I am thrilled to share with you the outcome of the first collaboration with Albesa-Jove's lab (albesalab.org), in which we characterised the molecular mechanisms underlying the binding of a T6SS adaptor-effector pair in P. putida, Tap3–Tke5. (🧵1/9). Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1038/s443...
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We are starting 2026 by looking for candidates to apply for the Junta de Andalucía PhD fellowship. If you are interested in bacterial secretion systems and molecular biology, get in touch. More info about our work: personal.us.es/pbguzman/ & regarding the call www.investigacion.us.es/convocatoria...
Our paper, describing how the T6SSs of P. putida shape the tomato rhizosphere, is now in its final format in @isme-microbes.bsky.social ISME Communications. If you'd like to learn more, here is a thread (1/11) or read the Article doi.org/10.1093/isme....
Hi! Tse4's action is a great blueprint for new antimicrobials. It makes ion channels to couple membrane depolarization with lethal K+
efflux. This synergizes with other effectors, suggesting a powerful strategy for new combination therapies to fight resistance.
Thrilled to share that two of our papers with @jrpenades.bsky.social & GoogleDeepMind
are now out in @cellpress.bsky.social
1️⃣Microbial piracy: tinyurl.com/yvf6t3b3
2️⃣AI co-scientist mirrors experimental science: tinyurl.com/2dym92kj
@imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
@imperiallifesci.bsky.social
A bit late but it has been a fantastic ETOX25 conference organized by @pbernalt6ss.bsky.social and @davidalbesa.bsky.social A fantastic opportunity for @casandratan.bsky.social from @fillouxlab.bsky.social to attend and to reunite a whole crew of Imperial College London Alumni.
📢 Job alert! The Structural Microbiology Laboratory (albesalab.org) has two new openings! We are looking for a PhD student and a Research Technician to join our team.
Project: "Structure-function studies of Type VI secretion system toxins".
www.biofisika.org/en/join-us
Apply before 30th September
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🤩
We absolutely had a great time discussing about toxins, effectors and secretion systems. It's amazing how life always finds a way to overcome obstacles. Thank you @pbernalt6ss.bsky.social and @davidalbesa.bsky.social for organising and giving us the opportunity to share our work!
The cryo-EM structure of an adaptor-effector complex reveals the mechanism of a widespread pore-forming toxin family www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07....
A massive thank you to all the incredible participants and speakers who made ETOX 2025 in the Basque Country an unforgettable event! Your insights, discussions, and passion for bacterial protein toxins have truly advanced the field. We're already looking forward to next time! #ETOX2025
Picos de Europa was great!
It's a wrap! Thank you
@davidalbesa.bsky.social @pbernalt6ss.bsky.social for organizing such an amazing conference and giving me the opportunity to present my PhD work😁 #ETOX2025
Check out our latest preprint! We show that the same antibacterial toxin requires different immunity proteins depending whether it’s intra or extracellular
@pbernalt6ss.bsky.social and @davidalbesa.bsky.social opening #ETOX2025. Looking forward to some hot science in the next couple of days.
It’s been a pleasure to attend and present my research at #ETOX2025! It’s amazing to see all the exciting science happening in the field!
Back from #ETOX2025. Great science. Great people. Great location.
It was good to see old friends and meet new people.
View across the valley from Arantzazulab
Horses grazing
Sanctuary of Arantzazu
Alter inside Sanctuary of Arantzazu
#etox25 great conference and fabulous location!
Heading home after a wonderful week in Bilbao and the Basque country for #ETOX25. Thank you @davidalbesa.bsky.social and @pbernalt6ss.bsky.social for organizing this lovely meeting!
New research reveals the mode of action of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa #T6SS Tse4 toxin. Tse4 forms ion-selective, voltage-sensitive channels in bacterial membranes, coupling cell depolarization with K⁺ efflux. This highlights a key antibacterial strategy. #PFPsky
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
