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Dr. Petra Levin Profile
Dr. Petra Levin

@PetraLevin

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4,711
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Microbiologist, mom, runner w/delusions of completing a marathon. This Week in Microbiology (). @Redrockcity @mstdn .science

https://t.co/N8AUus13Qy
Joined January 2014
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
10 months
In case the bird really does go down, I have profiles at @Redrockcity @mstdn .science and at the other thing . Hoping the wonderful science community I found here continues on 1 of the 2. Hard to handle more than 1 platform at a time but I will do my best.
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Petra Levin (@rrc2) on Threads

Microbiologist, mom, runner w/delusions of completing a marathon. This Week in Microbiology (https://www.microbe.tv/twim/). @[email protected]. 8 Followers.

www.threads.net
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
On #InternationalWomensDay a reminder that while women have earned over 50% of PhDs in biomedical sciences since 2001, representation among tenure track faculty still lags far behind. We owe it to our postdocs, our students, and our daughters to fix this!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Really enjoyed 🥰 writing about this amazing bacterium that can be seen without a microscope (!!). #neverunderestimatebacteria
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A bacterium that is not a microbe

A new discovery challenges the prevailing view of the boundaries of bacterial cell size

www.science.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
So happy this paper on #triclosan and #antibiotic tolerance is in press! Our first walk on the "applied"-side it started with a visit to my dentist...
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
So much this! The pressure for investigators to wrap up every story with a nice tidy mechanistic bow is so high it gets in the way of good science. It’s ok not to have all the answers. Being circumspect is not a failing, its just being honest!
@PracheeAC
Prachee Avasthi
@PracheeAC
5 years
Ugh another stunning paper showing a dramatic and interesting phenomenon ruined by trying to shoehorn an unconvincing mechanism.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Subsets of bacteria in a population “soak up” antimicrobial peptides, increasing the chance that their colleagues survive. Explains observation that MIC increases with culture density. Super cool work @Taheri_Lab !
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Heterogeneous absorption of antimicrobial peptide LL37 in Escherichia coli cells enhances populat...

A rapid absorption and retention of antimicrobial peptides by dead Escherichia coli cells can increase the survivability of the cell population in a "cooperative" fashion.

elifesciences.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
Starving E. coli, serendipitous discoveries, and awesome collaborators: a long thread 🧵 on some of our latest work with @handuo_s and KC Huang @StanfordBioE 1/19
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Starvation induces shrinkage of the bacterial cytoplasm

Environmental fluctuations are a common challenge for single-celled organisms; enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli experience dramatic changes in nutrient availability, pH, and temperature...

www.biorxiv.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
#NewProfilePic
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Pretty bacteria getting stocked!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Artisanal Fluorescent Protein plasmids via @Etsy hand crafted by @ATinyGreenCell #ilovescience
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
👇👇Two tenure track faculty positions in Biology at Washington University. Looking for folks working in the general areas of Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Interested? Apply here:
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
👇Must read by two fantastic microbiologists 💜: Natacha Ruiz & Tom Silhavy. A good reminder that although it is a great model system, E. coli is just one species! #luckybug ?
How Escherichia coli Became the Flagship Bacterium of Molecular Biology | Journal of Bacteriology

Escherichia coli is likely the most studied organism and was instrumental in developing many fundamental concepts in biology. But why E. coli? In the 1940s, E. coli was well suited for the biochemi...

journals.asm.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
Happy to report this super fun collaboration with KC Huang and @handuo_s is at long last in press! #honeyishrankthebacteria Article: Press:
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
Starving E. coli, serendipitous discoveries, and awesome collaborators: a long thread 🧵 on some of our latest work with @handuo_s and KC Huang @StanfordBioE 1/19
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Completing your PhD in the next year? Fascinated by bacteria? Have a background in microbiology, biochemistry, physics, and/or computational biology? Consider joining our team as a postdoctoral scientist! Job ID: 44488 ( )
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Fluorescent proteins that work in anaerobic conditions? Yes please!
@JulieBiteenLab
Julie Biteen
@JulieBiteenLab
4 years
Conventional #fluorescent proteins need oxygen, so Hannah implemented bilin-binding FPs to label prevalent gut #microbiome species. It works! These great tools like UnaG and IFP2.0 can even be used in multi-species multicolor #microscopy . See:
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Congratulations to the amazing @eamueller_ on her @eLife paper! Take homes 1) "redundant" is just another word for "not essential under very specific conditions" and 2) antibiotic sensitivity varies up to 30-fold across physiologically relevant pH! 1/5
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Plasticity of Escherichia coli cell wall metabolism promotes fitness and antibiotic resistance...

