Maxence Lejars
@mlejars.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in Aix Marseille Université / Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne (LCB) working on bacterial gene regulation
Pinned
Maxence Lejars
@mlejars.bsky.social
· Sep 10
EASY-edit: a toolbox for high-throughput single-step custom genetic editing in bacteria
Abstract. Targeted gene editing can be achieved using CRISPR–Cas9-assisted recombineering. However, high-efficiency editing requires careful optimization f
academic.oup.com
Happy to share the published version of our genetic toolbox, EASY-edit, for simple, flexible and efficient targeted editing in E. coli!
Feel free to to try it, we can send strains and plasmids!
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Feel free to to try it, we can send strains and plasmids!
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Our paper is out! Analysis of 30K+ genomes revealed that CPR bacteria assemble their ribosomes in unconventional ways, and that these assembly processes appear to have co-evolved with ribosome structure. doi.org/10.1093/molb... #Ribosome #Evolution #Patescibacteria #MBE
November 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Our paper is out! Analysis of 30K+ genomes revealed that CPR bacteria assemble their ribosomes in unconventional ways, and that these assembly processes appear to have co-evolved with ribosome structure. doi.org/10.1093/molb... #Ribosome #Evolution #Patescibacteria #MBE
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Thrilled to share that our study on how the pcnB gene sustains Shigella virulence is now published in PLOS Pathogens: journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
In short: pcnB ➝increased virulence-plasmid replication ➝ elevated T3SS expression ➝ enhanced invasion/spread within the intestinal epithelium.
In short: pcnB ➝increased virulence-plasmid replication ➝ elevated T3SS expression ➝ enhanced invasion/spread within the intestinal epithelium.
The pcnB gene sustains Shigella flexneri virulence
Author summary Bacterial infections represent a major global threat. Understanding the genetic determinants promoting infections is crucial to overcome this threat. Shigella is an intracellular bacter...
journals.plos.org
November 21, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Thrilled to share that our study on how the pcnB gene sustains Shigella virulence is now published in PLOS Pathogens: journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
In short: pcnB ➝increased virulence-plasmid replication ➝ elevated T3SS expression ➝ enhanced invasion/spread within the intestinal epithelium.
In short: pcnB ➝increased virulence-plasmid replication ➝ elevated T3SS expression ➝ enhanced invasion/spread within the intestinal epithelium.
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
🧫🦠🧬✂️🔬
Happy to share our most recent work www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... Here we describe how efficient DNA replication in E. coli is dependent on an interaction between SSB-ssDNA and the DNA polymerase (Pol III). Thanks to all the co-authors for their hard work!
Genome integrity relies on rapid recycling of DNA Pol III in bacteria | PNAS
DNA replication requires precise coordination between DNA unwinding and DNA synthesis.
In all domains of life, protein–protein interactions at the ...
www.pnas.org
November 20, 2025 at 11:47 PM
🧫🦠🧬✂️🔬
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
🚨Preprint alert - this is a big one! We transfer the revolutionary power of TnSeq to bacteriophages.
Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.
A thread 1/8
Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.
A thread 1/8
November 20, 2025 at 8:40 PM
🚨Preprint alert - this is a big one! We transfer the revolutionary power of TnSeq to bacteriophages.
Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.
A thread 1/8
Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.
A thread 1/8
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
#microsky
Integrated Tn-seq and MAGE-assisted rapid genome engineering targeting in Escherichia coli: Trends in Biotechnology www.cell.com/trends/biote...
Integrated Tn-seq and MAGE-assisted rapid genome engineering targeting in Escherichia coli: Trends in Biotechnology www.cell.com/trends/biote...
Integrated Tn-seq and MAGE-assisted rapid genome engineering targeting in Escherichia coli
We developed an integrated platform that combines in situ transposon mutagenesis,
biosensor-guided selection, and multiplex automated genome engineering. This approach
significantly accelerates the id...
www.cell.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:06 PM
#microsky
Integrated Tn-seq and MAGE-assisted rapid genome engineering targeting in Escherichia coli: Trends in Biotechnology www.cell.com/trends/biote...
Integrated Tn-seq and MAGE-assisted rapid genome engineering targeting in Escherichia coli: Trends in Biotechnology www.cell.com/trends/biote...
