This study identifies structural modularity in Klebsiella pneumoniae phage RBPs, showing how modular exchange drives host-range diversification across multiple scales.

bioRxiv · May 20, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology

Capsular specificity in temperate phages of Klebsiella pneumoniae is driven by diverse receptor-binding enzymes

Aleksandra Otwinowska, Janusz Koszucki, Vyshakh R. Panicker, Jade Leconte, Sebastian Olejniczak, Kathryn E. Holt, Edward J. Feil, Eduardo P. C. Rocha, Bogna J. Smug, Barbara Maciejewska, Zuzanna Drulis‐Kawa, Rafal J. Mostowy

This study identifies prophage-encoded receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) mediating capsule specificity in Klebsiella pneumoniae, revealing structural diversity and functional activity beyond classical depolymerases.

PLoS Biology · Apr 28, 2026Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

DepoCatalog: Mapping the Diversity of 105 Recombinant Klebsiella Phage Depolymerases Across Sequence, Structure, and Substrate Specificity

Aleksandra Otwinowska, Sebastian Olejniczak, Agnieszka Łątka, Maria Pozniak, Grażyna Majkowska-Skrobek, Barbara Maciejewska, Janusz Koszucki, Vyshakh R. Panicker, Sara Jabłońska, Mathilde Hulsens, Joachim J. Bugert, Régis Tournebize, Stan J. J. Brouns, Flavia Squeglia, Rita Berisio, , Zuzanna Drulis‐Kawa

The paper catalogs 105 recombinant Klebsiella phage depolymerases, classifying them by sequence, structure, and substrate specificity, revealing diverse enzyme functions and evolutionary patterns.

bioRxiv · Sep 9, 2025 · PreprintMicrobiology

Exploration of the genetic landscape of bacterial dsDNA viruses reveals an ANI gap amidst extensive mosaicism

Wanangwa Ndovie, Jan Havránek, Jade Leconte, Janusz Koszucki, Leonid Chindelevitch, Evelien M. Adriaenssens, Rafal J. Mostowy

The paper introduces MANIAC, a tool for estimating ANI and AF in viral genomes, revealing an ANI gap in bacterial dsDNA viruses and showing its predictive power for taxonomy.

bioRxiv · Apr 23, 2024 · PreprintBioinformatics

vCOMBAT: a Novel Tool to Create and Visualize a COmputational Model of Bacterial Antibiotic Target-binding

Vi Ngoc-Nha Tran, Alireza Shams, Sinan Ascioglu, Antal Martinecz, Jingyi Liang, Fabrizio Clarelli, Rafal J. Mostowy, Ted Cohen, Pia Abel zur Wiesch

The paper introduces vCOMBAT, a web-based tool for creating and visualizing computational models of bacterial antibiotic target-binding using clinical drug concentration data.

BMC Bioinformatics · Jan 6, 2022Peer-reviewedBioinformatics

The role of interspecies recombinations in the evolution of antibiotic resistant pneumococci

Joshua C D'Aeth, Mark PG van der Linden, Lesley McGee, Herminia de LENCASTRE, Paul Turner, Jae-Hoon Song, Stephanie W. Lo, Rebecca A. Gladstone, Raquel Sá‐Leão, Kwan Soo Ko, William Paul Hanage, Robert F. Breiman, Bernard Beall, Stephen D. Bentley, Nicholas J. Croucher, , David William Cleary

The paper reconstructs the evolutionary histories of antibiotic-resistant pneumococcal lineages PMEN3 and PMEN9, showing how interspecies recombination contributes to antibiotic resistance and serotype switching.

eLife · Jul 14, 2021Peer-reviewedGenomics

Efficient inference of recent and ancestral recombination within bacterial populations

Rafal J. Mostowy, Nicholas J. Croucher, Cheryl P. Andam, Jukka Corander, William Paul Hanage, Pekka Marttinen

The paper introduces fastGEAR, an algorithm for detecting both recent and ancestral recombination in bacterial populations, demonstrating its effectiveness on Streptococcus pneumoniae genomes.

Molecular Biology and Evolution · Jan 30, 2017Peer-reviewedBioinformatics

Frequent recombination of pneumococcal capsule highlights future risks of emergence of novel serotypes.

Rafał J. Mostowy, Nicholas J. Croucher, Nicola De Maio, Claire Chewapreecha, Susannah J. Salter, Paul Turner, David M. Aanensen, Stephen D. Bentley, Xavier Didelot, Christophe Fraser

The paper analyzes genetic data to show that pneumococcal capsule recombination generates novel serotypes, highlighting risks for vaccine efficacy.

bioRxiv · Jan 4, 2017 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology