairpins in phage origins or unresolved termini in RecBCD-deficient cells. Great team effort with Wang, Bikard & Nudler labs. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
OLD sentinel: an abortive tRNase surveys phage replication and DNA defects in RecBCD-compromised cellsOLD, an abortive immunity protein from prophage P2, consists of an ABC ATPase sensor and a TO-PRIM nuclease effector - a core architecture shared by a large protein family, including components of ant...www.biorxiv.org
1/11 New preprint from the Sternberg lab in collaboration with the Fernández lab! We are excited to share our structure-function study of DRT10, a bacterial defense-associated reverse transcriptase that synthesizes long tandem-repeat DNA.🧵 Read the full story here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Mechanism of tandem-repeat DNA synthesis by an antiviral reverse transcriptaseDefense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ DNA synthesis to protect bacteria against phage infection[1][1],[2][2]. We previously showed that DRT10, a tripartite system comprising an RT, a...www.biorxiv.org
Our paper out in Science today: The Metis defense system senses molecular byproducts released when a phage degrades the bacterial genome, and then prevents replication of the phage in the infected cell Congratulations @ostermanilya.bsky.social and co-authors!
Bacteria sense virus-induced genome degradation via methylated mononucleotidesPhages often degrade the genome of their bacterial host to individual nucleotides. Here we describe Metis, a bacterial defense system that directly senses phage-mediated host genome degradation. Metis...www.science.orgOsterman IlyaExcited to share that our Metis story is now published in Science! 🎉 Bacteria can sense phage-induced degradation of their genome and activate immunity. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this work. 📄 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... More details in my earlier thread 🧵⬇️
Functional divergence and conservation in the QueC protein family (PF06508): from tRNA modification to anti-phage defense 🦠 portlandpress.com/biochemj/art...
Functional divergence and conservation in the QueC protein family (PF06508): from tRNA modification to anti-phage defenseAbstract. The QueC protein family (PF06508) is best known for its role in the biosynthesis of 7-deazaguanine derivatives, including the tRNA modification queuosine and the DNA base 7-cyano-7-deazaguan...portlandpress.com
#microsky New preprint from the lab! Widespread immune systems protect bacteria against conjugative plasmids www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Kudos to the extremely talented lead author Ludovic Poiré! Key contributions by @francoisrousset.bsky.social and also help from C. Lesterlin/TacC lab. 🧵⬇️
Widespread immune systems protect bacteria against conjugative plasmidsConjugative plasmids are a class of mobile genetic elements capable of efficient transfer between bacterial cells. Although they can introduce beneficial traits such as antibiotic resistance to recipi...www.biorxiv.org
🚨Defense systems against conjugative plasmids can kill recipient cells, like abortive infection against phages. Massive effort from very talented Ludovic Poiré (@ludopoire.bsky.social) in the Charpentier lab at @ciri-lyon.bsky.social ! Very happy our team could contribute w @julie-bltk.bsky.social
Xavier Charpentier#microsky New preprint from the lab! Widespread immune systems protect bacteria against conjugative plasmids www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Kudos to the extremely talented lead author Ludovic Poiré! Key contributions by @francoisrousset.bsky.social and also help from C. Lesterlin/TacC lab. 🧵⬇️
Bacterial and human exonucleases mediate interkingdom antiviral immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735675v1
Phage ORF annotation app #MicroSky #PhageSky
Bacteriophage Lab of Institut PasteurWe’re happy to introduce phageFACTor (Functional Annotation and Curation Tool) 👩💻Developed by Tanaïs Moreau, our most recent PhD candidate, and building on Phold, we were able to improve annotation of prophage genes by as much as 50% 🧬 You should check it out github.com/TMs-code/pha...