Antoine Le Gall
@antoinelegall.bsky.social
Biophysicist at CNRS/CBS studying bacterial chromosome secrets, motility, and collective behaviors using multiscale microscopy and bioimage magic.
Calcium acts as a molecular switch that shifts the balance:
⬇️ Low Ca²⁺ → A-motility dominates (smooth gliding)
⬆️ High Ca²⁺ → S-motility dominates (twitching)
⚖️ Intermediate Ca²⁺ → both cooperate to propel the cell
🎥 Same WT cells, same surface; only [Ca²⁺] changes (50 fps)
⬇️ Low Ca²⁺ → A-motility dominates (smooth gliding)
⬆️ High Ca²⁺ → S-motility dominates (twitching)
⚖️ Intermediate Ca²⁺ → both cooperate to propel the cell
🎥 Same WT cells, same surface; only [Ca²⁺] changes (50 fps)
October 31, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Calcium acts as a molecular switch that shifts the balance:
⬇️ Low Ca²⁺ → A-motility dominates (smooth gliding)
⬆️ High Ca²⁺ → S-motility dominates (twitching)
⚖️ Intermediate Ca²⁺ → both cooperate to propel the cell
🎥 Same WT cells, same surface; only [Ca²⁺] changes (50 fps)
⬇️ Low Ca²⁺ → A-motility dominates (smooth gliding)
⬆️ High Ca²⁺ → S-motility dominates (twitching)
⚖️ Intermediate Ca²⁺ → both cooperate to propel the cell
🎥 Same WT cells, same surface; only [Ca²⁺] changes (50 fps)
Live imaging, single-cell tracking, and modeling show the two motility systems act together in the same cells, producing faster, more versatile motion than either alone.
➡️ Co-propulsion boosts speed and flexibility!
🎥 Left=A-only (50 fps)
🎥 Middle=S-only (50 fps)
🎥 Right=both (WT, 50 fps)
➡️ Co-propulsion boosts speed and flexibility!
🎥 Left=A-only (50 fps)
🎥 Middle=S-only (50 fps)
🎥 Right=both (WT, 50 fps)
October 31, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Live imaging, single-cell tracking, and modeling show the two motility systems act together in the same cells, producing faster, more versatile motion than either alone.
➡️ Co-propulsion boosts speed and flexibility!
🎥 Left=A-only (50 fps)
🎥 Middle=S-only (50 fps)
🎥 Right=both (WT, 50 fps)
➡️ Co-propulsion boosts speed and flexibility!
🎥 Left=A-only (50 fps)
🎥 Middle=S-only (50 fps)
🎥 Right=both (WT, 50 fps)
Many microbes have more than one way to move, but do these systems ever work together?
In M. xanthus, we examined how A-motility (surface adhesions) and S-motility (type IV pili) act together within single cells.
🎥 Left = pili (HILO 25 fps)
🎥 Right = focal adhesions (TIRF 25 fps)
In M. xanthus, we examined how A-motility (surface adhesions) and S-motility (type IV pili) act together within single cells.
🎥 Left = pili (HILO 25 fps)
🎥 Right = focal adhesions (TIRF 25 fps)
October 31, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Many microbes have more than one way to move, but do these systems ever work together?
In M. xanthus, we examined how A-motility (surface adhesions) and S-motility (type IV pili) act together within single cells.
🎥 Left = pili (HILO 25 fps)
🎥 Right = focal adhesions (TIRF 25 fps)
In M. xanthus, we examined how A-motility (surface adhesions) and S-motility (type IV pili) act together within single cells.
🎥 Left = pili (HILO 25 fps)
🎥 Right = focal adhesions (TIRF 25 fps)
Excited to share our new preprint on Myxococcus xanthus!
We show that two distinct motility motors can propel the same bacterial cell simultaneously, and that this dual propulsion is tunable by environmental calcium. 🧵 1/6
📄 Read it here →https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685086v1
We show that two distinct motility motors can propel the same bacterial cell simultaneously, and that this dual propulsion is tunable by environmental calcium. 🧵 1/6
📄 Read it here →https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685086v1
October 31, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Excited to share our new preprint on Myxococcus xanthus!
We show that two distinct motility motors can propel the same bacterial cell simultaneously, and that this dual propulsion is tunable by environmental calcium. 🧵 1/6
📄 Read it here →https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685086v1
We show that two distinct motility motors can propel the same bacterial cell simultaneously, and that this dual propulsion is tunable by environmental calcium. 🧵 1/6
📄 Read it here →https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685086v1