Environmental specialization of bacterial cell wall synthases influences intrinsic resistance to cell wall active antibiotics.

elifesciences.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Largest bacterium ever found is surprisingly complex
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Largest bacterium ever found is surprisingly complex

Nature - ‘Microorganism’ is a misnomer when it comes to centimetre-long Thiomargarita magnifica.

www.nature.com
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
Good reminder that E. coli is just another bacterium, not “all” bacteria “Whereas E. coli alters the amount of its ribosomes with the growth rate but keeps the activity of its ribosomes pretty constant, M. maripaludis simply changes its ribosome activity.“ @elios179
@STCmicrobeblog
Small Things Considered
@STCmicrobeblog
3 years
All the World Is Not E. coli
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Delighted to have this THOROUGH review (225+ references!) of the E. coli division machinery in press. Co-authored with #literaturesleuthextraordinaire @ajlabny , Table 1 lists division protein function, location, and interaction partners. Pure gold!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Happiness is a new (working!) piece of equipment! Leaving the light on to showcase its pristine beauty before we gunk it up with columns, bottles, and buffers.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Fantastic story highlighting the vital nature of basic research on microbes. Also cool to see that UNDERGRADUATES played a critical role in the success of this study. @youinthelab #AMR #phagetherapy #seaphages #bacterialphysiologyforthewin
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Excited to announce the amazing @eamueller_ will be presenting her PhD work Friday, May 29 at 2pm CDT. A thrilling tale of life, death, apparent redundancy, and antibiotic resistance, this seminar is rated M for microbe. DM for Zoom information.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Our triclosan made the NYPost! Title is a bit inaccurate (tolerance and resistance are different beasts and not sure where the “superbugs” came from), but glad people are paying attention 🙂 via @nypost
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Our obsession with germs is actually making us sick

Rather than killing dangerous bacteria, Triclosan, a common antibacterial agent found in consumer products, is actually making them stronger and more capable of surviving treatment.

nypost.com
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
7 years
Hey, we wrote a review on cell size. Turns out its complicated. But where would the fun be if it weren't?
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Delighted to see our study on the contribution of pH to cell size out in @PLOSGenetics ! #sciencegoeson THM1: pH activates division to reduce E. coli cell size THM2: reductions in size are independent of growth rate Story behind the story in thread 😉
pH-dependent activation of cytokinesis modulates Escherichia coli cell size

Author summary Bacteria are constantly under assault from endogenous and environmental stressors. To ensure viability and reproductive fitness, many bacteria alter their growth and replication in...

journals.plos.org
@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Never underestimate the value of a mistake. Our latest preprint from @WUSTLdbbs graduate student extraordinaire @eamueller_ and @WUSTLBio postdoc Corey Westfall reports the impact of in environmental pH on bacterial cell size.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Gram-negative or Gram-positive nerd? I can't decide! H/T to our fabulous @WUSTLBio Microbiology Lab Instructor, Dr. Maggie Schlarman
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
👇👇👇👇. A fraction of faculty do the majority of the work needed to keep departments and programs running. The overlap between this group and faculty with big salaries and endowed positions is extremely small. It shouldn’t be.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
7 years
PI happiness is when your postdoc gives a great talk (and you realize you've been holding your breath for 15 minutes.)
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Album cover or mid-pandemic lab portrait? You be the judge. #noneedtodatethisphoto
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Question: “If you're efficient and get the work done why does it matter how many hrs you spend in lab?” Answer: It doesn’t! 👇👇Thread👇👇
@niknikkums
Nicolette Laird
@niknikkums
5 years
(1/5) I had a conversation with my lab mate today about hours spent in lab. I mentioned that I try to keep a 9-5 work week schedule. He thought that was an insufficient amount of time in lab. This attitude is why so many students suffer from feelings of inadequacy.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Delighted to see this review by the amazing @eamueller_ in press this morning! 2020 has been a banner year for informative reviews on peptidoglycan biology. #atleastthebacteriaareprotectingthemselves 🤔😷 1/3
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
👏 Plot. Growth. Curves. On. Semi-log. Paper. 👏. H/T @eric_brown_bbs for alerting me to this important PSA from @ASMicrobiology #smallthingsconsidered .
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Why You Must  Plot Your Growth Data On Semi-log Graph Paper

