Aaron Whiteley
@aaronwhiteley.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Microbiologist. All-around nerd.
http://colorado.edu/lab/aaron-whiteley/
http://colorado.edu/lab/aaron-whiteley/
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Last year it was discovered that a single bacterial NLR-like protein can recognize multiple, structurally unrelated phage proteins (Béchon et al, Kibby et al)
Now, a new study shows the same for a plant NLR. Another example how principles of immunity remain conserved from bacteria to eukaryotes
Now, a new study shows the same for a plant NLR. Another example how principles of immunity remain conserved from bacteria to eukaryotes
A wheat NLR conferring broad-spectrum resistance against powdery mildew by recognizing two structurally diverse AVR effectors. Interested? Check out our newest preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Dual recognition of structurally unrelated mildew effectors underlies the broad-spectrum resistance of Pm3e in wheat
Broad-spectrum resistance genes are highly valuable for sustainable crop protection, yet the molecular basis of their activity is often unknown. The Pm3 allelic series in wheat encodes NLR receptors t...
www.biorxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Last year it was discovered that a single bacterial NLR-like protein can recognize multiple, structurally unrelated phage proteins (Béchon et al, Kibby et al)
Now, a new study shows the same for a plant NLR. Another example how principles of immunity remain conserved from bacteria to eukaryotes
Now, a new study shows the same for a plant NLR. Another example how principles of immunity remain conserved from bacteria to eukaryotes
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs.
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Beyond Immunity: Uncovering the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs (SCHLIMPERT_J26DTP) | Doctoral Training Partnership
Join us in exploring the hidden functions of ancient immune proteins in bacteria. Bacteria, like plants and animals, have evolved sophisticated systems to detect and respond to threats.
biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM
We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs.
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Thank you to the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences for honoring our research uniting human innate immunity and bacterial anti-phage defense at @danafarber.bsky.social @harvardmicro.bsky.social @harvard.edu
bit.ly/4pZUDkF
blavatnikawards.org/news/items/t...
bit.ly/4pZUDkF
blavatnikawards.org/news/items/t...
October 9, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Thank you to the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences for honoring our research uniting human innate immunity and bacterial anti-phage defense at @danafarber.bsky.social @harvardmicro.bsky.social @harvard.edu
bit.ly/4pZUDkF
blavatnikawards.org/news/items/t...
bit.ly/4pZUDkF
blavatnikawards.org/news/items/t...
Our work on the Panoptes antiphage system is published! Here we find that Panoptes "watches" the cytosol for phage immune evasion proteins–captured in this illustration by Clair Huffine of Insight Illustrations. A beautiful example of the effector triggered immunity paradigm.
October 8, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Our work on the Panoptes antiphage system is published! Here we find that Panoptes "watches" the cytosol for phage immune evasion proteins–captured in this illustration by Clair Huffine of Insight Illustrations. A beautiful example of the effector triggered immunity paradigm.
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
A little late to the Panoptes party, but I’m delighted to share that our paper is published! 👁️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The Panoptes system uses decoy cyclic nucleotides to defend against phage - Nature
The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.
www.nature.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:11 PM
A little late to the Panoptes party, but I’m delighted to share that our paper is published! 👁️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Our story describing the Panoptes bacterial immune defense system is now finally peer-reviewed and published today! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The Panoptes system uses decoy cyclic nucleotides to defend against phage - Nature
The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Our story describing the Panoptes bacterial immune defense system is now finally peer-reviewed and published today! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Today in @nature.com , we highlight how a cousin of CRISPR-Cas10, mCpol, establishes an evolutionary trap in anti-phage immune systems.
Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature
Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Today in @nature.com , we highlight how a cousin of CRISPR-Cas10, mCpol, establishes an evolutionary trap in anti-phage immune systems.
Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Now online at @nature.com we show how the Panoptes defense system protects against viruses that attempt immune evasion - and expands our understanding of the role of oligonucleotides in immunity.
Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature
Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.
www.nature.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Now online at @nature.com we show how the Panoptes defense system protects against viruses that attempt immune evasion - and expands our understanding of the role of oligonucleotides in immunity.
Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Now online at @nature.com we show how the Panoptes defense system protects against viruses that attempt immune evasion - and expands our understanding of the role of oligonucleotides in immunity.
Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out this work co-led with @benadler.bsky.social here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature
Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.
www.nature.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
I wrote a Preview in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social !
A new study suggests that #curli may protect prey from bacterial predators like #Bdellovibrio.
Really looking forward to seeing this model confirmed with live-cell imaging and specific reporters!
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
A new study suggests that #curli may protect prey from bacterial predators like #Bdellovibrio.
Really looking forward to seeing this model confirmed with live-cell imaging and specific reporters!
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
When predators meet the matrix: Natural resistance via amyloid fibers
How do bacteria protect themselves against predators? In a recent issue of Nature,
Ledvina et al. reveal curli fibers as a genetically encoded defense against Bdellovibrio
predation in wild E. coli st...
www.cell.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:18 AM
I wrote a Preview in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social !
A new study suggests that #curli may protect prey from bacterial predators like #Bdellovibrio.
Really looking forward to seeing this model confirmed with live-cell imaging and specific reporters!
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
A new study suggests that #curli may protect prey from bacterial predators like #Bdellovibrio.
Really looking forward to seeing this model confirmed with live-cell imaging and specific reporters!
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Excited to share our new preprint co-led by @jnoms.bsky.social!
Here we reveal an exceptional diversity of viral 2H phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that enable immune evasion by selectively degrading oligonucleotide-based messengers. This 2H PDE fold has evolved striking substrate breath & specificity.
Here we reveal an exceptional diversity of viral 2H phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that enable immune evasion by selectively degrading oligonucleotide-based messengers. This 2H PDE fold has evolved striking substrate breath & specificity.
Divergent viral phosphodiesterases for immune signaling evasion
Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) and other short oligonucleotides play fundamental roles in immune system activation in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. In response, viruses use phosphodiesterase...
www.biorxiv.org
August 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Excited to share our new preprint co-led by @jnoms.bsky.social!
Here we reveal an exceptional diversity of viral 2H phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that enable immune evasion by selectively degrading oligonucleotide-based messengers. This 2H PDE fold has evolved striking substrate breath & specificity.
Here we reveal an exceptional diversity of viral 2H phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that enable immune evasion by selectively degrading oligonucleotide-based messengers. This 2H PDE fold has evolved striking substrate breath & specificity.
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
📢Preprint out!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
July 13, 2025 at 7:49 AM
📢Preprint out!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
Excited to share my final work from the @soreklab.bsky.social!
We mined phage dark matter using structural features shared by anti-defense proteins (viral tools that help phages bypass bacterial immunity) to guide discovery.
Found 3 new families targeting immune signaling!
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Identifying phage proteins that activate the bacterial innate immune system https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.02.662641v1
July 3, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Identifying phage proteins that activate the bacterial innate immune system https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.02.662641v1
Our new work understanding how phages are detected by the bacterial immune system is posted on bioRxiv! Check out Toni’s thread for a synopsis👇
I am delighted to share that my work in the @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social lab is now on bioRxiv! We used a large-scale genetic screen to begin defining the vast landscape of phage proteins that trigger immune signaling in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Identifying phage proteins that activate the bacterial innate immune system
Bacteria have evolved sophisticated antiphage systems that halt phage replication upon detecting specific phage triggers. Identifying phage triggers is crucial to our understanding of immune signaling...
www.biorxiv.org
July 12, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Our new work understanding how phages are detected by the bacterial immune system is posted on bioRxiv! Check out Toni’s thread for a synopsis👇
Check out our new study on how bacteria defend themselves against a peculiar clade of organisms – predatory bacteria! This work was a monumental effort led by @hannahledvina.bsky.social (see her excellent summary👇). The bacterial immune system continues to amaze me...
