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Karthik Anantharaman

@karthik-a.bsky.social
1.8K followers 447 following 98 posts

Associate Professor at UW-Madison. Interested in Microbial and Viral Ecology, Computational Biology, Biogeochemistry, Sulfur Metabolism 🦠💻 Hero to a toddler • Metalhead • Views mine

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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Our latest review paper on deep sea viruses is now live in @annualreviews.bsky.social! This comprehensive review brings together why viruses are essential players not just in ecology, but in evolution and planetary-scale biogeochemistry. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
annualreviews.org
Decoding the Deep: The Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Deep-Sea Viruses
Viruses dominate the deep-ocean biosphere (>200-m depth) yet remain profoundly understudied. As the most abundant biological entities on Earth, they govern the geochemistry, evolution, and ecology ...
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Mart Krupovic @mkrupovic.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
With Eugene Koonin, we wrote a rather comprehensive review on the origin, evolution and organization of the #virosphere. We describe all 10 viral realms and the logic behind them, and so much more. Check it out! comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/biologies/ar...
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Happy to announce the defense of PhD student Cody Martin tomorrow, May 1, at 3 pm CST for his thesis titled "Decoding the language of viral genomes with evolutionary-scale, context-aware genome language models". Talk is open to public - Email me for zoom link. #phagesky #microsky #Microbiomesky
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James Kosmopoulos @kosmopoulos.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
I’ll be presenting at the next ECR Viromics Webinar on March 11 at 9 AM CT, highlighting a new tool I’ve been developing in the @karthik-a.bsky.social lab for scalable, automated discovery and curation of auxiliary viral genes: CheckAMG. Details and registration here: coms.osu.edu/webinars/ecr...
ECR Viromics Webinar Series flyer https://coms.osu.edu/webinars/ecr-viromics-webinar-series
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UW Madison Microbiology Doctoral Training Program @uwmadisonmdtp.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Join us for next week's MDTP student seminar, featuring James Kosmopoulos from Karthik Anantharaman's Lab! @kosmopoulos.bsky.social @karthik-a.bsky.social #UWMadison #viromics #MDTP
James Kosmopoulos
Karthik Anantharaman Lab
Decoding viral gene function across ecosystems
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Dr. Roxanne Beinart @symbiosisrox.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Excited to share that @michelle-hauer.bsky.social's paper with @katiekliermicrobe.bsky.social @maggielangwig.bsky.social @karthik-a.bsky.social on phage interactions with chemosynthetic symbionts was published today. #NSF and @schmidtocean.bsky.social supported. academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a...
academic.oup.com
Phage-microbe interactions may contribute to the population structure and dynamics of hydrothermal vent symbionts
Abstract. Deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems are sustained by chemoautotrophic bacteria that symbiotically provide organic matter to their animal hosts
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BejaLabTechnion @bejalab.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Viral theft of light: A cyanophage protein dismantles cyanobacterial photosynthesis to accelerate infection www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
cell.com
Viral theft of light: A cyanophage protein dismantles cyanobacterial photosynthesis to accelerate infection
Auxiliary metabolic genes, acquired by cyanobacterial viruses (cyanophages) from their hosts, are thought to manipulate host metabolism during infection. A recent study by Nadel et al. performed in vi...
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
News article from @uwmadison.bsky.social describing our recent study on viruses in peatland soils! news.wisc.edu/viruses-foun...
news.wisc.edu
Viruses found in carbon-storing wetlands play an active role in shaping ecosystem health
The viruses could also help determine if a wetland has been damaged or if restoration efforts are working.
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Dr. Roxanne Beinart @symbiosisrox.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
New preprint led by @annaschreck.bsky.social that capitalized on the wealth of publicly available 18S rRNA datasets to explore the oceanic distribution and diversity of understudied anaerobic ciliates. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
A meta-analysis of environmental sequencing data reveals the global distribution and hidden diversity of marine anaerobic ciliates
Anaerobic protists are diverse, ecologically important members of anoxic microbial communities, acting as grazers, nutrient cyclers, and partners in multi-domain associations, yet remain understudied ...
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Anthony Gitter @anthonygitter.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Cody also put in a ton of extra work to make the code organized and usable in the GitHub repo: github.com/Anantharaman... It links to a Colab notebook for model inference, training data, and pretrained models.
github.com
GitHub - AnantharamanLab/protein_set_transformer: Protein Set Transformer (PST) framework for training protein-language-model-based genome language models. Inference is possible for viral genomes usin...
Protein Set Transformer (PST) framework for training protein-language-model-based genome language models. Inference is possible for viral genomes using our pretrained viral foundation model. - Anan...
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
This research represents a significant step towards understanding the crucial roles of viruses in ecosystems. Excited to see where this will lead us in virology and microbial ecology!
