Sarah Bigot
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sbigot.bsky.social
Sarah Bigot
@sbigot.bsky.social
Director of research CNRS at MMSB (C. Lesterlin/tacc team) interested in cellular and molecular mechanism of horizontal gene transfer
https://mmsb.cnrs.fr/equipe/transfert-d-adn-entre-cellules-bacteriennes/
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
What is the best strategy to win any contest?

Eliminate your opponents of course.

Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics
From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
PhD studentship opportunity! Join us at St Andrews to study the factors controlling plasmid transmission in the gut. Competition-funded as part of the EASTBIO DTP, co-supervised with Dr Jaclyn Pearson. Please share & pass on to anyone interested! 🦠🧫 Deadline 15th December👇
www.findaphd.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Happy to share our latest NAR paper on Rel toxins targeting M. tuberculosis anti-SD region, with Tim Blower’s team (@durham.ac.uk @nebiolabs.bsky.social) and Laurent Falquet
Thanks to FRM @frm-officiel.bsky.social and CNRS @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/nar/article-...
November 17, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Happy to share the last paper form the lab:
Specialized shuttle proteins recognize
T9SS signals and target
effectors to their final destinations. Great work by @maellepllt.bsky.social, led by @thicoz.bsky.social in collaboration with @audebertstephane.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Specialized shuttle proteins recognize Type IX secretion signals and target effectors to their final destinations in Flavobacterium johnsoniae
Communications Biology - Bacteroidota use the Type IX secretion system to secrete proteins with a conserved C-terminal domain (CTD) secretion signal domain. Type B CTDs require specific shuttle...
www.nature.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
What if even the core of bacterial nanomachines wasn’t static?

We found that the T3SS core protein SctD in Yersinia dynamically exchanges subunits — and this flexibility is essential for proper assembly & function.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@kit.edu @t3sss.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Everything you need to explain antimicrobial resistance to family and friends, also in Spanish-5
@pablolaborda.bsky.social

How we can fight AMR

imili.org/new_gallerie...

@sbigot.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
New paper with my (amazing) friend and mentor @jrpenades.bsky.social
Really looking forward to see what plasmid aficionados think of this one!!
With @asantoslopez.bsky.social @wfigueroac3.bsky.social Akshay Sabins and others
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Non-conjugative plasmids limit their mobility to persist in nature
Sabnis et al. explain why non-conjugative plasmids move at a low rate in nature. While increased mobility can easily evolve by incorporating phage DNA into plasmids, this is disadvantageous because it...
www.cell.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
New pre-print: Plasmid dependent phage effectively eliminate AMR bacteria and block plasmid transmission in the chicken gut microbiome

Fun collaboration with Tao He lab (JAAS) and @brockhurstlab.bsky.social lab (Manchester)
#phagesky#microsky

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Plasmid dependent phage eliminate pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance plasmids from the chicken gut microbiome
Conjugative plasmids are a key reservoir of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal and pathogenic bacteria within the gut microbiome. Plasmid-dependent phage (PDPs) are a promising therapeutic op...
www.biorxiv.org
October 27, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
JOB OFFER #PhageSky

We have a postdoc position opening in my group to investigate phage-MGE interactions !

We're based in the very nice city of Lyon, France @mmsb-lyon.bsky.social

Contact me for more info !

>> Apply on the CNRS webpage emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/U...
Portail Emploi CNRS - Offre d'emploi - Postdoctoral researcher Microbiology (M/F)
emploi.cnrs.fr
October 22, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Check out the first preprint from our lab describing a direct molecular cross-talk between (p)ppGpp and c-di-GMP nucleotide messengers! Great work from first-author Corentin Jaboulay who was a postdoc in our lab, and great collaborations! @mmsb-lyon.bsky.social @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social
Cross-regulation of (p)ppGpp and c-di-GMP pathways controls a cell-cycle transition https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.22.671821v1
August 24, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Open position !!
Either at the Engineer or post-doctoral level, to work on filamentous phages. Collaboration between Laetitia Houot's group and Thierry Doan @thicoz.bsky.social.
To apply at the E level:
emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/U...
To apply at the post-doc level:
emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/U...
September 28, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Happy to share our work on a T6SS effector with ADP ribose cyclase activity, published in JBC @asbmbjournals.bsky.social
Great work of Julius Martinkus @jmartinkus.bsky.social and (always) great collaboration with @dukasju.bsky.social and @laurentterradot.bsky.social
www.jbc.org/article/S002...
Widespread deployment of the human CD38 ADP-ribosyl cyclase fold in antibacterial and anti-eukaryotic polymorphic toxins
Bacterial polymorphic toxins are modular weapons that mediate inter-microbial competition and host interactions by delivering diverse cytotoxic domains through specialized secretion systems. Here, we ...
www.jbc.org
September 28, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Delighted to see our paper studying the evolution of plasmids over the last 100 years, now out! Years of work by Adrian Cazares, also Nick Thomson @sangerinstitute.bsky.social - this version much improved over the preprint. Final version should be open access, apols.
Thread 1/n
September 25, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
📝New preprint! #MicroSky

🕰️We chart the full, synchronized lifecycle of a predatory bacterium using Hi-C, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq & microscopy.

