Dad of two, Professor, Lister Research Fellow and Wellcome Investigator at the John Innes Centre. Interested in bacterial chromosome organization & segregation, plasmids, and phages. www.tunglelab.org
Spotlight on our recent work by @emmajbanks.bsky.social @pavol.bsky.social and team!!! @johninnescentre.bsky.social Thank you very much, @fnobrega.bsky.social, for this great piece!!!
Cell Chemical BiologyA defense-like route to gene transfer agent release
Sometimes ago Tom @tommclean.bsky.social uncovered a mechanism of bacterial gene regulation based on a clamp sliding and locking in a multi-drug resistance plasmid, RK2. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
KorB switching from DNA-sliding clamp to repressor mediates long-range gene silencing in a multi-drug resistance plasmid - Nature MicrobiologyStructural and single-molecule analyses show the CTPase, KorB, is a sliding DNA clamp that interacts with a clamp-locking protein KorA to inhibit gene expression over distances of more than 1 kb in th...www.nature.com@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social Who knew ParB-CTPase fold can kill!!! A protein fold best known for segregating chromosomes…can be transformed into a potent antibacterial toxin in some plant and animal pathogens. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Repurposing a chromosome segregation ParB-CTPase fold into an ATPase toxin for contact-dependent growth inhibition in plant and animal pathogensBacterial competition drives the evolution of antibacterial mechanisms, yet how new activities arise remains poorly understood. A major route to innovation is the reuse of pre-existing genetic systems, whereby conserved protein modules are repurposed in new biological contexts to generate new capabilities. Here, we show that the ParB-CTPase fold, a conserved nucleotide-binding module best known for its role in chromosome segregation, can be functionally repurposed as an antibacterial toxin. We identify ToxB, a ParB-like domain embedded within the polymorphic toxin region of contact-dependent inhibition systems and show that it functions as a potent antibacterial effector. Structural and biochemical analyses reveal that ToxB retains the core architecture of the ParB-CTPase fold but lacks DNA-binding capability and preferentially binds ATP. This shift in nucleotide specificity underpins a distinct mode of action, in which ATP binding and hydrolysis trigger rapid nucleoid compaction, chromosome segregation defects, oxidative stress, cell chaining, and ultimately cell lysis. ToxB also exhibits toxic activity in plant cells, suggesting that it targets conserved cellular processes. Together, these findings provide direct experimental evidence that the ParB-NTPase fold is biologically versatile and can be repurposed for biological roles fundamentally distinct from its ancestral function in DNA segregation. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Wellcome Trust, https://ror.org/029chgv08, 221776/Z/2/Z, 227755/Z/23/Z Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, https://ror.org/00cwqg982, BB/X01097X/1 Diamond Light Source, MX32728www.biorxiv.orgGreat article!!! Tim and Chris are absolute stars!!!
The Lister Institute of Preventive MedicineRejection is part of science. So is resilience. 🔬 Tim Blower and @stewartlab.bsky.social share how setbacks helped shape their careers. We don't talk about this enough. 🔁Please repost and share your own stories of defeat or bouceback. Break the stigma! lister-institute.org.uk/news/resilie...
Finally published. Many thanks to a wonderful collaborative team and scientific platforms!!! And thanks to editors and reviewers for enthusiasm and a great review. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A bacterial CARD–NLR-like immune system controls the release of gene transfer agents - Nature MicrobiologyAn immunity-like system functions as a lysis control hub to promote gene transfer agent particle release from host bacterial cells, suggesting that bacterial immune systems may be co-opted to promote ...www.nature.comTung Le1/ Excited to share our latest work on gene transfer agents (GTAs) in Caulobacter crescentus, led by Emma Banks in collaboration with Pavol Bardy and Mai Nguyen from York!!! See a brief thread below. shorturl.at/o6S1w