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Scalability for Viromics Research: The approach paves the way for high-throughput analysis, making it feasible to explore vast and previously uncharacterized viral genomes, ultimately unlocking their ecological roles.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Deciphering Auxiliary Metabolic Genes: Our model allows for a deeper exploration of auxiliary viral genes (AVGs), shedding light on their roles in viral life cycles and host interactions.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Key findings include: Improved Protein Functional Prediction: Leveraging the Protein Set Transformer, we can make more accurate predictions about viral protein functions, even in cases where homology is absent.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Our research introduces a novel language model designed specifically for proteins, tackling the complexity of viral proteins—the "viral dark matter." PST enhances protein understanding and power high-throughput viromics to reveal hidden ecological & functional insights in viral genomic datasets.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Excited for our new paper on a genome language model for viruses in @natcomms.nature.com: "Protein Set Transformer: a protein-based genome language model to power high-diversity viromics"! Led by PhD student Cody Martin in collaboration with @anthonygitter.bsky.social doi.org/10.1038/s414...
doi.org
Protein Set Transformer: a protein-based genome language model to power high-diversity viromics - Nature Communications
A genome language model, Protein Set Transformer, trained on viral datasets, uncovers evolutionary rules of protein content and organization driving precise virus identification, host prediction, and ...
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Excited to have our new study on viruses in peatlands out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com! #phagesky #MicroSky
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Very excited to share this latest research in Nature Microbiology led by PhD student @kosmopoulos.bsky.social in collaboration with @ashish-malik.bsky.social. #phagesky #Microsky
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Our paper "Ecosystem health shapes viral ecology in peatland soils" is out in Nature Microbiology! We show that peatland health strongly structures viral communities, shaping virus–host networks, and carbon and nutrient cycling. Please share. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #phagesky #Microsky
nature.com
Ecosystem health shapes viral ecology in peatland soils - Nature Microbiology
Metagenomics shows that viral diversity and community structure are shaped by geography and ecosystem health status, positioning viruses as unexpected players in peatland restoration.
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Maggie Langwig @maggielangwig.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
So happy this is finally out! We reconstructed the 1st large-scale spatiotemporal dataset of 600+ MAGs from San Francisco Bay and show they have functional redundancy in key N and S pathways. These functions may better recover from disturbance in this highly urban estuary 💧
academic.oup.com
Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments
Abstract. Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems where microbial communities drive nutrient and carbon cycling, supporting complex food webs. With inte
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James Kosmopoulos @kosmopoulos.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Soil viruses are important regulators of ecosystem function, but what are their roles in environments that face long-term degradation and restoration? In our paper published today in Nature Micro, we asked how soil viruses influence peatland recovery, and vice versa. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Ecosystem health shapes viral ecology in peatland soils - Nature Microbiology
Metagenomics shows that viral diversity and community structure are shaped by geography and ecosystem health status, positioning viruses as unexpected players in peatland restoration.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
I hope you ate some "fry"
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Veronika Kivenson @kivenson.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
New paper out: An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine
Multiple genetic codes developed during the evolution of eukaryotes and bacteria, yet no alternative genetic code is known for archaea. We used proteomics to confirm our prediction that certain archae...
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
#phagesky #microsky
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Thrilled to be recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher for 2025! This honor truly reflects the creativity, drive, and dedication of our lab team (past and present), and our incredible collaborators and scientific community. Here’s to pushing boundaries together! clarivate.com/highly-cited...
clarivate.com
Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025
The Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list identifies and celebrates individuals who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research. Through rigorous selection criteria and ...
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James Kosmopoulos @kosmopoulos.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Viral "dark matter" dominates the virosphere. In this review by me & @karthik-a.bsky.social, we synthesize what's known, highlight major gaps, and outline paths forward for illuminating viral protein functions in diverse ecosystems.
pubs.acs.org
Viral Dark Matter: Illuminating Protein Function, Ecology, and Biotechnological Promises
Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play central roles in shaping microbiomes and influencing ecosystem functions. Yet, most viral genes remain uncharacterized, comprising w...
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Excited to share our new review article on Viral Dark Matter led by PhD student @kosmopoulos.bsky.social. We talk about what is known and unknown in the world of viruses (specifically phage), and highlight future opportunities for research and biotechnology. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
Viral Dark Matter: Illuminating Protein Function, Ecology, and Biotechnological Promises
Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play central roles in shaping microbiomes and influencing ecosystem functions. Yet, most viral genes remain uncharacterized, comprising w...
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
A wonderful collaboration between my lab and Andy Ellington and Edward Marcotte here at UT. We obtained lots of thermal stable plastic degrading enzymes from the deep sea (Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California)
academic.oup.com
Plastic degradation by enzymes from uncultured deep sea microorganisms
Abstract. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-hydrolyzing enzymes (PETases) are a recently discovered enzyme class capable of plastic degradation. PETases are
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Delighted and honored to meet with the one and only Bruce Levin today who was the MDTP student invited speaker at UW-Madison!
