Julia Weissenbach

My research focuses on the diversity and ecological role of cyanophages associated with picophytoplankton in the Baltic Sea. These microbial communities exhibit distinct seasonal, spatial, and genomic characteristics. Cyanophages play a key role in shaping these populations through host interactions and phage-mediated mortality. I am particularly interested in understanding cyanophage diversity, their interactions with hosts, and their role in phage-mediated mortality. Through this work, I aim to shed light on the impact of phages on microbial dynamics in brackish waters.

Teaching

I supervise students in project courses and degree projects

My research groups

My ongoing research projects

Publications

Article in journal (Refereed)

Weissenbach, J., Aguilera, A., Bas Conn, L., Pinhassi, J., Legrand, C., et al. (2024). Ploidy levels in diverse picocyanobacteria from the Baltic Sea. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 16 (5).
Status: Published
Weissenbach, J., Goldin, S., Hulata, Y., Lindell, D. (2024). Differences in cyanophage and virioplankton production dynamics in eddies of opposite polarity in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Frontiers in Marine Science. 11.
Status: Published
Rahlff, J., Westmeijer, G., Weissenbach, J., Antson, A., Holmfeldt, K. (2024). Surface microlayer-mediated virome dissemination in the Central Arctic. Microbiome. 12 (1).
Status: Published
Schönfeld, J., Glock, N., Polovodova Asteman, I., Roy, A., Warren, M., et al. (2023). Benthic foraminiferal patchiness – revisited. Journal of Micropalaeontology. 42 (2). 171-192.
Status: Published
Woehle, C., Roy, A., Glock, N., Michels, J., Wein, T., et al. (2022). Denitrification in foraminifera has an ancient origin and is complemented by associated bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 119 (25).
Status: Published
Carlson, M.C.G., Ribalet, F., Maidanik, I., Durham, B.P., Hulata, Y., et al. (2022). Viruses affect picocyanobacterial abundance and biogeography in the North Pacific Ocean. Nature Microbiology. 7 (4). 570-580.
Status: Published
Springstein, B.L., Weissenbach, J., Koch, R., Stücker, F., Stucken, K. (2020). The role of the cytoskeletal proteins MreB and FtsZ in multicellular cyanobacteria. FEBS Open Bio. 10 (12). 2510-2531.
Status: Published
Springstein, B.L., Nürnberg, D.J., Woehle, C., Weissenbach, J., Theune, M.L., et al. (2020). Two novel heteropolymer‐forming proteins maintain the multicellular shape of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. The FEBS Journal. 288 (10). 3197-3216.
Status: Published
Glock, N., Romero, D., Roy, A., Woehle, C., Dale, A., et al. (2020). A hidden sedimentary phosphate pool inside benthic foraminifera from the Peruvian upwelling region might nucleate phosphogenesis. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 289. 14-32.
Status: Published
Springstein, B.L., Woehle, C., Weissenbach, J., Helbig, A.O., Dagan, T., et al. (2020). Identification and characterization of novel filament-forming proteins in cyanobacteria. Scientific Reports. 10 (1).
Status: Published
Glock, N., Roy, A., Romero, D., Wein, T., Weissenbach, J., et al. (2019). Metabolic preference of nitrate over oxygen as an electron acceptor in foraminifera from the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 116 (8). 2860-2865.
Status: Published
Woehle, C., Roy, A., Glock, N., Wein, T., Weissenbach, J., et al. (2018). A Novel Eukaryotic Denitrification Pathway in Foraminifera. Current Biology. 28 (16). 2536-2543.e5.
Status: Published
Weissenbach, J., Ilhan, J., Bogumil, D., Hülter, N., Stucken, K., et al. (2017). Evolution of Chaperonin Gene Duplication in Stigonematalean Cyanobacteria (Subsection V). Genome Biology and Evolution. 9 (1). 241-252.
Status: Published

Chapter in book (Refereed)

Heinrichs, M.E., Piedade, G.J., Popa, O., Sommers, P., Trubl, G., et al. (2024). Breaking the Ice : A Review of Phages in Polar Ecosystems. Bacteriophages : Methods and Protocols. New York, NY, Humana Press. 31-71.