Last week, the remaining members of the Soldati lab got together for one last fun day, with indoor mini-golf, laughter and friendly competition! ⛳ The lab is now closing its doors, but the story is not quite over yet: stay tuned, a few stories are still cooking behind the scenes. 👀

New preprint from the lab! 🎉 Using the Dictyostelium–M. marinum infection model, we reveal ancient roles for STAT-like factors in vacuole integrity and host defence. Congratulations to the team! 🦠🔬 @j-toinon.bsky.social @nabilhanna3.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

My first post here - so let‘s start with a bang! Last week the major part of my MD-PhD work at the @biomedizin.unibas.ch was published @emboreports.org. I want to thank my supervisors and amazing collaborators for their efforts and contributions to this story. So let‘s talk about what we found!

A conserved VPS34-PIKfyve-TRPML1-myosin II axis regulates the speed of amoeboid cell migration - EMBO Reports

Amoeboid cell migration is key to efficient T cell immunity. Spatial polarization of organelles within cells, including endo-lysosomes, is a prerequisite of migration. However, how ultrastructural pol...

link.springer.com

🥳 Very happy to see this collaborative work now published in @emboreports.org ! From T cells to Dictyostelium, it reveals a conserved pathway controlling amoeboid migration speed. Many thanks to @pdehio.bsky.social , Christoph and colleagues for involving our lab! doi.org/10.1038/s443...

A conserved VPS34-PIKfyve-TRPML1-myosin II axis regulates the speed of amoeboid cell migration - EMBO Reports

Amoeboid cell migration is key to efficient T cell immunity. Spatial polarization of organelles within cells, including endo-lysosomes, is a prerequisite of migration. However, how ultrastructural polarization is linked to the signaling requirements governing T cell migration remains unknown. Here we show that signaling molecules generated by endo-lysosome-localized kinases regulate velocity of amoeboid migration. Specifically, imaging of T cells identifies accumulation of endo-lysosomes decorated with the lipid kinases VPS34–PIKfyve at the uropod of polarized cells. Activity of VPS34 and PIKfyve regulates speed, but not directedness, of migrating T cells. Mechanistically, PI(3,5)P2 generated by the sequential action of VPS34 and PIKfyve, mediates Ca2+ efflux from lysosomes via the mucolipin TRP cation channel 1 (TRPML1), thus controlling activity of myosin IIA and hence the generation of propulsive force through retrograde actin flow. The VPS34–PIKfyve kinases also regulate velocity of myeloid cells, as well as of the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum – establishing the axis as an evolutionarily conserved speed control system of amoeboid cell migration.

doi.org

How does the mycobacterial vacuole go from damage that can still be repaired to full rupture? 👀 Our new preprint shows that EsxA and PDIM act sequentially: EsxA initiates repairable lesions, and PDIM helps push them past host repair capacity toward cytosolic escape. doi.org/10.64898/202...

📣 After 5 years, the last paper from my PhD is finally out in #ScienceTranslationalMedicine! We show that sustained tissue inflammation drives disease progression in #Buruliulcer. And targeting it alongside antibiotics can accelerate healing. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The orphan receptor GPR84 drives inflammation in Buruli ulcer development

The GPR84 orphan receptor is a regulator of inflammation and a candidate therapeutic target in Buruli ulcer.

science.org

What if better TB therapies start with an amoeba? Our recent chapter highlights the Dd–Mm model as a versatile platform to study infection and explore host-directed therapies. Check this out ⤵️ @nabilhanna3.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/chap...

📣 Happy to share our new chapter in Live Biological Imaging Across Scales! We discuss how to explore membrane damage responses using Dicty and high-throughput single-cell analyses 👀. Shout-out to @angieprrt.bsky.social and the team onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Tiny Organisms, Big Advantages: Exploring Membrane Damage Responses Using Dictyostelium discoideum in High‐Throughput Single‐Cell Analyses

The amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum (Dd) is a commonly used model for studying bacterial infection due to the high conservat...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

All currently approved antibiotics inhibit essential cellular processes. Ever wonder if we could kill bacteria using the opposite strategy? Here, we demonstrate an alternative antibacterial strategy: lethality through pathway over-activation. www.nature.com/articles/s41... (1 out of 3)

🚨 New preprint! Together with @carobarisch.bsky.social lab, we investigated how intracellular compartmentalization shapes lipid acquisition in mycobacteria Interestingly, deleting one FACL enzyme (FACL6) revealed striking compartment-dependent phenotypes 🔬 Check it out: doi.org/10.64898/202...

🎉 Big news! Last Saturday, Thierry was awarded the Egon Naef Foundation Prize for in vitro research 🏆 A wonderful recognition of his innovative work throughout his career developing alternatives to animal testing 👏 www.unige.ch/sciences/chi... @sciencesunige.bsky.social

🚨 Preprint alert 🚨 In this study, we reveal how a calcium-sensing protein coordinates membrane damage sensing with repair pathways in response to damage from intracellular mycobacteria Huge congrats to @guallar-garrido.bsky.social for leading this project! 🤩👏 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

🚨 Want to know how we demonstrated the importance of sterol-rich membrane microdomains for M. marinum infection? Check out our latest paper published in Science Advances 👇 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... ✨ Big thanks to everyone, especially Cristina Boehm-Bosmani, @soldatilab.bsky.social ! ✨

Membrane microdomains are crucial for Mycobacterium marinum EsxA-dependent membrane damage, escape to the cytosol, and infection

Sterol-rich microdomain accumulation at the MCV is crucial for Mm-induced damage and infection in D. discoideum and BV-2 cells.

science.org

New paper out! 🚨 We uncover how Mycobacterium marinum (red) exploits host sterol-rich membrane microdomains (green) to damage and escape from its phagosome Huge shoutout to @angieprrt.bsky.social and Cristina Bosmani for their very elegant work! 👏 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🏆 It's a double win for the Soldati Lab! Last Friday, our former PhD students @angieprrt.bsky.social and Jahn Nitschke each received an award for their doctoral work: the Laemmli Prize for Angélique and Best Thesis in Life Sciences for Jahn. So proud of both for these well-deserved honors! 🤩

🚨 Preprint alert 🚨 Don’t miss our latest story on how mycobacterial surface shedding shapes the host response !

