Reposted by Laura MarkeyTami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · 22/07/2025We are on the lookout for postdocs for two different projects at the intersection of ecology, evolution, and the human microbiome. See thread for more information and reach out! 2105115
Reposted by Laura MarkeyNature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 30/06/2025🚨Out now! About 15,000 pairwise interactions within S. epidermidis from 18 people in 6 families reveal the antagonism and molecular trade-offs that shape the skin microbiota @contaminatedsci.bsky.social @mancusosci.bsky.social #MicrobiomeSky www.nature.com/articles/s41... read here: rdcu.be/et7VPnature.comIntraspecies warfare restricts strain coexistence in human skin microbiomes - Nature MicrobiologyAbout 15,000 pairwise interactions within S. epidermidis from 18 people in 6 families reveal the antagonism and molecular trade-offs that shape the skin microbiota. 03113
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Thanks to labmate and co-author @quevan.bsky.social , additional co-authors and my PI @contaminatedsci.bsky.social ! 4/4 130
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Metagenomics enabled the surprising observation that common vaginal microbiome member Gardnerella (but not Lactobacillus) made up at >10% of the low biomass lower leg skin microbiome of 4/8 female subjects. 3/4 130
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 25/06/2025In high biomass samples, sequencing methods are comparable – however, as biomass decreases, minor taxa are rapidly lost with 16S as the limited amplicon library becomes biased towards the most abundant taxon. 2/4 153
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Excited to share my new preprint: we show that for lab control and skin samples with low microbial biomass, metagenomics significantly outperforms 16S while DNA extraction method has minimal impact. 🧵 1/4 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...biorxiv.orgMicrobiome diversity of low biomass skin sites is captured by metagenomics but not 16S amplicon sequencingEstablished workflows for microbiome analysis work well for high microbial biomass samples, like stool, but often fail to accurately define microbial communities when applied to low microbial biomass ... 1307
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 25/06/2025In high biomass samples, sequencing methods are comparable – however, as biomass decreases, minor taxa are rapidly lost with 16S as the limited amplicon library becomes biased towards the most abundant taxon. 2/4 000
Reposted by Laura MarkeyTami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · 30/05/2025Our work on the facial skin microbiome of non-human primates is out in mSystems! We show there is no close relative of Cutibacterium on the faces of gorillas and chimps at the Lincoln Park Zoo, furthering the mysterious origin of the dominant human skin colonizer. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...journals.asm.orgThe microbiome of the human facial skin is unique compared to that of other hominids | mSystemsUnderstanding how and why human skin bacteria differ from our closest animal relatives provides crucial insights into human evolution and health. While we have known that human facial skin hosts disti... 26426
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 28/02/2025New pre-print from my grad thesis lab! So excited to see this interesting paper for itself and to see that the gut-Candida-brain arm of the Kumamoto lab continues on 010
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 27/02/2025Staph is so sticky!! Once thought I had suddenly forgotten how to make dilutions when CFU plating (for an OD/CFU curve) reps were terrible - nope just so sticky I had to use washed culture to get CFUs that were actually single cells dropping onto a plate 110
Reposted by Laura MarkeyNature @nature.com · 15/02/2025Use this form to tell us how the new US administration is affecting your research, or suggest future coverage go.nature.com/4aYn9Mego.nature.comAre the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact NatureUse this form to share information with Nature’s news team, or to make suggestions for future coverage. 2302202
Reposted by Laura MarkeyEvan Qu @quevan.bsky.social · 11/02/2025Excited to share my preprint describing a new microbiome analysis method, PHLAME, for detecting strain-level associations in difficult sample types. 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... This work was done with my great coauthors and my amazing advisor @contaminatedsci.bsky.socialbiorxiv.orgIntraspecies associations from strain-rich metagenome samplesGenetically distinct strains of a species can vary widely in phenotype, reducing the utility of species-resolved microbiome measurements for detecting associations with health or disease. While metage... 22013
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 24/01/2025👋 yeah I've been trying to "just move to industry" for a year so uh good luck with that 110
Reposted by Laura MarkeybioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 29/06/2024Candida albicans enhance Staphylococcus aureus virulence by progressive generation of new phenotypes www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202… biorxiv.orgCandida albicans enhance Staphylococcus aureus virulence by progressive generation of new phenotypes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.06.26.600854v1 Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus have been co-isolated from several biofilm-associated dis 001
Reposted by Laura MarkeybioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 02/03/2024Siderophore piracy enables the nasal commensal Staphylococcus lugdunensis to antagonize the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202… biorxiv.orgSiderophore piracy enables the nasal commensal Staphylococcus lugdunensis to antagonize the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.29.582731v1 Bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus colonize body surfaces of part of the human popula 031
Reposted by Laura MarkeyBinning Singletons @binningsingletons.com · 06/02/2024We're gearing up for #ASMicrobe in Atlanta! We help 1st-time and solo attendees have better experiences through networking and mentoring Here's a writeup on how it works blog.addgene.org/binning-sing... 0711
Reposted by Laura MarkeyJacob Baker @microjacob.bsky.social · 11/01/2024Ever wondered about the origin of the bacteria that call our faces home? 🤔 Our new preprint dives into the fascinating dynamics of the human facial skin microbiome (FSM) and explores the natural history of important microbiome species on people at high resolution. 🧫🧵 12312
Reposted by Laura MarkeybioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 11/01/2024Highly-resolved within-species dynamics in the human facial skin microbiome www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202… biorxiv.orgHighly-resolved within-species dynamics in the human facial skin microbiome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.10.575018v1 Human facial skin microbiomes (FSMs) on adults are dominated by just two bacterial species, Cutibact 032
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 06/12/2023Thanks! I'll have to check out what it's doing on cheese. I don't know about most labs - but in our facility we can routinely recover S. xylosus both from the hairy, healthy skin of mice housed in the facility and from surfaces (lab benches, housing racks). 010
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 06/12/2023Thanks! I would add to what Tami said that we applied the bacteria (including E coli and L reuteri) every day - so even if they were at a disadvantage for survival on mouse skin, they were grown up in lab and reapplied daily and still did not delay healing 120
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 05/12/2023 Bonus: Neither E. coli nor L. reuteri delayed healing, indicating this phenotype is limited to skin commensals! Thanks to co-first Veda Khadka, and co-author Magalie Boucher, PI @contaminatedsci.bsky.social and Lieberman Lab for feedback! [3/3] 100
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 05/12/2023The answer: not when the skin is damaged! We tested multiple bacterial species, including mouse commensal S. xylosus, C. accolens, and 3 different isolates of S. epidermidis.All delayed healing when applied to abraded mouse flank skin. [2/3] 220
Laura Markey @lauramarkey.bsky.social · 05/12/2023Excited to announce a new preprint from the Lieberman Lab @contaminatedsci.bsky.social . We use a mouse model to ask: can we use commensal skin bacteria as topical probiotics? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... [1/3] 13114
