Exploiting the fact that these hotspots are hubs for antibacterial and anti-phage weapons, we explore genes of unknown function and reveal a new Pantoea #T6SS effector and a new, widespread #anti-phage defense system (named Juno). 🦠6/8

These hotspots are actually armories, full of weapons against competing bacteria and attacking #phages. Sometimes, they are found together (especially #T6SS effectors and #anti-phage defense systems) and sometimes alone, interchangeably. 🦠 5/8

13 of these regions can harbor one of up to 160 cargo variants in different #Pantoea strains, rendering them "hotspots". Remarkably, we find that the #T6SS effectors shuffle between the hotspots and can even pair up. But they are not the only cargo in these hotspots... 🦠4/8

Interestingly, none of the orphan effectors is completely conserved across the species. So, Pantoea, a species with plant and human pathogens, as well as biocontrol agents, has a dynamic #T6SS effector repertoire. We show that all orphan effectors in Pab reside within variable genomic regions. 🦠3/8

Using comparative proteomics and genomics, we find that T6SS1 in Pantoea agglomerans pv. betae (Pab) stacks at least 23 antibacterial effectors. 19 of them are orphan, encoded outside the main #T6SS cluster. 🦠2/8

🚨Our collaboration with the Bar Yaacov lab on A-to-I mRNA editing in #Vibrio is online🚨🦠 Exciting findings on what genes are edited and the physiological implications. Hint: It affects #T6SS activity and reveals a possible new role for CqsA. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @rinatcp.bsky.social

Preprint 🚨🦠 Check out our new collaboration with the van Kessl and Gerlic labs On the #T3SS of #Vibrio campbellii. New effectors unique to this species! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

The #Vibrio 2026 meeting in Berlin is in 3 months, and abstract submission deadline (oral talks) is 2 weeks away. Register and submit an abstract soon if you are a Vibriophile. "A class" speakers are already confirmed, and the program is exceptional! event.fourwaves.com/vibrio2026/p... 🦠

2/2 In this Brief Communication, we also show that although some anti-eukaryotic #T6SS effectors are toxic during infection of immune cells from different hosts, others are only toxic to some hosts. A fun collaboration with the Gerlic lab and the Bar Yaacov lab. #Vibrio 🦠

1/2 "All T6SS-inducing regulators are equal, but some regulators are more equal than others". Preprint 🚨: We use #Vibrio to show that #T6SS activation by regulator manipulation may result in the expression of different effector repertoires, affecting toxicity 🦠 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Bottom line: various marine bacteria use their T6SS to kill competitors in liquid environments, employing diverse mechanisms that facilitate cell-cell interactions. Furthermore, bacteria can distinguish kin from non-kin competitors in liquid.

Recent work revealed 3 marine bacteria that kill prey in liquid via T6SS journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Reasoning that this ability is common in marine bacteria, we found that #Vibrio coralliilyticus also kill in liquid via T6SS

We demonstrated that the adhesin required for kin killing facilitates auto-aggregation, while the adhesin required for non-kin killing facilitates co-aggregation.

Using a luminescence-based workflow (which we named LiQuoR) that monitors prey viability in real time in both liquid media and on agar, we identified two adhesins required for T6SS-mediated competition in liquid media but not on agar.

We found that the marine bacterium #Aeromonas can intoxicate both kin and non-kin prey in liquid media using its antibacterial T6SS.

New picture of the Salomon lab

The Salomon and Qimron labs saying thank you and goodbye to @tridibmahata.bsky.social who will soon leave us to head his own lab

GAPS4 is a heterotetramer complex that senses broken DNA and degrades it indiscriminately (both phage invaders and the bacterial genome). No fancy “self vs. non-self” tags here. When it detects DNA damage, it goes off.

Uploading a paper during a lunar eclipse. Stay tuned for a thread.

Bring back the hostages! End the war! Get rid of Netanyahu's government of criminal fanatics! Now!

Bring back the hostages. End the war. Kick out Netanyahu's criminal government.

Trying something new in the lab. #Vibrio 🦠

A letter to the Israeli PM from Israeli University presidents, about the war in Gaza.

The annual meeting of the ISM is in less than 2 weeks at Tel Aviv University. Don't wait until the last minute to register. Do it now! 🦠 ismicrobiology.com/en/ism-annua...

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!

Back in the lab doing science at Tel Aviv University

Came to the lab to save bacteria from a failing -80 freezer and got stuck in the middle of an Iranian missile attack.

This is unacceptable. A total disgrace. Shame on the organizers. Leave science out of it! I am appalled to see this in the microbiology community 🦠

🚨Ready to be part of a pioneering microbiology lab that pushes the boundaries of scientific discovery? We have an **open postdoctoral position** in our lab, where we delve into the fascinating world of T6SS, effectors, mobile genetic elements, and everything in between! @erc.europa.eu -funded 🦠

Promoted to Full Professor 🎉 A huge THANK YOU to my students who have been working hard to push the boundaries of knowledge, to my wonderful collaborators, mentors, and all the supportive people of the #Vibrio, #T6SS, and TAU Med Faculty communities. 🦠