Big congratulations to the students of BSC 477/577 – Microbial Genetics on their newly posted preprint:

Tennakoon et al. Identification of novel inhibitors of Mycobacterium smegmatis growth through genome-wide overexpression of Cluster P3 mycobacteriophage Xavia genes. bioRxiv 2026. doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.06.698002

This student-led research project screened 71 genes from Cluster P3 phage Xavia in Mycobacterium smegmatis, identifying 18 genes that impair growth, two of which were toxic even without induction. The screen revealed multiple candidate inhibitors, including phage structural proteins, lysis factors, and strongly inhibitory unknowns, providing leads for future mechanistic studies.