NLM DIR Seminar Schedule
UPCOMING SEMINARS
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Oct. 13, 2026 Ryan Bell
Satellite Phage Integrated Defensive and Ecotypic Replicons (SPIDERs). -
Oct. 20, 2026 Devlina Chakravarty
TBD -
Oct. 27, 2026 Bayarbaatar Amgalan
TBD -
Nov. 3, 2026 Joseph Thole
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Nov. 10, 2026 Reserved
TBD
RECENT SEMINARS
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Oct. 6, 2026 Roman Kogay
Beyond canonical architectures: exploring hidden variation of prokaryotic defense systems -
June 30, 2026 Jaya Srivastava
Disrupted Regulation of Essential Genes Mediates Dementias and Age-Associated Disorders -
June 11, 2026 Angela Jiang
Identification and Evolutionary Analysis of Steroid-Metabolism Enzymes in Gut Microbes -
June 10, 2026 Luda Diatchenko
New Insights on Pain Biology from Human Transcriptomics: How Stimulation of Immune Response Shapes Pain Resolution -
June 9, 2026 Pascal Mutz
Characterization of covalently closed circular RNA replicators detected in (meta)transcriptomic data
The NLM DIR holds a public weekly seminar series for NLM trainees, staff scientists, and investigators to share details on current and exciting research projects at NLM. Seminars take place on Tuesdays at 11:00 AM, EST and some Thursdays at 3:00 PM, EST. Seminars are held in the B2 Library of Building 38A on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.
To schedule a seminar, click the “Schedule Seminar” button to the right, select an appropriate date on the calendar to sign up, and then complete the form. You will need an NIH PIV card to access the “Schedule Seminar” page.
Please include seminars by invited visiting scientists in the NLM DIR seminar series. These need not be on a Tuesday or Thursday.
If you would like to schedule a seminar by a visiting scientist, click the “Schedule Seminar” and complete the form. Contact NLMDIRSeminarScheduling@mail.nih.gov with questions. Please follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe to/from the NLM DIR seminar mailing list.
Titles and Abstracts for Upcoming Seminars
(based on the current date)
Satellite Phage Integrated Defensive and Ecotypic Replicons (SPIDERs).
Satellite Phage Integrated Defensive and Ecotypic Replicons (SPIDERs) are widespread mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in Proteobacteria that couple phage-like features with complex cargo genes affecting antiviral defense and ecological adaptation. SPIDERs integrate preferentially at tRNA or tmRNA loci and encode an Int-like tyrosine recombinase, an AlpA-like excisionase, and Rep-like rolling-circle replication initiator nickases, together with variable accessory modules. Their conserved recombination and replication machinery, flanking direct repeats, and phage-associated ‘moron’ modules place SPIDERs within a broader continuum encompassing phage satellites and cryptic prophages, while distinguishing them as a cargo-rich class of MGEs. Comparative genomic analyses reveal extensive diversification of SPIDER cargo, including defense systems, pathogenicity-associated genes, antimicrobial resistance determinants, metabolic functions, and other ecologically relevant loci. In several bacterial lineages, SPIDERs repeatedly occupy the same chromosomal hotspots while differing dramatically in gene content, suggesting successive waves of integration, immobilization, and selective retention that generate layered genomic islands and a vast accessory pan-genome. SPIDERs appear to represent a major, previously unappreciated route by which elaborate adaptive gene arrays are assembled and disseminated, likely exploiting helper phages, including jumbo phages, for mobilization. By linking viral reproductive strategies to the spread of phage resistance and ecological fitness, SPIDERs provide a mechanism for the origin and evolution of defense and pathogenicity islands across diverse bacterial populations worldwide.
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