Daniela Barillà
@danielabarilla.bsky.social
Microbial geneticist interested in large and small DNA 🧬 rings in bacteria and archaea.
Living in Brontë country and based at the University of Old York.
https://barillalabyork.weebly.com/
Living in Brontë country and based at the University of Old York.
https://barillalabyork.weebly.com/
Pinned
And the story is published now!🍾
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Open access link: rdcu.be/exnOc
Many years in the making, great collaboration with @archaellum.bsky.social & @tunglejic.bsky.social
Thanks @ukri.org BBSRC & @leverhulme.ac.uk for funding, reviewers & editor!! 🙏
#microsky #archaeasky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Open access link: rdcu.be/exnOc
Many years in the making, great collaboration with @archaellum.bsky.social & @tunglejic.bsky.social
Thanks @ukri.org BBSRC & @leverhulme.ac.uk for funding, reviewers & editor!! 🙏
#microsky #archaeasky
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Check out our latest paper on mirusviruses, one of the most remarkable new groups of protist viruses - extremely diverse, carry lots of spliceosomal introns (including new homing introns) and are at the evolutionary crossroads between tailed phages and herpesviruses! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Widespread and intron-rich mirusviruses are predicted to reproduce in nuclei of unicellular eukaryotes - Nature Microbiology
Environmental metagenomic explorations show that Mirusviricota lineages lack essential replication and transcription genes and contain spliceosomal introns, suggesting nuclear reproduction.
www.nature.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Check out our latest paper on mirusviruses, one of the most remarkable new groups of protist viruses - extremely diverse, carry lots of spliceosomal introns (including new homing introns) and are at the evolutionary crossroads between tailed phages and herpesviruses! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Happy to share our most recent work www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... Here we describe how efficient DNA replication in E. coli is dependent on an interaction between SSB-ssDNA and the DNA polymerase (Pol III). Thanks to all the co-authors for their hard work!
Genome integrity relies on rapid recycling of DNA Pol III in bacteria | PNAS
DNA replication requires precise coordination between DNA unwinding and DNA synthesis.
In all domains of life, protein–protein interactions at the ...
www.pnas.org
November 20, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Happy to share our most recent work www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... Here we describe how efficient DNA replication in E. coli is dependent on an interaction between SSB-ssDNA and the DNA polymerase (Pol III). Thanks to all the co-authors for their hard work!
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Two fully-funded PhD openings in my research group at the University of York.
If you’re excited about viromes, phage biology, Nanopore sequencing, soils and the odd bit of alpine or agricultural field sampling, we’d love to hear from you!
🌱🦠🏔️
tiny.cc/c4pv001
tiny.cc/e4pv001
If you’re excited about viromes, phage biology, Nanopore sequencing, soils and the odd bit of alpine or agricultural field sampling, we’d love to hear from you!
🌱🦠🏔️
tiny.cc/c4pv001
tiny.cc/e4pv001
A Farewell to Arms: The Trade-off Between Growth and Defence in Bacteria (York YBDTP Project) at University of York on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - A Farewell to Arms: The Trade-off Between Growth and Defence in Bacteria (York YBDTP Project) at University of York, listed on FindAPhD.com
tiny.cc
November 27, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Two fully-funded PhD openings in my research group at the University of York.
If you’re excited about viromes, phage biology, Nanopore sequencing, soils and the odd bit of alpine or agricultural field sampling, we’d love to hear from you!
🌱🦠🏔️
tiny.cc/c4pv001
tiny.cc/e4pv001
If you’re excited about viromes, phage biology, Nanopore sequencing, soils and the odd bit of alpine or agricultural field sampling, we’d love to hear from you!
🌱🦠🏔️
tiny.cc/c4pv001
tiny.cc/e4pv001
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Funded PhD: study how Leishmania parasites and their sand fly vectors adapt to Amazon urbanisation. Includes fieldwork in Brazil plus genomics and spatial epidemiology. UK students only. Apply by 7 Jan 2026: djeffares.github.io/phd.html
November 27, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Funded PhD: study how Leishmania parasites and their sand fly vectors adapt to Amazon urbanisation. Includes fieldwork in Brazil plus genomics and spatial epidemiology. UK students only. Apply by 7 Jan 2026: djeffares.github.io/phd.html
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Happy to share a new preprint from the lab: Marko became interested in whether the disordered linker of FtsZ might influence how the protein organizes into the Z-ring. And this led to some surprising findings!