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Our new paper maps the tRNA modification landscape in Vibrio cholerae! 💫
We describe differences from E. coli and discuss links to decoding of stress-related codons 🦠
Huge thanks to amazing co-authors and collaborators!
@plos.org #rnasky #microsky #tRNAmodifications
We describe differences from E. coli and discuss links to decoding of stress-related codons 🦠
Huge thanks to amazing co-authors and collaborators!
@plos.org #rnasky #microsky #tRNAmodifications
The tRNA epitranscriptomic landscape and RNA modification enzymes in Vibrio cholerae
Author summary This study charts the first genome-wide map of transfer RNA (tRNA) modifications in the cholera pathogen, Vibrio cholerae, revealing how chemical marks on tRNAs shape translation and st...
journals.plos.org
November 3, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Our new paper maps the tRNA modification landscape in Vibrio cholerae! 💫
We describe differences from E. coli and discuss links to decoding of stress-related codons 🦠
Huge thanks to amazing co-authors and collaborators!
@plos.org #rnasky #microsky #tRNAmodifications
We describe differences from E. coli and discuss links to decoding of stress-related codons 🦠
Huge thanks to amazing co-authors and collaborators!
@plos.org #rnasky #microsky #tRNAmodifications
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
M. smegmatis uses new types of biofilm to enclose a liquid core and expand outwards in a weird new way.
November 5, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Phosphorylation of a conserved intrinsically disordered region is necessary for activation of a bacterial Hanks-type Ser/Thr kinase signaling pathway https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.01.686061v1
November 3, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Phosphorylation of a conserved intrinsically disordered region is necessary for activation of a bacterial Hanks-type Ser/Thr kinase signaling pathway https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.01.686061v1
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Split-luciferin Assay for Real-time Measurement of Cytosolic Drug Accumulation in Live Mycobacteria https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.02.686125v1
November 3, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Split-luciferin Assay for Real-time Measurement of Cytosolic Drug Accumulation in Live Mycobacteria https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.02.686125v1
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
🧪🔬🦠🧫🌍🪲🐛
A membrane network of the nutritional symbiont 𝑆𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑠 woven with the cytosol of its host, the cereal-eating curculionid 𝑆𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 spp., to increase carbohydrate supply to the bacteria! Crazy amazing methods with amazing pics and vids!
#BugSky #MicroSky #HostMicrobiome
A membrane network of the nutritional symbiont 𝑆𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑠 woven with the cytosol of its host, the cereal-eating curculionid 𝑆𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 spp., to increase carbohydrate supply to the bacteria! Crazy amazing methods with amazing pics and vids!
#BugSky #MicroSky #HostMicrobiome
Agnès Vallier, @cmonegat.bsky.social , Baptiste Vierne, @nicolasparisot.bsky.social , Guy Condemine, Pedro Da Silva, Xavier Jaurand, @yschwab.bsky.social , @kaltenpoth-lab.bsky.social , Abdelaziz Heddi, and @annazaidmanremy.bsky.social
➡️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 5/5
➡️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 5/5
Bacterial tubular networks channel carbohydrates in insect endosymbiosis
Symbiosis is widespread in nature and plays a fundamental role in organism adaptation and evolution. In nutritional endosymbiosis, host cells accommod…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:46 AM
🧪🔬🦠🧫🌍🪲🐛
A membrane network of the nutritional symbiont 𝑆𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑠 woven with the cytosol of its host, the cereal-eating curculionid 𝑆𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 spp., to increase carbohydrate supply to the bacteria! Crazy amazing methods with amazing pics and vids!
#BugSky #MicroSky #HostMicrobiome
A membrane network of the nutritional symbiont 𝑆𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑠 woven with the cytosol of its host, the cereal-eating curculionid 𝑆𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 spp., to increase carbohydrate supply to the bacteria! Crazy amazing methods with amazing pics and vids!
#BugSky #MicroSky #HostMicrobiome
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Applications closing tonight (midnight French time) !!!
Still a few hours to apply !!
Still a few hours to apply !!
Open position to work on Type IX secretion (#T9SS) in our lab, in collaboration withe the group of Eric Reynolds at the Dental School of the University of Melbourne. Please spread the word, and forward to anyone potentially interested ! Apply here:
emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Docto...
emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Docto...
