Exploring endosymbiosis at Queen Mary University of London. Associate professor. Symbiosis, ecology, evolution, microbiology henry-lab.co.uk
Joined January 2020
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Pinned Tweet
Mar 23
🚨 PhD opportunity in evolutionary microbiology!
Join our lab to study how horizontal gene transfer drives host–microbe symbioses and ecological function
✉️ l.henry@qmul.qc.uk
Apply: t.ly/6ARQY
#PhD #Microbiology #Ecology #Evolution
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May 13
1. New paper out in @MolBioEvol 🧬🦠
We show phage toxin diversity in protective symbionts isn’t random—toxin families are linked to defense against different parasitoid species.
This suggests toxin diversification is a major force shaping symbiont functional evolution.
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May 13
3. One big surprise was finding multiple cointegrated APSE phages with distinct toxins at a single genomic locus.
Rather than evolving defenses sequentially, symbionts may rapidly expand their arsenal by combining phage-encoded toxins.
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May 13
Huge credit to Balig and everyone involved in the project.
Paper here:
academic.oup.com/mbe/article…
#Symbiosis #Genomics #Phage #Microbiology
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Jan 13
New preprint! How do host regulate ancient symbioses to optimise benefits? We show 🐜 actively regulate symbionts, switching between symbiont-derived and environmental nutrients to thrive under changing diets. 👏 Well done @PhoebeHazel93 and team!
biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
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Jan 6
Happy New Year! 🎉 New preprint out now: Defensive symbionts don’t protect against all enemies equally they are often highly specific. We show that toxin type drives which parasitoid species are killed, and reveal some truly wild new toxins! Read below. biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
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Lee Henry retweeted
25 Nov 2025
I invite applications for a PhD position. Join our team exploring how rapid evolution in communities allows maintenance of genetic variation and species diversity! @ERC_Research See lab.hrcek.net
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23 Oct 2025
Amazing work on a super cool defensive symbiosis by @fkttkm Takema and team! 👏
16 Oct 2025
Our long-lasting research project on an amazing stinkbug-fungus relationship "Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs" finally comes out in Science! science.org/doi/10.1126/scie… #symbiosis #insect #fungus #stinkbug
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Lee Henry retweeted
16 Oct 2025
Our long-lasting research project on an amazing stinkbug-fungus relationship "Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs" finally comes out in Science! science.org/doi/10.1126/scie… #symbiosis #insect #fungus #stinkbug
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25 Apr 2025
Amazing new species of carnivorous caterpillar discovered!
24 Apr 2025
A rare carnivorous caterpillar, previously unknown to biologists, stalks spiderwebs for food whilst dressed in the remains of its prey, researchers report in Science.
This unique new species, dubbed the “bone collector,” is found only on a single mountainside on the Hawai’ian island of Oa’hu. scim.ag/4jMV8uk
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19 Feb 2025
NEW PAPER! What explains associations with defensive symbionts? In @Ecology_Letters we show symbiont occurrences align with sharing the same parasitoids, but not plants, highlighting enemies as key selective agents shaping symbioses in nature🦠
doi.org/10.1111/ele.70082
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Lee Henry retweeted
18 Nov 2024
Join my lab @blizard_inst for a 3 year @BBSRC funded post-doc exploring how glycans shape the skin microbiome and colonisation resistance in #amphibians!!!! qmul-jobs.tal.net/vx/mobile-…
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14 Nov 2024
⭐️Fully funded PhD in our lab through BBSRC LIDo⭐️
If you are interested in studying how symbionts can be used to block vector borne disease contact us! 🪲🦠 Info and link to apply below (please re-Tweet! 🙏):
lido-dtp.ac.uk/apply/apply-i…
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Lee Henry retweeted
30 Oct 2024
Vince and I are currently recruiting grad students for a variety of projects. Please pass on this flier to anyone you think would be interested!
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10 Oct 2024
Two Injured ctenophores can fuse into a single organism? Bonkers! cell.com/current-biology/abs…
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1 Oct 2024
Wonderful review on beetle symbioses by @HassanSalem and @MarlenyGarciaL1, check it out! 🪲
27 Sep 2024
Beetles are masters at coopting microbial genes, enzymes & metabolites.
In this @TrendsMicrobiol article, @MarlenyGarciaL1 & I review how microbes shaped one of the most successful animal radiations, thru horizontal gene transfer & symbiosis:
cell.com/trends/microbiology…
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19 Sep 2024
Great work by @realBenJen, Tom Richard’s and crew on host control of symbionts.
17 Sep 2024
Excited and proud to share our preprint!
A network of glycan sensing controls endosymbiosis in the protist, Paramecium bursaria 🦠 This includes an ancient eukaryote immune-like factor, and prokaryote proteins acquired via horizontal gene-transfer!
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doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.14.6…
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10 Sep 2024
Cool paper on convergent losses of a symbiont in gall forming insects! Nice work by @HansenLab1 Patrick Degnan et al. 🦠🌺
9 Sep 2024
The galls are so nutritious that psyllids that transitioned to galling have lost their nutritional symbionts ! 🤯academic.oup.com/mbe/article…
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