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Charge segregation in the C-terminal linker of FtsZ enables Z-ring scaling with prokaryotic cell width
Bacterial cytokinesis is orchestrated by the Z-ring, a cytoskeletal structure formed by treadmilling filaments of the tubulin-like GTPase FtsZ. During assembly, filament curvature must match the cell ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Happy to share a new preprint from the lab: Marko became interested in whether the disordered linker of FtsZ might influence how the protein organizes into the Z-ring. And this led to some surprising findings!
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Come join us! Soon I will be advertising a postdoc vacancy in my group as part of my @erc.europa.eu AdG project 'DARK ROOTS'. Focus of the project will be on phylo- and metagenomic mining of novel prokaryotic lineages. I will soon post a link here - stay tuned, and please repost! #asgardarchaea
a man walking in a field with an umbrella
ALT: a man walking in a field with an umbrella
media.tenor.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Come join us! Soon I will be advertising a postdoc vacancy in my group as part of my @erc.europa.eu AdG project 'DARK ROOTS'. Focus of the project will be on phylo- and metagenomic mining of novel prokaryotic lineages. I will soon post a link here - stay tuned, and please repost! #asgardarchaea
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Identification of Previously Unknown DNA-Binding Proteins Using DNA Affinity/Pull-Down Methods Followed by Mass Spectrometry
Jutras, Babb, Jusufovic, Krusenstjerna, Saylor, Verma, and Stevenson
Current Protocols 2025, 5:e70264
doi: 10.1002/cpz1.70264
#MicroSky
Jutras, Babb, Jusufovic, Krusenstjerna, Saylor, Verma, and Stevenson
Current Protocols 2025, 5:e70264
doi: 10.1002/cpz1.70264
#MicroSky
November 26, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Identification of Previously Unknown DNA-Binding Proteins Using DNA Affinity/Pull-Down Methods Followed by Mass Spectrometry
Jutras, Babb, Jusufovic, Krusenstjerna, Saylor, Verma, and Stevenson
Current Protocols 2025, 5:e70264
doi: 10.1002/cpz1.70264
#MicroSky
Jutras, Babb, Jusufovic, Krusenstjerna, Saylor, Verma, and Stevenson
Current Protocols 2025, 5:e70264
doi: 10.1002/cpz1.70264
#MicroSky
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Let’s wrap things up: Open and closed hypernucleosomes in Asgard archaea
Let’s wrap things up: Open and closed hypernucleosomes in Asgard archaea
Asgard archaea are widely considered the closest living relatives of eukaryotes. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Ranawat et al. report high-resolution structures of hypernucleosomes formed by the hodarchaeal HHoB histone, disclosing open and closed chromatin conformations.
dlvr.it
November 26, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Let’s wrap things up: Open and closed hypernucleosomes in Asgard archaea
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
"... academia becomes McDonaldized — subject to the fast-food industry principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control — ..."
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Introducing the j-metric: a true measure of what matters in academia
Science has become obsessed with publishing numbers. With this new satirical proposal, have we reached peak metric?
www.nature.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:29 AM
"... academia becomes McDonaldized — subject to the fast-food industry principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control — ..."
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Biogeography and host interactions of CPR and DPANN viruses in acid mine drainage sediments | Nature Communications https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65461-0
Biogeography and host interactions of CPR and DPANN viruses in acid mine drainage sediments - Nature Communications
The ecological role of viruses for CPR bacteria and DPANN archaea remains understudied. Here, the authors apply metagenomic approaches to study the biogeographic distribution of CPR and DPANN viruses in acid mine drainage sediments and elucidate their complex interplays.
www.nature.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Biogeography and host interactions of CPR and DPANN viruses in acid mine drainage sediments | Nature Communications https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65461-0
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
The hinge bypass gate paper is finally out! doi.org/10.1038/s414...
We show how loop-extruding SMC complexes can maintain DNA entrapment while bypassing obstacles on DNA — including transcription machinery & potentially other SMCs.
A lucky convergence of 3 projects lead to the initial discovery!
We show how loop-extruding SMC complexes can maintain DNA entrapment while bypassing obstacles on DNA — including transcription machinery & potentially other SMCs.
A lucky convergence of 3 projects lead to the initial discovery!
The SMC Hinge is a Selective Gate for Obstacle Bypass - Nature Communications
SMC complexes are ring-shaped motors that fold DNA by extruding loops, but how they navigate large DNA obstacles is unclear. Here, Liu et al., show that SMC complexes bypass obstacles by threading obs...
doi.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
The hinge bypass gate paper is finally out! doi.org/10.1038/s414...
