Jacob Bobonis

Single-site DNA methylation activates retron defence by enabling effector tetramerisation

This study shows that single-site DNA methylation activates Retron-Sen2 by enabling RcaT tetramerisation, leading to retron disassembly and toxicity.

Pervasive phosphorylation by phage T7 kinase disarms bacterial defenses

This study reveals that phage T7 kinase broadly phosphorylates host and phage proteins, disabling bacterial defense systems through widespread phosphorylation.

A toolkit for transposon libraries and functional genomics in intestinal Bacteroidales

The paper develops tools for transposon mutagenesis in Bacteroidales to identify essential genes and functional elements across three gut bacteria.

AlphaDesign: A de novo protein design framework based on AlphaFold

AlphaDesign uses AlphaFold to design novel protein structures, including monomers, dimers, and higher-order complexes, showing structural integrity and conformational switching capabilities.

Bacterial peptide deformylase inhibitors induce prophages in competitors

The paper shows that a metabolite from Vibrio ordalii induces prophages in competing Vibrio species by inhibiting peptide deformylase, enhancing competitive advantage through prophage activation.

Spatiotemporal proteomics uncovers cathepsin-dependent host cell death during bacterial infection

The paper quantifies host proteome dynamics during Salmonella infection, revealing cathepsin-dependent cell death mechanisms.