Words cannot describe how excited I am to share the findings from the second half of my postdoc in @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social's lab where we discover that bacteria use functional amyloids to defend themselves from predatory bacteria. rdcu.be/euu5Y. See thread for details on this epic adventure 1/.
Functional amyloid proteins confer defence against predatory bacteria
Nature - Escherichia coli uses curli fibres, oligomers of the functional amyloid CsgA, as a barrier to protect against the predatory bacteria Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and Myxococcus xanthus in a...
rdcu.be
July 3, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Check out our new study on how bacteria defend themselves against a peculiar clade of organisms – predatory bacteria! This work was a monumental effort led by @hannahledvina.bsky.social (see her excellent summary👇). The bacterial immune system continues to amaze me...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
We're thrilled to announce the 2025 class of Jane Coffin Childs Fellows!
See our latest blog post and "look book" to learn more about our newest Fellows and their exciting research!
www.jccfund.org/blog/the-jan...
www.jccfund.org/wp-content/u...
See our latest blog post and "look book" to learn more about our newest Fellows and their exciting research!
www.jccfund.org/blog/the-jan...
www.jccfund.org/wp-content/u...
www.jccfund.org
June 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
We're thrilled to announce the 2025 class of Jane Coffin Childs Fellows!
See our latest blog post and "look book" to learn more about our newest Fellows and their exciting research!
www.jccfund.org/blog/the-jan...
www.jccfund.org/wp-content/u...
See our latest blog post and "look book" to learn more about our newest Fellows and their exciting research!
www.jccfund.org/blog/the-jan...
www.jccfund.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Extremely excited to share I have accepted an offer to be an Assistant Professor in the MCDB department at the University of Michigan! Go Blue! The Ledvina lab will investigate the molecular interworking of the bacterial immune systems including defense against both viral and bacterial pathogens.
June 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Extremely excited to share I have accepted an offer to be an Assistant Professor in the MCDB department at the University of Michigan! Go Blue! The Ledvina lab will investigate the molecular interworking of the bacterial immune systems including defense against both viral and bacterial pathogens.
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Bacteria encode homologs of the human NACHT proteins that form inflammasomes and use them to defend against phage #infection. @amyconte.bsky.social @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social &co show that bNACHT25 detects diverse phages indirectly through interaction with the host chaperone DnaJ. 🧪
plos.io/4koXP60
plos.io/4koXP60
DnaJ mediates phage sensing by the bacterial NLR-related protein bNACHT25
Bacteria encode homologs of the human NACHT proteins that form inflammasomes, and use them to defend against phage infection. This study shows that the NLR-related protein bNACHT25 detects diverse pha...
plos.io
June 4, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Bacteria encode homologs of the human NACHT proteins that form inflammasomes and use them to defend against phage #infection. @amyconte.bsky.social @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social &co show that bNACHT25 detects diverse phages indirectly through interaction with the host chaperone DnaJ. 🧪
plos.io/4koXP60
plos.io/4koXP60
Congrats Amy! Here we characterize the sensing mechanism for one of the few defense systems that protects bacteria against RNA phages
Excited to share that my work in the @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social lab describing chaperone-mediated phage sensing by a bacterial NLR-related protein is out in @plosbiology.org!
Bacteria encode homologs of the human NACHT proteins that form inflammasomes and use them to defend against phage #infection. @amyconte.bsky.social @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social &co show that bNACHT25 detects diverse phages indirectly through interaction with the host chaperone DnaJ. 🧪
plos.io/4koXP60
plos.io/4koXP60
June 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Congrats Amy! Here we characterize the sensing mechanism for one of the few defense systems that protects bacteria against RNA phages
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
A beautiful discovery by Joel Tan and Philip Kranzusch, out today in Nature:
A DNA-gated molecular guard controls bacterial Hailong anti-phage defence
Congrats Joel and Philip! Was a pleasure to contribute to this discovery together with Sarah Melamed
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A DNA-gated molecular guard controls bacterial Hailong anti-phage defence
Congrats Joel and Philip! Was a pleasure to contribute to this discovery together with Sarah Melamed
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
April 30, 2025 at 6:59 PM
A beautiful discovery by Joel Tan and Philip Kranzusch, out today in Nature:
A DNA-gated molecular guard controls bacterial Hailong anti-phage defence
Congrats Joel and Philip! Was a pleasure to contribute to this discovery together with Sarah Melamed
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A DNA-gated molecular guard controls bacterial Hailong anti-phage defence
Congrats Joel and Philip! Was a pleasure to contribute to this discovery together with Sarah Melamed
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Now there's a memorable stat!