We show how loop-extruding SMC complexes can maintain DNA entrapment while bypassing obstacles on DNA — including transcription machinery & potentially other SMCs.
A lucky convergence of 3 projects lead to the initial discovery!
We show how loop-extruding SMC complexes can maintain DNA entrapment while bypassing obstacles on DNA — including transcription machinery & potentially other SMCs.
A lucky convergence of 3 projects lead to the initial discovery!
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
#OpenCloning is a an Open Source alternative to SnapGene/Benchling that supports automation and integration with other software
✅ Free
🔓 Open Source
🧬 More cloning methods than SnapGene
🤖 Can be automated with python
👨🔬 Built by a researcher — for researchers!
👉 Check it out at opencloning.org
✅ Free
🔓 Open Source
🧬 More cloning methods than SnapGene
🤖 Can be automated with python
👨🔬 Built by a researcher — for researchers!
👉 Check it out at opencloning.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
#OpenCloning is a an Open Source alternative to SnapGene/Benchling that supports automation and integration with other software
✅ Free
🔓 Open Source
🧬 More cloning methods than SnapGene
🤖 Can be automated with python
👨🔬 Built by a researcher — for researchers!
👉 Check it out at opencloning.org
✅ Free
🔓 Open Source
🧬 More cloning methods than SnapGene
🤖 Can be automated with python
👨🔬 Built by a researcher — for researchers!
👉 Check it out at opencloning.org
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
An exciting PhD opportunity is available in my lab! More info about our group and research can be found here: bdaum2.wixsite.com/daumlab
Application deadline: 8th Jan 2026.
Apply here: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-res...
If you are interested, get in touch!
#ArchaeaSky #CryoEM #TeamTomo
Application deadline: 8th Jan 2026.
Apply here: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-res...
If you are interested, get in touch!
#ArchaeaSky #CryoEM #TeamTomo
November 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
An exciting PhD opportunity is available in my lab! More info about our group and research can be found here: bdaum2.wixsite.com/daumlab
Application deadline: 8th Jan 2026.
Apply here: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-res...
If you are interested, get in touch!
#ArchaeaSky #CryoEM #TeamTomo
Application deadline: 8th Jan 2026.
Apply here: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-res...
If you are interested, get in touch!
#ArchaeaSky #CryoEM #TeamTomo
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Now properly published at @natcomms.nature.com with few additional experiments incl. demonstration of Daptomycin's ability to depolarise non-growing cells.
See the original preprint-thread for a summary of our findings.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky
See the original preprint-thread for a summary of our findings.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky
November 24, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Now properly published at @natcomms.nature.com with few additional experiments incl. demonstration of Daptomycin's ability to depolarise non-growing cells.
See the original preprint-thread for a summary of our findings.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky
See the original preprint-thread for a summary of our findings.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
New paper out: An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine
Multiple genetic codes developed during the evolution of eukaryotes and bacteria, yet no alternative genetic code is known for archaea. We used proteomics to confirm our prediction that certain archae...
www.science.org
November 23, 2025 at 7:22 PM
New paper out: An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Fish plate - Southern Italy
c. 2,350 years old
Used to serve fish, with a depression to hold a dish for perhaps a sauce.
Now in @rammuseum.bsky.social
#FindsFriday
c. 2,350 years old
Used to serve fish, with a depression to hold a dish for perhaps a sauce.
Now in @rammuseum.bsky.social
#FindsFriday
November 21, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Fish plate - Southern Italy
c. 2,350 years old
Used to serve fish, with a depression to hold a dish for perhaps a sauce.
Now in @rammuseum.bsky.social
#FindsFriday
c. 2,350 years old
Used to serve fish, with a depression to hold a dish for perhaps a sauce.
Now in @rammuseum.bsky.social
#FindsFriday
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics
From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Let’s wrap things up: my commentary on the Asgard hypernucleosomes.
Congratulations to all the authors of the paper 🍾!
kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...
Cryo-EM reveals open and closed Asgard chromatin assemblies: Molecular Cell www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Congratulations to all the authors of the paper 🍾!
kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...
Cryo-EM reveals open and closed Asgard chromatin assemblies: Molecular Cell www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Cryo-EM reveals open and closed Asgard chromatin assemblies
Ranawat et al. show the cryo-EM structures of Asgard archaeal chromatin assemblies,
revealing that the histone HHoB assembles into both compact closed and extended open
hypernucleosomes. The closed co...
www.cell.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Let’s wrap things up: my commentary on the Asgard hypernucleosomes.
