How do epithelial cells integrate mechanical and biochemical signals to control their behavior? I am @ronjahoutekamer.bsky.social, and in this thread, I’ll show you how force transduction connects to biochemical signaling, and how it activates ERK by inducing biochemical ligand shedding.

Listeria-infected macrophages promote biomechanical alterations in endothelial cell monolayers for transmigration

Listeria-infected macrophages promote biomechanical alterations in endothelial cell monolayers for transmigration

Intracellular pathogens like Listeria exploit macrophages to cross endothelial barriers and spread systemically. Muenkel et al. show that exposure to infected macrophages weakens contractile forces within the endothelial monolayer and promotes macrophage transmigration. This response is driven by direct cell-cell interactions, with cytokines exerting only minor and transient effects.

dlvr.it

I'm excited to share our paper on how infected #macrophages promote #biomechanical alterations in #endothelia to transmigrate, published in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social! Thanks to all contributors, @sergemostowylab.bsky.social and @cmfi.bsky.social for the support. Here: www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Listeria-infected macrophages promote biomechanical alterations in endothelial cell monolayers for transmigration

Intracellular pathogens like Listeria exploit macrophages to cross endothelial barriers and spread systemically. Muenkel et al. show that exposure to infected macrophages weakens contractile forces wi...

cell.com

We hope you'll join us in Ascona, Switzerland for the upcoming thematic meeting Mechanobiology of Infection, June 7-11, 2026. Abstract submission and registration are now open! www.biophysics.org/meetings-eve...

Keshavanarayana, P., Aparicio-Yuste, R., Spill, F., Gomez-Benito, M. J., & Bastounis, E. E. (2025). Leveraging computational modeling to explore epithelial and endothelial cell monolayer mechanobiology. Trends in Cell Biology. #EpithelialMechanicsReview doi.org/10.1016/j.tc...

Bastounis lab had a great time at @cellmech2025.bsky.social — such an engaging and well-organized #Mechanobiology conference in Leuven 🙌 Thanks to everyone for the inspiring exchanges! And big congrats to our lab member @hundsdorfer.bsky.social for winning the Best PhD Student Poster Prize 🎉

The Bastounis Lab is at #CellMech2025 in Leuven 🇧🇪! We explore how mechanics shape infection: from epithelial entry to endothelial barriers. 📅 Sept 30: Raúl Aparicio Yuste & Lara Hundsdorfer 📅 Oct 1:Julio César Sánchez Rendón, Marie Münkel, Nadine Oder& I Excited for inspiring discussions! 🚀

Synthetic materials accumulate damage with every mechanical challenge. Epithelial tissues are regularly loaded, yet healthy epithelia rarely rupture. Why? We are @epmech.bsky.social and @baldaufsci.bsky.social and in this thread we introduce you to cyclic loading. bsky.app/profile/epim...

We’re hiring! A PhD position (E13 TV-L, 65%) is available at @cmfi.bsky.social @unituebingen.bsky.social. The DFG-funded project explores how mechanical forces shape intracellular bacterial infections, focusing on Listeria. Details & application: www.euraxess.de/jobs/366585. Start: ASAP!

Looking for a method to characterise cell #motility and #ERK signalling waves? Check out our STAR protocols paper: star-protocols.cell.com/protocols/41... Thanks for the great work Julio Cesar Sanchez-Rendon & @effiebastounis.bsky.social! #protocol #epithelia #FRET #singlecell #imaging

How is extrusion of infected host cells related to ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) activity? Hi, I’m @hundsdorfer.bsky.social from the @effiebastounis.bsky.social lab. Let’s follow the recent development of bacterially-infected cell extrusion & mechanochemical ERK activity waves.

Hundsdorfer, L., Muenkel, M., Aparicio-Yuste, R., ..., Mostowy, S., & Bastounis, E. E. (2025). ERK activation waves coordinate mechanical cell competition leading to collective elimination via extrusion of bacterially infected cells. Cell reports, 44(1), 115193. #EpithelialMechanics buff.ly/g0GPOtr

Crozet, F., & Levayer, R. (2023). Emerging roles and mechanisms of ERK pathway mechanosensing. Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS, 80(12), 355. #EpithelialMechanicsReview buff.ly/Vnn0HxX

Hino, N., Rossetti, L., Marín-Llauradó, A., Aoki, K., Trepat, X., Matsuda, M., & Hirashima, T. (2020). ERK-Mediated Mechanochemical Waves Direct Collective Cell Polarization. Developmental cell, 53(6), 646–660.e8. #EpithelialMechanics buff.ly/Lnn2unT

Bastounis, E. E., Serrano-Alcalde, F., ..., García-Aznar, J. M., & Theriot, J. A. (2021). Mechanical competition triggered by innate immune signaling drives the collective extrusion of bacterially infected epithelial cells. Developmental cell, 56(4), 443–460.e11. #EpithelialMechanics buff.ly/c4eJTxW

Super happy that our paper is published in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social! Find out more about how #ERK waves coordinate the mechanical competition that lead to collective infected cell #extrusion: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... (1/4)

Effie Bastounis@effiebastounis.bsky.social · 2y ago

The study of @hundsdorfer.bsky.social et al. on ERK waves coordinating the #biomechanical competition between #epithelial #cells resulting in infected cell extrusion is out: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce.... Thanks to all contributors, DFG, @cmfi.bsky.social & @Serge for #Shigella & #zebrafish experiments!

Delighted that our review on modeling of #endothelial and #epithelial #cell monolayer #biomechanics is now published in @cp-trendscellbio.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1016/j.tc...! Thanks to all contributors and to DFG, Universität Tübingen, @cmfi.bsky.social for the support!

Happy to share our paper describing StretchView, an accessible cell-stretching device compatible with automated live-cell videomicroscopy: doi.org/10.1002/advs...! A great collaboration with the Constantinou lab TU Braunschweig. Thanks to DFG, Universität Tübingen, @cmfi.bsky.social for supporting!

📢 Meet Lisa-Marie Erlandsdotter at #CellBio2024 in San Diego! 🧠 Learn about our #Neuroinflammation-on-Chip for #DiseaseModeling & therapy discovery! 🗣 Talk: Today, 3:15 PM PST | #StemCell & #Organoid Models 📊 Poster: Today, 11:15 AM PST | P2822, Board B441 | Exhibit Halls D-G #MPS #OrganOnChip #iPSC