Our work highlights the urgent need to better define bacterial populations able to colonize or reside in the human uterus and to increase visibility of infection-related uterine diseases and their possible link to infertility. 9/9

Our work reveals that, beyond proliferation, fate specification, tissue morphogenesis, and implantation, early embryonic cells also play biological defense roles well before organ formation. 8/9

Functional experiments with engineered bacteria show that phagocytic clearance improves normal developmental progression after infection, emphasizing its key defensive role. 7/9

Transcriptomic analysis after bacterial challenge showed that epithelial cells activate a full set of immune genes regulated by NF-κB, including proinflammatory cytokines, antibacterial proteins, and pattern recognition receptors. 6/9

Quantitative imaging and in vivo single-cell interference revealed the dynamics and key regulators of phagocytic protrusions for bacterial internalization, still poorly understood in immune cells. We also identified tissue-scale patterns shaped by bacterial motility. 5/9

We also modeled these infections in early zebrafish embryos, enabling us to observe bacterial clearance dynamics by epithelial cells across scales—from subcellular to tissue-level behaviors. 4/9

Since bacterial infections are common in the human uterus, we asked how preimplantation embryos respond to microorganisms. We found that, long before myeloid immune cells develop, human embryos phagocytose and destroy certain bacteria infecting the uterus, such as S. aureus. 3/9

Extraordinary achievement of Joan Roncero, a talented PhD student who tackled every challenge, with key contributions from June Olaizola. Thanks also to Irimia Lab @crg.eu, Veiga Lab @idibell.bsky.social, Torrents & Ojosnegros Labs @ibecbarcelona.eu, Miquel Solé @dexeus, and Alsina Lab @upf.edu 2/9

Our paper is now published! The first encounter of a forming organism with bacteria reveals that innate immunity initiates in epithelial cells of early embryos, even in humans. www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
made in @ibmb-csic.bsky.social @csic.es @idibell.bsky.social 1/9

Thanks! You could like this one of the zipper on a phagocytic protrusion

How innate immunity starts? Early embryos eliminate bacterial infections by epithelial phagocytosis, a conserved process from zebrafish to human embryos. Check our story:
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Proud of the Best Poster award at the 2nd REGENBELL Symposium for Joan Roncero. Thanks to everyone who made this event possible!

A pleasure to present our work for the Janelia community

The Hoijman group enjoying great science and nature @sebioldev.bsky.social meeting in costa brava

What do cells do in their natural environment? Take a look at our work
www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03200-3