Ramya Ganesan

Tryptophanase disruption promotes insect–bacterium mutualism - Nature Microbiology Disruption of a single gene encoding tryptophanase makes Escherichia coli mutualistic in a stinkbug model owing to the accumulation of tryptophan and a reduction in toxic indole. This gene is typicall...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#microsky #symbiosky

The visualization of two bacterial genomes, of 50 and 52kb, representing independent instances of extreme genomic reduction in ancient heritable endosymbionts of planthoppers.

Our new paper in @natcomms.nature.com is now online-early!

We describe independent evolution of bacterial genomes of only ~50–52 kb — the smallest known outside cellular organelles — revealing striking convergence toward minimal gene sets.

🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Pervasive and dynamic gut dysbiosis in wild bumble bees is linked to the host life cycle https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.05.704103v1

Niche #microsky question: if you have a Cerillo microplate reader in a shaker, how reliable is it? Do you have issues with OD reading stability? Would you recommend if there are issues with false high OD due to aggregation? Pls share! Thanks!

Haha, this one is a Volucella bombylans :)

Digital art of a bumblebee mimic hoverfly which does an impressive job of looking just like a furry bumblebee. I imagine it must've once contemplated whether to "bee" or not to "bee"

A bumblebee mimic hoverfly
#insect #entomology
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Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/Chaii...
Page: chaintist.wordpress.com

How do they make it work? Genomic Revelations on a Bacterial Consortium by Johnna L. Roose — Do you ever look at a couple and wonder… ‘Why are they together? What does X see in Y. I just don’t get it. Is X in it only for t…

have you ever heard of "bacterial heterologous multicellularity" ?
meet 𝘊𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘮, once thought to be one species, but it's actually two...

#MicroSky #SymbioSky (from the STC archive)

Announcing our next #NSFfunded workshop on "Telling Stories Through Data", co-lead by myself + @vgwschutte.bsky.social! It’s half bioinformatics data viz & half #SciComm - this year’s focus is host-associated microbiome datasets. Apply here to join us (form closes 1/10) bit.ly/TSTD2026 #symbiosky

How host and symbiont cells interface in intimately symbiotic associations is still poorly undersood. @annazaidmanremy.bsky.social and her team @inrae-umr-bf2i.bsky.social identifed now a complex network of membraneous tubules containing carbohydrates presumably feeding Sodalis symbionts of weevils!

👇 #SymbioSky

Thanks @swagatika.bsky.social !! :)

Also on my Redbubble shop: www.redbubble.com/people/Chaii...

#SymbioSky

Inspired by Van Gogh's famous painting, "starry night", this digital artwork shows microbes swimming in the "night sky" just like stars above rolling hills and a town.

FISH images of microbial cells in host organs/ tissues sometimes remind me of Van Gogh's starry night. Am I the only one? No? Yes? Maybe?
Anyways, I just wanted to recreate it ;)
#microbiomesky #microbiome #art

Comprehensive Molecular Insect Science Comprehensive Molecular Insect Science, Second Edition is a unique resource that provides extensive review articles on contemporary topics in insect s...

The 2nd edition of Comprehensive Molecular #Insect Science is out. As section editor for #Immunity and #Symbiosis, I had the privilege to work with outstanding contributors.
Other sections cover #genomics, #physiology, #neurobiology, and #ecology
🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/referencewor...
#SymbioSky

Hi! Florence Hommais, @nicolasparisot.bsky.social , and I are looking for a postdoctoral candidate to investigate the molecular dialogue between three weevil species and their endosymbiotic bacteria #symbiosis! Please see the #post-doc offer for more information. #SymbioSky #Bioinformatics

Of course! :)

A cartoon/ digital drawing summarising the findings of the paper "Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs" by T. Nishino et al published in 2025. On the top left, a female Megymenum gracilicorne bug shows off symbiotic organs on the hind legs where she carries Ascomycota fungi. These were previously assumed to be Tympanal organs in these bugs but only females had them?; that didnt make a whole lot of sense to the authors...To the right of the bug is a row of eggs lying side by side. The paper shows that the bugs deposit the symbiotic fungi on the egg surface after egg-laying. Next on the image, fungal conidia grow on the egg surface. The eggs are pinkish in colour. A few fungi wear sunglasses like they are body guards. The paper shows that they protect the eggs from Trissolcus brevinotaulus, a parasitoid wasp, that likes to lay its eggs inside the developing bug's eggs. There are two wasps in this cartoon "eyeing" the fungi and looking frustrated. Eggs turn from whitish to pinkish within 10-days because they are reflecting the body colour of the nymph within the eggs.