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Tis the season! 😂🤣
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
#Microsky #Microbiomesky
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
New review paper on metabolic handoffs in microbiomes led by PhD student Katie Klier. We define major types of metabolic handoffs, examine their drivers and benefits, & describe their importance in different complex microbial systems and environments. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
An updated view of metabolic handoffs in microbiomes
From the human gut to the deep ocean, diverse microbial communities underpin essential ecosystem processes. Limited understanding of the dynamics and …
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Alex Loy @loyteam.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
📢 New paper in @nature.com Microbes rock 🎸🤘 with sulfide and iron minerals I am very excited to share our recent study, which describes a previously unknown microbial energy metabolism ⚡⚡⚡🦠🧫⚡⚡⚡ 🆕 Microbial iron oxide respiration coupled to sulfide oxidation - MISO www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Microbial iron oxide respiration coupled to sulfide oxidation - Nature
Genomic and biochemical analyses of prokaryotic sulfur metabolism identify diverse microorganisms with the capacity to oxidize sulfide using iron(iii).
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Try pickleball instead!
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
New paper alert! We suggest caution in the analyses of viral auxiliary metabolic genes and propose a new overarching term - 'auxiliary viral genes' (AVGs) to describe different types of such genes. @simrouxvirus.bsky.social #phagesky #Microsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A call for caution in the biological interpretation of viral auxiliary metabolic genes - Nature Microbiology
This Perspective discusses virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes and provides a framework for the biological interpretation of these genes.
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Daniel Bolnick @danielbolnick.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Advice from NSF: grant proposals can still include outreach, community engagement, and so on. But avoid specifying particular groups
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Tomorrow at 12:45-1:30 in the EEB Track Hub in the poster hall #ASMmicrobe I am talking about microbial diversity including Asgard archaea, and an expanded tree of life from marine sediments.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Excited to be a part of this effort from Mandy Joye's group showing the role of heterotrophs in deep sea carbon cycling!
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Tominaga K. (tomiken) @pacyc184.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Ultrafast and accurate sequence alignment and clustering of viral genomes | Nature Methods www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-…
nature.com
Ultrafast and accurate sequence alignment and clustering of viral genomes - Nature Methods
Vclust generates fast and accurate estimation of average nucleotide identity for viral genomes, scaling clustering to millions of genomes.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
I use this as a joke in lectures. Works every time 😂
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Maggie Langwig @maggielangwig.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Very excited this part of my PhD is out 🎉 We describe vent viral and microbial traits that govern viral biogeography and contribute to mounting evidence that these communities are highly endemic, and thus likely vulnerable to disruptive activities like deep sea mining #Microbiome #DeepSeaMining
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Ashish Malik @ashish-malik.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
A few weeks ago we met in the Scottish Highlands to launch our HFSP @hfspo.bsky.social funded project on virus-prokaryotic interactions in wetlands and impact on the methane cycle. What a fantastic team to be part of. @karthik-a.bsky.social @soilmicrobes.bsky.social & Joanne Emerson
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
#phagesky #microsky
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Excited to share our lab's latest work led by PhD student @maggielangwig.bsky.social describing the ecology and evolution of viruses in globally distributed hydrothermal vents. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Endemism shapes viral ecology and evolution in globally distributed hydrothermal vent ecosystems - Nature Communications
Viruses are pivotal players in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, shaping microbiomes by preying on key hosts. Through a global-scale analysis of vent viruses and their interactions, this study reveals that...
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Emily White @emily-white.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Come and work with me! The Nature Micro team is expanding and we're looking for someone to champion microbial ecology, plant micro & related areas for the journal Knowledge of microbial ecology/plant micro is desirable but we're open to applications from all microbiologists Link below 👇
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Soil Microbial Ecology Group @soilmicrobes.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Our perspective on soil virus ecology research is out! Fantastic collab with @christinahazard.bsky.social @karthik-a.bsky.social @lukehillary.bsky.social @urineri.bsky.social @simrouxvirus.bsky.social @gtrubl.bsky.social @KurtWilliams @jeffinerca.bsky.social @graemenicol.bsky.social @JoanneEmerson
sciencedirect.com
Beneath the surface: Unsolved questions in soil virus ecology
Soil virus ecology is an exciting but still nascent field of research in soil microbiology. While there has been a recent surge in soil virus research…
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Dr. Roxanne Beinart @symbiosisrox.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Amidst all the bad news, I still want to share two new preprints from our lab group. The first is led by newly minted Dr. Michelle Hauer, in collaboration with @karthik-a.bsky.social @katiekliermicrobe.bsky.social and @maggielangwig.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Phage interactions may contribute to the population structure and dynamics of hydrothermal vent microbial symbionts
Deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems are sustained by chemoautotrophic bacteria that symbiotically provide organic matter to their animal hosts through the oxidation of chemical reductants in vent fl...
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
This was published in the top newspaper in India. So much for "news". timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/w...
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
World's only freshwater river 'Ganga' with a remarkable 50 times faster elimination of germs, says expert | Delhi News - The Times of India
Despite over 60 crore visitors and countless holy dips during Maha Kumbh, the Ganga remains germ-free. A study by Padma Shri Dr. Ajay Sonkar reveals G
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Our lab had a great time at the IBSE Microbiome Symposium. Looking forward to this in the future again.
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Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
I am in Bengaluru quite often (multiple times a month really). We should catch up sometime.
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