Portail Emploi CNRS - Offre d'emploi - Thèse en Microbiologie-Biochimie (H/F)
emploi.cnrs.fr
October 30, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Applications closing tonight (midnight French time) !!!
Still a few hours to apply !!
Still a few hours to apply !!
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
In @nature.com: Using AI and other cutting-edge techniques, the Klinge lab has captured the first near-continuous "molecular movie" of ribosome formation—revealing, frame by frame, how cells build the protein factories that make life possible.
More here: https://bit.ly/3LbHTaF
More here: https://bit.ly/3LbHTaF
October 29, 2025 at 5:22 PM
In @nature.com: Using AI and other cutting-edge techniques, the Klinge lab has captured the first near-continuous "molecular movie" of ribosome formation—revealing, frame by frame, how cells build the protein factories that make life possible.
More here: https://bit.ly/3LbHTaF
More here: https://bit.ly/3LbHTaF
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Our @narjournal.bsky.social manuscript is out! It explores the growth of the GTDB (gtdb.ecogenomic.org) since its inception, as well as updates to the website, methodology, policies, and major taxonomic and nomenclatural changes over the past three years.
academic.oup.com/nar/advance-...
academic.oup.com/nar/advance-...
GTDB release 10: a complete and systematic taxonomy for 715 230 bacterial and 17 245 archaeal genomes
Abstract. The Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB; https://gtdb.ecogenomic.org) provides a phylogenetically consistent and rank normalized genome-based taxonomy
academic.oup.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Honored to be part of a collaborative team receiving funding to genetically engineer methanogens in ruminants for reducing carbon emissions. We're now seeking multiple postdocs in the USA, Germany, and New Zealand - apply via the link!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
🧫🧪 #ArchaeaSky #MicrobiomeSky
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
🧫🧪 #ArchaeaSky #MicrobiomeSky
November 22, 2024 at 6:36 AM
Honored to be part of a collaborative team receiving funding to genetically engineer methanogens in ruminants for reducing carbon emissions. We're now seeking multiple postdocs in the USA, Germany, and New Zealand - apply via the link!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
🧫🧪 #ArchaeaSky #MicrobiomeSky
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
🧫🧪 #ArchaeaSky #MicrobiomeSky
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Multiple small, curved, predatory bacteria (Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus) lyse the bacterial prey remnants below. How are they doing this & which predator proteins are involved in this process?
See our newly released research article 📑
=> rdcu.be/eL6gu
🦠 #microsky #bacteria #PredatoryBacteria
See our newly released research article 📑
=> rdcu.be/eL6gu
🦠 #microsky #bacteria #PredatoryBacteria
October 23, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Multiple small, curved, predatory bacteria (Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus) lyse the bacterial prey remnants below. How are they doing this & which predator proteins are involved in this process?
See our newly released research article 📑
=> rdcu.be/eL6gu
🦠 #microsky #bacteria #PredatoryBacteria
See our newly released research article 📑
=> rdcu.be/eL6gu
🦠 #microsky #bacteria #PredatoryBacteria
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
De-DUFing the DUFs 🧩 @franznarberhaus.bsky.social lab uncovers how small DUF1127 proteins regulate #phosphate uptake by binding the sensor kinase PhoR. Their conserved role from Agrobacterium to E. coli highlights how even small DUFs can shape bacterial physiology 🦠
buff.ly/jJd9Eho
buff.ly/jJd9Eho
October 21, 2025 at 7:02 AM
De-DUFing the DUFs 🧩 @franznarberhaus.bsky.social lab uncovers how small DUF1127 proteins regulate #phosphate uptake by binding the sensor kinase PhoR. Their conserved role from Agrobacterium to E. coli highlights how even small DUFs can shape bacterial physiology 🦠
buff.ly/jJd9Eho
buff.ly/jJd9Eho
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Bacteria use paralog teamwork to survive stress.
H-NS forms fluid condensates; its partner StpA forms rigid fibrils. Together, they balance flexibility & stability to keep genes properly regulated under pressure.
#PhaseSeparation #Bacteria
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
H-NS forms fluid condensates; its partner StpA forms rigid fibrils. Together, they balance flexibility & stability to keep genes properly regulated under pressure.