"Colleges and universities are among America’s most competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined."
wapo.st/3EvzMCI
"Colleges and universities are among America’s most competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined."
wapo.st/3EvzMCI
Opinion | Trump is killing one of our strongest exports
The president wants to balance U.S. trade deficits? He can’t do it without this industry he hates.
wapo.st
April 15, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Now there's a memorable stat!
"Colleges and universities are among America’s most competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined."
wapo.st/3EvzMCI
"Colleges and universities are among America’s most competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined."
wapo.st/3EvzMCI
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Gene editing and many other useful biotechnology tools came from studies of bacteria fighting off viral invaders.
But scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this ancient arms race
https://go.nature.com/4lD4LOa
But scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this ancient arms race
https://go.nature.com/4lD4LOa
Microbial warfare brought us CRISPR. What big breakthroughs could be next?
Gene editing and many other useful biotechnology tools came from studies of bacteria fighting off viral invaders. But scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this ancient arms race.
go.nature.com
April 9, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Gene editing and many other useful biotechnology tools came from studies of bacteria fighting off viral invaders.
But scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this ancient arms race
https://go.nature.com/4lD4LOa
But scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this ancient arms race
https://go.nature.com/4lD4LOa
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
CBASS, CRISPR, and mCpol- oh my! What a satisfying collaboration with @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social 's lab- we uncovered a new cyclic dinucleotide signaling pathway, but it doesn't work how you'd expect! Check out the thread from @aesully98.bsky.social for an overview of the most important findings!
Excited to share that my work from the @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social lab is now on bioRxiv! With @benmorehouse.bsky.social, we discovered that the Panoptes defense system—named after the all-seeing watchman of Hera—uses decoy nucleotides to detect phage anti-defense proteins.
A minimal CRISPR polymerase produces decoy cyclic nucleotides to detect phage anti-defense proteins
Bacteria use antiphage systems to combat phages, their ubiquitous competitors, and evolve new defenses through repeated reshuffling of basic functional units into novel reformulations. A common theme ...
www.biorxiv.org
March 31, 2025 at 10:05 PM
CBASS, CRISPR, and mCpol- oh my! What a satisfying collaboration with @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social 's lab- we uncovered a new cyclic dinucleotide signaling pathway, but it doesn't work how you'd expect! Check out the thread from @aesully98.bsky.social for an overview of the most important findings!
Reposted by Aaron Whiteley
Stop your scrolling and read this AMAZING story from my coworker @aesully98.bsky.social in @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social's lab in collaboration with @benmorehouse.bsky.social ! An immune system which detects anti-immune mechanisms, incredible!!
Excited to share that my work from the @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social lab is now on bioRxiv! With @benmorehouse.bsky.social, we discovered that the Panoptes defense system—named after the all-seeing watchman of Hera—uses decoy nucleotides to detect phage anti-defense proteins.
A minimal CRISPR polymerase produces decoy cyclic nucleotides to detect phage anti-defense proteins
Bacteria use antiphage systems to combat phages, their ubiquitous competitors, and evolve new defenses through repeated reshuffling of basic functional units into novel reformulations. A common theme ...
www.biorxiv.org
April 8, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Stop your scrolling and read this AMAZING story from my coworker @aesully98.bsky.social in @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social's lab in collaboration with @benmorehouse.bsky.social ! An immune system which detects anti-immune mechanisms, incredible!!