by Elio Take our word for it. For experiment involving growing cells, bacterial or otherwise, God meant you to pay attention to the condi­tions of growth. He also meant you to plot the results of a...

schaechter.asmblog.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Looking forward to reading this! Pieces from Rich Losick, on the awesome model B. subtilis, @KLemonLab on how the nasal microbiota keeps us healthy, @bkoskella on the phyllosphere, Newman lab on the rhizosphere, @goleylab on PG synthesis, @JacobsWagnerLab on Caulobacter & more!
@CurrentBiology
Current Biology
@CurrentBiology
4 years
Our latest issue is out! It’s a special! Living in microbial world, packed with reviews, primers & more focussing on #microbiology .
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
1 year
🔬🔬Microbiology PIs looking for a great way to show your students you care? Nominate them for the TOP prize in prokaryotic molecular biology, the Nat L. Sternberg Award! Nominations due May 1, 2023
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
May her memory be a blessing. זיכרונה לברכה
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
My 80 year old mom got her second vaccine shot yesterday. Just a couple weeks shy of a year since my brother and I picked her up from her home in Ohio so we could ensure she would be safe and with family as the pandemic began to spread. #grateful #science #VaccinesWork
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
A MUST read if you use LB medium for growing bacteria. One of my all time favorite--and most immediately useful--pieces from Small Things Considered!
@CellMicrobiol
Cellular Microbiology
@CellMicrobiol
6 years
The Limitations of LB Medium, via @ASMicrobiology . #microbiology #laboratory #science #research #bacteria
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Never underestimate the value of a mistake. Our latest preprint from @WUSTLdbbs graduate student extraordinaire @eamueller_ and @WUSTLBio postdoc Corey Westfall reports the impact of in environmental pH on bacterial cell size.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
For anyone following #phages2019 on Twitter like me here is what Corey Westfall’s video of tol-pal mutants trying and failing to recover from starvation looked like (you can almost hear the teeny tiny screams...)
@puspannehakim
PuspAnne Hakim
@puspannehakim
5 years
Dramatic bacterial cell death when Tol-Pal is absent (collective gasp from the audience confirmed this)! Exciting talk by Corey Westfall from @PetraLevin lab!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
So I posted this graphic about the disparity btw the # of PhDs awarded to 👩🏽‍⚕️ in biomedical sciences and # of 👩🏻‍⚕️ in TT positions on #iwd . It got a lot of RTs. Big Question (TM) is how to fix it for 👩🏼‍⚕️ and others underrepresented groups? Some ideas in a 🧵. Feel free to add more!
@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
On #InternationalWomensDay a reminder that while women have earned over 50% of PhDs in biomedical sciences since 2001, representation among tenure track faculty still lags far behind. We owe it to our postdocs, our students, and our daughters to fix this!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
To celebrate #NationalPuppyDay here is the newest member of our family and her big brother doing their thing
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
🔬🔬 Microbiology PIs looking for a great way to show your senior students how awesome they are? Nominate them for the TOP prize in prokaryotic molecular biology, the Nat L. Sternberg Award! Nominations due June 1, 2021
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
👇X 10^6 "A PhD trains an individual in collecting quality data, analyzing existing information, and using critical thinking to understand a problem and find a solution...Wouldn’t it be great if more politicians and leaders had a PhD in science?"
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Christine Jacobs-Wagner

Interview with Christine Jacobs-Wagner, who studies the replication of bacterial cells at Stanford University.