#PhaseSeparation #Bacteria
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Paralogs with distinct phase behaviors broaden the in vivo stress response range of condensates
Paralogs are widespread, but their physiological roles are often masked by redundancy. H-NS, a nucleoid-associated protein in Gram-negative bacteria, typically coexists with paralogs such as StpA, who...
www.biorxiv.org
October 20, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
who would have thought! phage N15 TelN telomerase has more than one job!
(and no, it's not 'moonlighting')
great work from the gruber lab 👏
#MicroSky + #PhageSky
(and no, it's not 'moonlighting')
great work from the gruber lab 👏
#MicroSky + #PhageSky
E. coli bacteriophage N15 suppresses Mre11-Rad50-mediated end degradation of its linear genome via a telomere-resolution-independent function of its telomere resolvase TelN
#RefereedPreprint c/o @reviewcommons.org by @gruberlab.bsky.social
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
#RefereedPreprint c/o @reviewcommons.org by @gruberlab.bsky.social
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
October 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
If you are a USA or Canada citizen and want to join my lab for a postdoc on bacterial secretion systems, toxins, and/or MGEs, check out this opportunity and contact me. 🦠
Zuckerman STEM Postdoc Program: Research in Israel for US & Canadian Scholars share.google/YOOdDRvUgGm1...
Zuckerman STEM Postdoc Program: Research in Israel for US & Canadian Scholars share.google/YOOdDRvUgGm1...
Zuckerman STEM Postdoc Program: Research in Israel for US & Canadian Scholars
Attracts postdoctoral scholars from the United States and Canada to conduct research at Israeli universities. Fosters US-Israeli scientific cooperation and encourages scholars to take faculty position...
share.google
October 19, 2025 at 4:33 PM
If you are a USA or Canada citizen and want to join my lab for a postdoc on bacterial secretion systems, toxins, and/or MGEs, check out this opportunity and contact me. 🦠
Zuckerman STEM Postdoc Program: Research in Israel for US & Canadian Scholars share.google/YOOdDRvUgGm1...
Zuckerman STEM Postdoc Program: Research in Israel for US & Canadian Scholars share.google/YOOdDRvUgGm1...
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
OUT NOW: Inducible transposon mutagenesis identifies bacterial fitness determinants during infection in mice
#microsky 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Inducible transposon mutagenesis identifies bacterial fitness determinants during infection in mice - Nature Microbiology
InducTn-seq, a method for inducible mutagenesis followed by transposon insertion site sequencing, enables temporal control of transposition to bypass population bottlenecks and enable the quantificati...
www.nature.com
March 27, 2025 at 4:35 PM
OUT NOW: Inducible transposon mutagenesis identifies bacterial fitness determinants during infection in mice
#microsky 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
#microsky 😮😮
🚨Our paper is out! 🥳
Hijacking a bacterial ABC transporter for efficient genetic code expansion.
Many congrats to everyone involved - a multi-year effort led by @taruniype.bsky.social @maxfottner.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
it all started years ago with a failed experiment
🧵👇 1/9
Hijacking a bacterial ABC transporter for efficient genetic code expansion.
Many congrats to everyone involved - a multi-year effort led by @taruniype.bsky.social @maxfottner.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
it all started years ago with a failed experiment
🧵👇 1/9
Hijacking a bacterial ABC transporter for genetic code expansion - Nature
Bacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters can be utilized and engineered to transport non-canonical amino acids into Escherichia coli for highly efficient synthesis of proteins with novel func...
www.nature.com
October 17, 2025 at 9:56 AM
#microsky 😮😮
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
Reposted by Maxence Lejars
SPT of DNA repair proteins after cell irradiation by Ashli Kobayashi @asaki-kobayashi.bsky.social and Romane Riou. Setup by Abbelight @abbelight.bsky.social and irradiator by Errol Laser @errol-laser.bsky.social. Look at that recruitment!
#Mifobio2025 @gdrimabio.bsky.social
#Mifobio2025 @gdrimabio.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 2:32 PM
SPT of DNA repair proteins after cell irradiation by Ashli Kobayashi @asaki-kobayashi.bsky.social and Romane Riou. Setup by Abbelight @abbelight.bsky.social and irradiator by Errol Laser @errol-laser.bsky.social. Look at that recruitment!
#Mifobio2025 @gdrimabio.bsky.social
#Mifobio2025 @gdrimabio.bsky.social