Had to draw a cartoon for this fascinating finding!
Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#SymbioSky

Bacterial tubular networks channel carbohydrates in insect endosymbiosis Bacteria with an intracellular lifestyle need to feed from inside their host cells. This study shows an adaptation of certain symbiotic bacteria, allowing them to actively retrieve nutrients from the ...

Bacterial tubular networks channel carbohydrates in insect endosymbiosis: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

#microsky #mevosky @spp2389.bsky.social

A PhD position is available in my lab to work on:

Emergence and self-organisation of bacterial metabolism in consortia of cross-feeding bacteria.

Please RT

Deadline: 12.11.25

More infos 👇
shorturl.at/rAKAT

Chai_ntist Shop | Redbubble Chai_ntist is an independent artist creating amazing designs for great products such as t-shirts, stickers, posters, and phone cases.

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

Comic page about how bacteria are able to internally store just the right amount of iron to survive, and a new drug can block their storage which kills the bacteria. The story is centred around a doctor and patient, and athropomorphic bacteria.

Here's a comic about a new approach to antibiotic-resitant bacteria I made for Louisiana State University with @fromthelabbench.bsky.social and @jpjordan.bsky.social #sciart

Read the full comic and learn more about the research on the LSU website: www.lsu.edu/winning-team...

Science Magazine - Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs Tympanal organs have repeatedly evolved in diverse insects and were thought to be required for auditory perception (1).

New biology: stink bugs inoculate their eggs with a fungus that protects them from parasitoids

www.sciencemagazinedigital.org/sciencemagaz...

Symbionts with eroded genomes adjust gene expression according to host life-stage and environment | EMBO reports imageimageThe symbionts of Donaciinae, despite having severely eroded genomes of around 0.5 Mbp, exhibit specific transcriptional responses that allow them to react to changes both within and across h...

#Symbionts with eroded genomes adjust gene expression according to host life-stage and environment

#SymbioSky

@kaltenpoth-lab.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1038/s443...

A small carpenter bee poised on a leaf🐝
#bees

The cellular mechanics of symbiosis: sensing friend from foe

🚨 Save the date! Thrilled to be co-organizing the next iteration of the @embl.org Symposium on the Cellular Mechanics of Symbiosis (📅 March 17-20), w/ @floravincent.bsky.social, @hassansalem.bsky.social & Tom Richards.
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
#EESSymbiosis #Symbiosis #SymbioSky #MicroSky 🦠

"MicroMundo"

🖌️ Illustration of a petri dish with soil bacteria colonies. Three of them produce antibacterial compounds, visible as clear halos with no growth around them.

#MicrobeArt2025 #InternationalMicroorganismDay

A long, long time ago, we started this review project during the first Coron lockdown, but if finally made it out into the world - Origin and function of beneficial bacterial symbioses in insects! @naturerevmicro.bsky.social

Working on a little educational/sci-comm project about microbial life and symbiosis 🦠🧫

Pls share and send me your favorite and most interesting symbiont or pathogens from any form of life :) 👽

Happy to acknowledge all of your contributions! 🥳

#MicroSky #SymbioSky

Bacterial heterozygosity promotes survival under multidrug selection Although bacterial cells typically contain a single chromosome, some species are naturally polyploid and carry multiple copies of their chromosome. Po…

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...

Protections and Interactions in the Beewolf Nursery by Tobias Engl — Beewolves, their larvae, and their Streptomyces symbionts not only use multiple, largely different classes of chemical compounds to protect themselves against detrimental microbial co...

schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2...

sorry that it took solong @tcsengl.bsky.social
#MicroSky #SymbioSky