We are looking for a new colleague to join us in Galway. The position is in Biochemistry and if research focus lines up we hope the successful person will join us in the Centre for Chromosome biology (chromosome.ie). Reach out if you are interested in applying!
tinyurl.com/2jy4rj3r
Out now in @science.org
Repurposing of a DNA segregation machinery into a cytoskeletal system controlling cell shape | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Bacteria, like eukaryotes, use conserved cytoskeletal systems for intracellular organization. The plasmid-encoded ParMRC system forms actin-like filaments that segregate low–copy number plasmids. In m...
The conserved methylation-sensitive GcrA regulator will never stop to surprise us!
James Gahan
Stella Hurtley
Justine Collier
We discovered that the GcrA global regulator controls replication initiation at the three RepABC-dependent origins of secondary replicons (chromosome/megaplasmids) in the Agrobacterium plant pathogen so that replication starts on time and in a coordinated manner during the S-phase of the cell cycle.
GcrA also synchronizes DNA replication from multiple origins with cell division through a direct activation of the ddl-ftsQ-ftsA-ftsZ operon encoding key cell division proteins.
I am delighted to share our latest preprint:
doi.org/10.64898/202....
Fantastic work from my past and present lab members @flofournes.bsky.social, Sandra Martin and Nicolas Pellaton. Also many thanks to our precious collaborators @gruberlab.bsky.social and to @snsf.ch for funding this research.
Epigenetic regulation in prokaryotes: transcriptional and phenotypic outcomes of DNA methyltransferase activity url: academic.oup.com/femsre/artic...
Justine Collier
Justine Collier
Justine Collier
Justine Collier
Spring beers with @gruberlab.bsky.social @mblokesch.bsky.social @justinecollier.bsky.social
Discussion Meeting of the VAAM special group "Microbial Cell Biology"
October 5–7, 2026 | Marburg, Germany
More information: mcb2026.eventbrite.com
This one means a lot. Our paper, “Large extrachromosomal replicons are widespread across bacterial lineages and show coordinated replication termination and spatial coupling with the chromosome,” is out!
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Bacterial genomes often include extrachromosomal replicons, ranging from small plasmids to chromosome-scale replicons. Here, Czarnecki et al. analyse more than 40,000 complete bacterial genomes and sh...