Mélanie Foulon@mel-foulon.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Why would Mycobacterium shed its surface right after entering a host cell? Host phagocytes rapidly strip its outer layer, releasing components that alert neighbors and trigger defense responses Our preprint is out, curious to hear your take! 👀 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A long journey with a fantastic conclusion! Congrats 🍾🧑‍🎓

Davide D’Amico@ddavide.bsky.social · 10mo ago

One month ago, I defended my PhD thesis 🎓, the end of a long, intense journey filled with challenges, growth, and resilience. 💪

🇻🇳 What a great week at the BPHCI Conference in Vietnam! @j-toinon.bsky.social and @angieprrt.bsky.social enjoyed sharing their results on M. marinum–Dicty interactions. A small crowd, but packed with brilliant science and great vibes! 🥂

Excited to share Wendy Le Mouëllic’s PhD work, now published in @pnas.org! It reveals that M. tuberculosis depends on inorganic sulfate import to survive inside host cells—fueling essential processes such as redox balance and stress resistance. Huge congrats to Wendy & colleagues! shorturl.at/WbFQC

Inorganic sulfate is critical for Mycobacterium tuberculosis lung tissue colonization and redox balance | PNAS

Tuberculosis remains the deadliest infectious disease caused by a single pathogen, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapies. A deeper under...

pnas.org

🦠 Mycobacteria aren't just tough, they're interior designers! 🦠 Check out our latest #preprint 🚨, led by our PhD student @camimille.bsky.social , where we show that #Mycobacterium tuberculosis builds secret cytoplasmic membranes to adapt its metabolism and sneak past immunity 🤫 Thread coming soon!

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Nitrate-responsive Mycobacterial Intracytoplasmic Membranes dampen Inflammation during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.17.676823v1

Be our new colleague! 🎉 The Dept of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Geneva is hiring an Assistant Professor or Associate Professor. 👉 More details here: lnkd.in/e8Z9eAm4 👉 Our department: mocel.unige.ch Please feel free to share this opportunity with your network.

Watch @maxgg.bsky.social, Group Leader at the Crick, as he explains what happens to cells that are infected with tuberculosis and how his lab is studying our bodies’ response to this infection. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWCt...

Researching the World’s Deadliest Infectious Disease – with Maximiliano Gutierrez

YouTube video by Francis Crick Institute

youtube.com

Long live Dicty! ✨ So grateful for the chance to attend this wonderful meeting one last time. Always a joy to reconnect with old colleagues and friends

How does evolution shape ancient cellular processes? Our new paper uncovers the mosaic evolution of conserved and diverging endocytic traits in fungi! www.cell.com/current-biol...

Mosaic evolution of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in fungi

Picco et al. take an evolutionary approach to study clathrin-mediated endocytosis in a fungal clade and discover that the process is evolving in a mosaic fashion. The early phase of endocytosis has sh...

cell.com

Last week was a fantastic opportunity for @lucasceseti.bsky.social to share his work on Xanthomonas and Dicty at #ETOX25 🦠 The Basque Country was the place to hear great science on toxins🤩

Come and Join our Dpt in Beautiful #Geneva ! We are looking for a #Microscopy & #Image #Analysis expert to help all of us at the Dpt.

Marko Kaksonen@kaksonen.bsky.social · last yr.

Hello microscopy and imaging experts and enthusiasts! We are looking for a staff scientist to join us here in Geneva to work on microscopy and image analysis projects! See the link for the job announcement (in French and in English). Please apply and/or repost! jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_porta...

Check our latest methods chapter on how to use Dictyostelium–Mycobacterium marinum as a high-throughput screening platform for anti-infective compounds 👇 www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic... @nabilhanna3.bsky.social

Frontiers | Dictyosteliumdiscoideum–Mycobacterium marinum infection model: a powerful high-throughput screening platform for anti-infective compounds

Tuberculosis is among the world’s deadliest diseases, causing approximately 2 million deaths annually. The urgent need for new antitubercular drugs has been ...

frontiersin.org

Last week’s ESCRT meeting was full of great science and engaging discussions! 🤩 Such a great place to share our work on ESCRT during Mycobacterium marinum infection 🦠

💥 Very excited to share this review in Nature Reviews Microbiology. Contributing to this review with Val, Digby and Amy was an enlightening experience! Hope people in the community find it useful- we managed to cite around 200 papers... www.nature.com/articles/s41... www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis biology, pathogenicity and interaction with the host

Nature Reviews Microbiology - In this Review, Warner, Barczak, Gutierrez and Mizrahi explore essential aspects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology and biology, present recent advances related...

nature.com

Jinich et al. present an important new resource for the Mtb community! The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Transposon Sequencing Database (MtbTnDB) is an interactive web resource summarizing 150+ published screens. #MicroSky #Mycobacterium #tuberculosis onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Transposon Sequencing Database (MtbTnDB): A Large‐Scale Guide to Genetic Conditional Essentiality

Mtb transposon sequencing database is a unified resource for exploring conditional gene essentiality in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By standardizing over 150 transposon sequencing screens, it enables...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com