www.cell.com
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
7 years
Vaccines work! Hooray for vaccines! BBC News - A decade on, vaccine has halved cervical cancer rate
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Congratulations to @GeorgiaSquyres from @fleshball lab for winning a prize for the best talk at the 20th Conference on Bacilli and Gram Positive Bacteria!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
@phylogenomics
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
The mysterious FtsW is mysterious no more. Great paper on peptidoglycan synthesis from the Bernhardt and Walker labs !
@NatureMicrobiol
Nature Microbiology
@NatureMicrobiol
5 years
Taguchi et al: FtsW is a septal #peptidoglycan polymerase & its activity requires interaction with its cognate class B penicillin binding protein:
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
💙🧡My girl!! 💙🧡 #gohounds @CHSGreyhounds @CHSTrackandFie1
@spewaktraining
Spewak Training
@spewaktraining
2 years
Izzy is heading to state in the 800! She ran a 2:21 at her sectional meet on Monday & has dropped nearly 10 seconds this season. We are cheering her on this weekend as she takes on a very solid field in the state championships. Go Izzy! #spewaktraining
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
Ever wonder why it is important to study essential processes in multiple model systems? Read this excellent paper in @PLOSGenetics on a widely conserved DNA replication protein from mycobacteria by @WUSTLdbbs PhD @KatherineMMann and colleagues.
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Rv0004 is a new essential member of the mycobacterial DNA replication machinery

Author summary DNA is the molecule that encodes all of the genetic information of an organism. In order to pass genes onto the next generation, DNA has to first be copied through a process called DNA...

journals.plos.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
“Your goal is to make the audience feel smart.” 💯
@TheCalipariLab
The Calipari Lab
@TheCalipariLab
4 years
Unsolicited talk advice: Your goal is to make the audience feel smart. Less data with a comprehensive story that people can follow makes a much bigger impact than a data dump where they leave saying “that was a lot of data, but I don’t get what it shows”
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
A phenomenally promising treatment for cystic fibrosis is just the kind of good news I needed to see today. Basic research for the win!
@mcnees
Robert McNees
@mcnees
5 years
"The therapy is a combination of three drugs that wouldn’t have been possible if scientists working in academic laboratories hadn’t unraveled the basic biology of the disease." This is a triumphant story about why we fund basic science.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Microbiologists, come be my @wustl colleague!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
With the possible exception of HIV/AIDs infectious disease research and the basic microbiology research that supports it is vastly underfunded in the US. I would argue that like public health, these disciplines are a victim of their own success 1/3
@baym
Michael Baym
@baym
4 years
NIAID, the primary funder of infectious disease research (including virology) for the entire United States, has a budget of $5.9B/year. The NYPD, police for 2.6% of the US population, has a budget of $6B/year.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
THMs 1) #basicresearch --> #appliedresearch , 2) #bioRxiv is a life saver (the positive response to our preprint gave us faith that things would be ok), 3) society journals rock, and 4) #antimicrobial additives can lead to unexpected and unintended consequences.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
👇👇👇All the reasons why female scientists feel like its an endless game of catch-up in one convenient thread.
@JoyYWu
Joy Wu, MD, PhD 黃以佳
@JoyYWu
2 years
An editorial in @CellCellPress : although women make up ~35-38% of potential senior authors in the US, only 17.4% of manuscripts accepted to Cell in 2021 were submitted by women: This should surprise no one. Here are a few reasons why. #WomenInSTEM 1/n
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Happy to see our triclosan study published AAC's May issue. There is something about a typeset manuscript that makes it feel official!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this fellowship than Dr. @SaraSandersPhD ! Smart, hard working, and a fantastic team member. #luckyPI
@WUSTLdbbs
Washington U. DBBS
@WUSTLdbbs
5 years
Congratulations to Dr. Sara Sanders, who received a $50K fellowship from the W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Program in Molecular Medicine. Dr. Sanders is a postdoc research associate with @WUSTLdbbs 's Dr. Petra Levin. Well done!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
One of my scientific heroes, John Tyler Bonner visited my small liberal arts college and gave the first "real seminar" I ever heard. He spent an evening chatting with us, listening respectfully to our hopelessly naive questions and giving equally respectful answers. A real gem.
@icouzin
Iain Couzin
@icouzin
5 years
I am very sad to announce that my friend and colleague John Tyler Bonner, grandfather of the slime mold, died yesterday. John and I were office neighbours at @Princeton for many years. We shared a love of science, Scotland and slime molds. I am so fortunate. A dram to you John.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
Turns out even little old E. coli has a few tricks up its sleeve (or envelope!) when it comes to intrinsic antibiotic resistance.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
Kvelling about these two impressive young scientists, Dr. @eamueller_ and Dr. Sarah Anderson--former Levin lab PhD student and current Levin lab postdoc--who both received fellowships this summer! #proudPI
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
When the pandemic hit STL I thought it might be a good time to revisit some classic models of the bacterial cell cycle that just weren't working for us as molecular biologists. Luckily Sri Iyer-Biswas, @SaraSandersPhD , & Kunaal Joshi were game!🧵
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Single cells tell their own story: An updated framework for understanding stochastic variations in...