🧬We uncover dramatic shifts in nucleoid architecture & transcription, tightly coordinated with predation.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Dynamics and interplay of gene expression and chromosome organization across a predatory lifecycle
The obligate predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus alternates between a motile attack phase and a growth phase inside another bacterium, during which it undergoes multiple rounds of DNA repli...
www.biorxiv.org
September 25, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Exclusion systems, far from slowing down plasmid spread, are in fact essential to preserve host cell viability and thereby ensure the successful dissemination of conjugative plasmids and antibiotic resistance genes.

@nfrk92.bsky.social
@narjournal.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Exclusion systems preserve host cell homeostasis and fitness, ensuring successful dissemination of conjugative plasmids and associated resistance genes
Abstract. Plasmid conjugation is a major driver of antibiotic resistance dissemination in bacteria. In addition to genes required for transfer and maintena
academic.oup.com
September 17, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
🚨New paper out! #MicroSky
Studying obligate predators like Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is tricky—essential genes for predation are also essential for survival.
We expanded its genetic toolbox:
🧬promoters to fine-tune expression
🧬IPTG-inducible system
🧬CRISPRi for rapid knockdown
bit.ly/46GUn2c
1/4
Expanding the genetic toolbox of the obligate predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus with inducible gene expression and CRISPR interference
Inducible gene expression and CRISPR interference-mediated depletion in the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.
academic.oup.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
I wrote a Preview in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social !
A new study suggests that #curli may protect prey from bacterial predators like #Bdellovibrio.

Really looking forward to seeing this model confirmed with live-cell imaging and specific reporters!

www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
When predators meet the matrix: Natural resistance via amyloid fibers
How do bacteria protect themselves against predators? In a recent issue of Nature, Ledvina et al. reveal curli fibers as a genetically encoded defense against Bdellovibrio predation in wild E. coli st...
www.cell.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Check out @julielebris.bsky.social’s thread on our latest manuscript describing phenotypic heterogeneity in capsule production in Klebsiella & Acinetobacter @klebclub.bsky.social

This work started when I was still in @pasteur.fr & got finished in @cbitoulouse.bsky.social
#microsky #phagesky
September 9, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
So excited our antibiotic potentiation story is out 🤩 Led by the extraordinary @manonlang.bsky.social with @fox-science.bsky.social & @amazeld.bsky.social +amazing collaborators @immunobladder.bsky.social @imaneelmeouche.bsky.social 🦠 We believe it can make a difference in #AMR infections!
Uridine as a potentiator of aminoglycosides through activation of carbohydrate transporters
Uridine boosts aminoglycoside treatment efficiency against antibiotic-susceptible as well as antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains.
www.science.org
September 6, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Happy to see our paper out!

Functional assessment of anti-phage defence systems in their native clinical E. coli host
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Thread in previous post 👇
September 5, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
#ResultatScientifique🔎| Des scientifiques ont révélé comment le plasmide pOXA-48 rend les bactéries ultra-résistantes aux antibiotiques 🦠
🤝 @cnrs.fr @mmsb-lyon.bsky.social @cnrs-rhoneauvergne.bsky.social
✍️ @sbigot.bsky.social
📕 @natcomms.nature.com | buff.ly/u3Cy4Db
September 4, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
At last ! A tool specifically for phage-plasmid hunters. Check tyPPing by @karinailchenko.bsky.social and @eugenpfeifer.bsky.social
🚨 New preprint! 🧬

𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞-𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬 (𝐏-𝐏𝐬) are fascinating elements: both 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 and 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬 ➡️ tricky to detect.

We present 𝐭𝐲𝐏𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐠 — the first 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥 🛠️designed specifically for P-Ps:
✅ Accurate
✅ Sensitive
✅ Easy to use

📖 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Efficient detection and typing of phage-plasmids
Phage-plasmids are temperate phages that replicate as plasmids during lysogeny. Despite their high diversity, they carry genes similar to phages and plasmids. This leads to gene exchanges, and to the ...
www.biorxiv.org
September 3, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
PhD opportunity, please share:

We are looking for a prospective PhD student to start in October 2026 who is excited about bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae), how they interact, and how they exchange DNA.
All details can be found on the funder website 👉 gw4biomed.ac.uk/developing-c...
Developing CRISPR-Cas antimicrobials to tackle antibiotic resistance spread in Klebsiella pneumoniae - GW4 BioMed MRC DTP
Project Code MRCIIAR26Ex van Houte Project Type Wet lab Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a ...
gw4biomed.ac.uk
September 2, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by Sarah Bigot
Cool preprint by Mathieu Berge @polardlab.bsky.social showing that the Spr1630 toxin (RipA) toxin targets the replication sliding-clamp (DnaN) and that this induces competence in Streptococcus pneumoniae. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A toxin/antitoxin system targeting the replication sliding-clamp induces competence in Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a pathogenic bacterium capable of entering a cellular differentiation state, called competence, which enables it to acquire new genetic functions by natural transformation,...
www.biorxiv.org
September 3, 2025 at 7:01 AM