Congratulations to all the authors of the paper 🍾!
kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...
Cryo-EM reveals open and closed Asgard chromatin assemblies: Molecular Cell www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Congratulations to all the authors of the paper 🍾!
kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...
Cryo-EM reveals open and closed Asgard chromatin assemblies: Molecular Cell www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Equipositioning of Chromosomes in the Polyploid Archaeon Haloferax volcanii by HpaAB https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.19.689047v1
November 19, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Equipositioning of Chromosomes in the Polyploid Archaeon Haloferax volcanii by HpaAB https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.19.689047v1
New exciting work on genome segregation in Haloferax by @premrajka.bsky.social and @bramkamplab.bsky.social group. 🧬<>🧬
Equipositioning of Chromosomes in the Polyploid Archaeon Haloferax volcanii by HpaAB https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.19.689047v1
November 19, 2025 at 10:06 PM
New exciting work on genome segregation in Haloferax by @premrajka.bsky.social and @bramkamplab.bsky.social group. 🧬<>🧬
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
New preprint! We measured temperature- and pH-induced aggregation for over 18,000 natural and de novo designed protein domains!
November 19, 2025 at 9:16 PM
New preprint! We measured temperature- and pH-induced aggregation for over 18,000 natural and de novo designed protein domains!
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
✨Opportunity to join the 🦁🦠 Predatory Bacteria lab!
My lab will move to University of Bern (CH) in April 2026 based on my #ERCStG.
Therefore, we are looking for:
-a PhD student (shorturl.at/mt0LR)
-a 50% Technical Assistant/Lab manager (shorturl.at/0IIKe)
🙏Thanks for sharing.
#MicroSky
My lab will move to University of Bern (CH) in April 2026 based on my #ERCStG.
Therefore, we are looking for:
-a PhD student (shorturl.at/mt0LR)
-a 50% Technical Assistant/Lab manager (shorturl.at/0IIKe)
🙏Thanks for sharing.
#MicroSky
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
✨Opportunity to join the 🦁🦠 Predatory Bacteria lab!
My lab will move to University of Bern (CH) in April 2026 based on my #ERCStG.
Therefore, we are looking for:
-a PhD student (shorturl.at/mt0LR)
-a 50% Technical Assistant/Lab manager (shorturl.at/0IIKe)
🙏Thanks for sharing.
#MicroSky
My lab will move to University of Bern (CH) in April 2026 based on my #ERCStG.
Therefore, we are looking for:
-a PhD student (shorturl.at/mt0LR)
-a 50% Technical Assistant/Lab manager (shorturl.at/0IIKe)
🙏Thanks for sharing.
#MicroSky
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Two 4-year PhD positions available for Oct 2026 🪴 We're part of CNAP with 12 plant/microbe research groups combining excellent fundamental science with innovation.
1st - MAGIC Crops: Genomics to breed high yielding, resilient and nutritious amaranth for smallholder farmers
tinyurl.tools/fa83da49
1st - MAGIC Crops: Genomics to breed high yielding, resilient and nutritious amaranth for smallholder farmers
tinyurl.tools/fa83da49
November 19, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Two 4-year PhD positions available for Oct 2026 🪴 We're part of CNAP with 12 plant/microbe research groups combining excellent fundamental science with innovation.
1st - MAGIC Crops: Genomics to breed high yielding, resilient and nutritious amaranth for smallholder farmers
tinyurl.tools/fa83da49
1st - MAGIC Crops: Genomics to breed high yielding, resilient and nutritious amaranth for smallholder farmers
tinyurl.tools/fa83da49
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
PhD studentship opportunity! Join us at St Andrews to study the factors controlling plasmid transmission in the gut. Competition-funded as part of the EASTBIO DTP, co-supervised with Dr Jaclyn Pearson. Please share & pass on to anyone interested! 🦠🧫 Deadline 15th December👇
www.findaphd.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:41 AM
PhD studentship opportunity! Join us at St Andrews to study the factors controlling plasmid transmission in the gut. Competition-funded as part of the EASTBIO DTP, co-supervised with Dr Jaclyn Pearson. Please share & pass on to anyone interested! 🦠🧫 Deadline 15th December👇
Reposted by Daniela Barillà
Hey Labour
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋
November 17, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Hey Labour
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