Illuminating the molecular mechanisms underlying biological phenomena requires an accurate understanding of the context in which these phenomena occur. Currently, population based experiments frame...

www.biorxiv.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Socially distant cookie picnic on @eamueller_ 's last day in lab. Truly an honor and privilege to be her advisor. Looking forward to the amazing things she will accomplish as a PD in @JacobsWagnerLab and beyond. Can't wait to see her at the next #phagemeeting #bittersweet
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
♥️🤍💙 our new yard sign ☺️
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
So much fun and such an honor (!!) to discuss some of the lab’s recent work with @profvrr @elios179 @TWiMSchmidt @umichMichele on This Week in Microbiology! #honeyIshrunkthebacteria #AntimicrobialResistance #fangirl
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Cell Growth and Cell Size With Petra Levin

How starvation induces shrinkage of the bacterial cytoplasm; plasticity of E. coli cell wall and antibiotic resistance; and induction of antibiotic resistance by Triclosan.

asm.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
Tour de force work by structural biologist-turned-microbial geneticist Corey Westfall exposes unexpected links between central carbon metabolism, growth rate, and cell morphology. #veryproud #youarewhatyoueat
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Comprehensive analysis of central carbon metabolism illuminates connections between nutrient...

Author summary Often taken for granted, the shape of bacterial cells is a complex trait that is highly sensitive to environmental perturbations. Nutrients in particular, strongly impact bacterial...

journals.plos.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
My 9yo rediscovered this google doodle this morning and it so brilliantly conveys the thrill of being a microbiologist I had to share! #microbesrule #sciencemakesmehappy
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Antoni van Leeuwenhoek’s 384th Birthday Doodle - Google Doodles

Learn more about the creation of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek’s 384th Birthday Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.

doodles.google
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
Levin Lab member & ⁦ @WUSTLdbbs ⁩ student ⁦ @eamueller_ ⁩ presenting her beautiful work on bacterial cell wall enzyme redundancy and its implications for antibiotic tolerance #phages2018
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Liz Sockett is a fantastic role model and absolutely one of my very favorite #womeninstem . So happy to see her recognized by @UniofNottingham !!
@UniofNottingham
Uni of Nottingham #WeAreUoN
@UniofNottingham
5 years
We're celebrating Inspirational Women this month for #IWD2019 and Liz Sockett from @MedicineUoN is next! #balanceforbetter
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Making Bacteria Miserable Since 2001 #labmotto with @eamueller_
Specialist enzymes make E. coli antibiotic resistant at low pH - The Source - Washington University...

New research from Arts & Sciences suggests that many "redundant" enzymes are actually specialists that ensure maximal growth across different environments. They also seem to increase resistance to...

source.wustl.edu
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
Super cool and very beautiful study on the structure of a phage ejectosome that has to cross not one but two membranes and the cell wall. Our PMB graduate first year class just read Hershey-Chase so timely too!
@CellPressNews
Cell Press
@CellPressNews
3 years
Cryo-EM structure of the periplasmic tunnel of T7 DNA-ejectosome at 2.7 Å resolution @molecularcell #cryoem
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
1 year
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇Awesome thread on the Lac Operon for anyone teaching introductory classes in molecular biology or microbiology or just a fan of gene regulation! #willtherealinducerpleasestandup
@wayneriekhof
Wayne Riekhof
@wayneriekhof
1 year
Prepping for a class session on the Lac operon in Molecular Biology and it prompts my yearly reminder to you all that what we were taught about the actual substrate of the Lac operon is almost certainly wrong...1
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
👇👇👇 Excellent advice. NEVER be afraid to ask a question. 9 times out of 10 other folks in the audience have the same one. Applies to faculty too!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
1 year
Very happy the work of the amazing Dr. @SaraSandersPhD on the E. coli cell cycle w/ @IyerBiswas & Kunaal Joshi now published in @PLOSGenetics ! TLDR: Behavior of idealized average cells does not accurately reflect the behavior of individual cells. .
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Beyond the average: An updated framework for understanding the relationship between cell growth,...

