Shraddha Shitut

Excited to share our paper published in @currentbiology.bsky.social that explores the consequences of having multiple genomes in a bacterial model system and it’s benefits in a multidrug environment ! www.cell.com/current-biol...

Two #flightless birds with very different gut microbiomes. One is a fermentation machine while the other resembles a dysbiotic gut. Ostriches have diverse bacteria like Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes & fiber degraders while the Kakapo has mostly E. coli! Interestingly both eat plants, seeds & fruits.

Magic 📦 have compartments that open with specific movements. A similar #contraption captures gut bacteria! These pills have membranes that open under specific conditions. As they pass the stomach, small & large intestine, compartments open to sample microbes. #inktober2026 #scicomm #microbiology

The ribosome in Methanosarcina, an archaebacterium known for producing methane, does an interesting #toss of a coin when it encounters a TAG/UAG code.It either results in stop of protein synthesis or it continues to form pyrrolysine- an addition to the standard 20 amino acids. #inktober2026 #scicomn

Just like a stuck elevator needs a #rescue , so does a ribosome inside the cell. It gets stalled due to damages on the mRNA. Different methods can help the rescue like tagging the unfinished protein for degradation,a molecule capable of squeezing into the complex & cutting the protein loose. #scicom

Brevibacterium is the reason behind cheesy odors but also #stink y feet! This bacterium likes warm, moist, salty environments - interestingly present in both feet & cheese. It produces methanethiol and isovaleric acid - the cheesy foot aroma. #scicomm #inktober2026 #microbiology

The gut-brain connection seems to influence #panic disorders among other things. An inflamed unhappy gut has an imbalance of some bacteria. Absence of these leads to reduced levels of tryptophan, butyrate and GABA, molecules that play a role in signaling to the brain. #scicomm #inktober2026

Meet Stentor coeruleus, an #ogre of the microbial world. It is big, green & gobbles up any prey that dares to swim close. It is often attached to something in murky waters, waiting to attack. It creates a water current around the mouth using the hair-like cilia. #inktober2026 #scicomm #microbiology

When we eat, our oral bacteria help in making the food lip #smacking delicious. Bacterial enzymes breakdown, modify molecules in food helping them stick to our taste receptors. Some popular flavors being umami (from glutamic acids) and buttery (from short chain fatty acids). #scicomm #inktober2026

Micratinium is a 🔬 algae found in freshwater. Just like a #cactus it has long bristles. They protect the algae from being eaten by bigger (still microscopic) predators like rotifers. Interestingly Micratinium can produce the bristles on demand unlike the spines of a cactus. #scicomm #inktober2026

The mini cooper is well known but do you know about Minisyncoccus. It is an ultramicrobacterium, a true #miniature of the microbe world (0.7 um in length x 0.5 um in width). It attaches to Methanospirillum at the end using pili and parasitizes this bacterium. #inktober2026 #scicomm #microbiology

Personalized microbiotas (counter-)select for antibiotic resistant strains https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.29.715108v1

📢Job opportunity📢 Two year Alliance Interinstitutional #Postdoc position in "mapping antibiotic resistance spread among human gut microbes" available in my group in collaboration with Heidelberg University Hospital www.bioquant.uni-heidelberg.de/groups/khedk... #AMR #microbiome

Do you like microbes and insects, and would like to get your favourites printed on articles or clothing? check out my art prints on Redbubble: www.redbubble.com/people/Chaii... Happy to take requests to add to this collection too :) #sciart #art #symbiosis #microbes #insects

After a long silence on X (for obvious reasons), the Zeller Lab is now on Bluesky! We’ll post updates soon on what’s been happening in the lab over the past few months. For the future, we promise to share our News in a more timely manner here on this channel. #Microbiome #Bioinformatics #ZellerLab

I proudly present a new review paper of my group that just came out in Trends in Microbiology @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social with Leonardo Ona and Shryli Shreekar Disentangling microbial interaction networks Open access link: authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

Career Webinar Alert! 📢 Join us on March 21st for a career webinar on "Transitioning to a PI Role"! Registration is now open. With the unstoppable and inspiring Lisa Maier @lisamaierlab.bsky.social Help spread the word and register embl-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi... Share with your network! #PIRole

Cool new paper by @shetoot.bsky.social Shitut et al. shows Bacteria with multiple different chromosomes can survive broad antibiotic exposure Check it out 👇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Excited to share our opinion piece with the KC Huang Lab. Check it out here: Harnessing gut microbial communities to unravel microbiome functions doi.org/10.1016/j.mi... @typaslab.bsky.social