Our understanding of the bacterial cell cycle is framed largely by population-based experiments that focus on the behavior of idealized average cells. Most famously, the contributions of Cooper and...

journals.plos.org
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Congratulations to my fabulous student, @eamueller_ , who is the recipient of a graduate fellowship from the Center for Science and Engineering of Living Systems @WashUengineers ! #luckyPI
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@WUSTLdbbs
Washington U. DBBS
@WUSTLdbbs
5 years
Congratulations to @WUSTLdbbs 's own Elizabeth Mueller, who received a $20K fellowship from the CDC's Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services! Ms. Mueller is a graduate fellow in @WUSTLdbbs 's Dr. Petra Levin's lab. Well done!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
🔬🔬Microbiology PIs looking for a great way to show your students you care? Nominate them for the TOP prize in prokaryotic molecular biology, the Nat L. Sternberg Award! Nominations due May 15, 2022
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
We can discuss how specific degrees impact time to first R01 till the cows come home, but this data from @NIHgrants on gender is an absolute gut punch 🥊
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@zakkohane
Isaac Kohane
@zakkohane
3 years
How long to get an R01? If you are MD or PhD or MD/PhD? If male or female? Michael Lauer @NIHgrants has a sobering analysis tl;dr > 10 years from K award 2 R01 (for 50%), 20+ yrs post matriculation (<15%), MDPhD fastest.Male/female different rates..
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, count me incredibly flattered @BioSciRy ! #happyhalloween
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Truly fantastic piece of #scicomm here. Written in plain language a 5th grader can understand, it explains what each part of the Corona virus’s tiny genome is responsible for during infection. Bad News Wrapped in Protein: Inside the Coronavirus Genome
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Bad News Wrapped in Protein: Inside the Coronavirus Genome (Published 2020)

The virus injects a tiny but remarkably complex strand of RNA into infected cells.

www.nytimes.com
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
We will all know someone who loses their life to this rotten virus. I just wasn't expecting it to be a college classmate. Played a few FoW classics for my kids just this morning, trying to inject some fun into another dreary day of quarantine.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
Scientists are human and, like all humans, we sometimes make mistakes. Whether or not we correct our errors—and how good a job we make of it—is the question. This piece in @RetractionWatch is a good example of how it should be done.
@hauryliuk
Vasili Hauryliuk
@hauryliuk
6 years
#ppGpp #persistence #retraction on @retractionwarch
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
7 years
After an elephantine gestation the Levin lab proudly announces the arrival of our 3rd preprint. Congrats to Bisco, Jason, @pjbuske & Jenny!
@biorxiv_micrbio
bioRxiv Microbiology
@biorxiv_micrbio
7 years
A nutrient-dependent division antagonist is regulated post-translationally by the Clp ... #biorxiv_micrbio
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Ever wonder how bacteria are like chocolate chip cookies? Wonder no more! Great piece on the small molecule ppGpp and adaptation to extracellular stress by Levin lab members @eamueller_ and Corey Westfall for @STCmicrobeblog Mmmm cookies!
@STCmicrobeblog
Small Things Considered
@STCmicrobeblog
5 years
Blown Out of Proportion – The Role of ppGpp in Balanced Metabolism. By guest authors Elizabeth Mueller & Corey Westfall
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Missouri resident in need of a notary for your ballot or other sundries? DM or email me. Looking forward to putting some mileage on the embosser of my dreams! #Iwantalltheofficesupplies #registered
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
A good day! Special thank you to @USNavy and the Missouri COVID-19 Vaccinator Team!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
3 years
@craftimism @AnneAMadden I need to thank my rotation mentor in the Losick lab, Dr. Peter Margolis, for that tip! #coloniesdontcountthemselves
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Undergraduate teaching and basic research are a match made in heaven. Teaching a microbiology survey class deepened my understanding of my field as a whole, and equally important, honed my ability to communicate to a diverse audience #chocolateandpeanutbutter
@jimhu
jimhu
@jimhu
5 years
@Coyoteblog There are a number of venues both within and outside a university where cutting edge research does not involve undergrad teaching. For those of us who took jobs that expect both, there can be synergy between the activities. 1/
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Really cool--and beautiful!--work from my colleague Silvia Bulgheresi and others. Come for the cytoskeletal protein, stay for the gorgeous images of cubic bacteria!
@iScience_CP
iScience journal
@iScience_CP
2 years
FtsZ-mediated fission of a cuboid bacterial symbiont #Squarebacteria
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Happy to see this tour de force confirming older data linking ppGpp to size and activation of division as well as work from @juedwang and us on the relationship between ppGpp and cell size (Vadia, 2017).
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ppGpp is a bacterial cell size regulator

Working in Escherichia coli, Büke et al. discover that ppGpp is a cell division regulator that links growth rate with cell size.

www.cell.com
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
💜💜Perfect summary of why diversity is essential for good science!💜💜
@malycat03
Maly Cosco
@malycat03
2 years
Impactful words by @CarolynBertozzi today on how diversity in her trainees enabled creativity, not playing by the rules, and ultimately the work that built the field of bioorthogonal chemistry. Diverse science leads to better science!
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
I think these may be my new favorite bacteria. (Shhh, don't tell Bacillus subtilis!) Great work @bulgheresi_s @TannekedenBlaau @BrunLabIU and colleagues!! #Iwishtheyhadgenetics
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Happiness is...learning your favorite local Lebanese restaurant is open for delivery and take-away! #AlTarboush #tabbouleh #shawarma #falafel #heavenly #STLMade
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
6 years
As someone with a serious soft spot for classic papers in #microbiology and #molecularbiology this thread makes my day! Great resource for teaching too! h/t @Dr_Lori_Burrows
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
7 years
Gorgeous work from Esther Angert and colleagues on chromosome organization in a giant bacterium.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
This is our rabbi. This is our synagogue. By deed and word she instills in children-my children-the importance of Tikkun Olam, 'repairing the world.' She is a hero. People who destroy beehives making honey for a holy day are not heroes. They are bullies.
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
2 years
Artisanal Fluorescent Protein plasmids via @Etsy hand crafted by @ATinyGreenCell #ilovescience
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
👇👇. Every. Single. Day.
@UN_Women
UN Women
@UN_Women
4 years
Every time a woman is told she's 🙄too emotional, 🙄too ambitious, 🙄too loud, 🙄too bossy, 🙄too sensitive, 🙄too much, don't just roll your eyes. Speak up against sexism every time. #GenerationEquality
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Voting day. Bless all the sweet poll workers who make executing our constitutional right to vote possible. #EssentialWorkers #StayHealthy
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Thread. Pasteurization, like vaccination, was a huge boon to public health. No scientifically sound reason to drink raw milk and lots of excellent reasons not to. Why take the risk?
@GemmaReguera
Gemma Reguera
@GemmaReguera
5 years
This article, glamorizing raw milk consumption, triggered many emotions in me. There are no clear benefits to the use of raw over pasteurized milk but tremendous health risks. Why then? (19)
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
5 years
Anaerobic environments are normal for many microbial model systems, yet scientists study them almost exclusively under aerobic conditions. (I am looking at you E. coli). Makes me wonder how much we are missing...
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Something hopeful this morning over our house...
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Trainee physical and mental well being BEFORE productivity. If our institutions are not going to do it, PIs need to make the call themselves. Vanishingly few of us are conducting research that will impact human health in the short term. #rightcall
@katyq42
Hannah Hughes
@katyq42
4 years
Proud of the Dalia Lab for electing to close down bench research. IU is still allowing research to continue (for now), but we decided that the risks outweigh the benefits. #Covid_19 #StayHome
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@PetraLevin
Dr. Petra Levin
@PetraLevin
4 years
Great to see @Alex___Bisson and @pohlschr starting to crack the code on growth and division in archaea! (Hat tip to @cynthiaLdarnell for the heads up that this cool study is out.)
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