Maryse Lebrun

📆 Join the 2026 Biology of Host–Parasite Interactions GRC (June 7–12, Newport, RI)

🌟 Cutting-edge science, open slots for talks & posters
🧑‍🔬 GRS for grad students & postdocs the weekend before
📩 Apply by May 18, 2026 (early submission encouraged)

👉 Details & application: www.grc.org/biology-of-h...

Two anchoring proteins control daughter apical complex assembly in Toxoplasma gondii https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.13.705759v1

Congratulations Peter

Come join us for the Modern Methods in Molecular Parasitology Workshop! Theoretical is 4-6 November in Montpellier, followed by practical workshops in November and December, either in Paris or Grenoble. We have a great line-up of speakers, check it out:

ateliersinserm.dakini-pco.com/accueil-66-5...

Congratulations Sebastian

The #EMBOWorkshop : Host–parasite relationship has come to a close! Thank you to all speakers, participants, and organizers for four inspiring days of science, discussion, and human connection. Until next time! 🧫✨

Registration and Abstract submission for MPMXXXVI are now open! Abstract submission deadline is June 27th, get yours in quickly. @rmc9z.bsky.social @mjgubbels.bsky.social @omarharb.org
🔗https://www.parasitesrule.com/mpm-xxxvi

The plague bacillus became less virulent, prolonging the duration of two major pandemics Scientists at the Institut Pasteur and McMaster University have discovered that the evolution of a gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, may have prolonged the duration of...

🦠 The plague bacillus became less virulent, extending the duration of two major pandemics. @yersiniaunit.bsky.social @pierrelebury.bsky.social @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social @ravneetksidhu.bsky.social

It was a great success. See you next time!

Yep, apicomplexan parasites are fascinating

Molecular basis of influenza ribonucleoprotein complex assembly and processive RNA synthesis Influenza viruses replicate and transcribe their genome in the context of a conserved ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. By integrating cryo–electron microscopy single-particle analysis and cryo–electro...

Excited to share our new @science.org paper! Led by postdocs Ruchao Peng and Xin Xu, we used cryo-EM/ET to reveal the influenza ribonucleoprotein complex structure and its strand-sliding mechanism for RNA synthesis, paving the way for new antivirals.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

📢 Big Announcement: Registration & abstract submission open for EMBO Workshop "Host-Parasite Relationship: From Mechanisms to Control Strategies" organized by ParaFrap @parafrap.bsky.social @embo.org

🗓️ 5-8 Oct 2025 - Les Embiez Island-France

🔚Deadline: 15 Jul 2025 meetings.embo.org/event/25-hos...

Keep VEuPathDB open-access to all by subscribing today! veupathdb.org/veupathdb/ap...

Open Sesame: The Protein Behind Parasite Stage Switching

A humorous reflection on the first article from my stellar PhD student, Belen Pachano.

communities.springernature.com/posts/open-s...

An ISWI-related chromatin remodeller regulates stage-specific gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii - Nature Microbiology Toxoplasma gondii evolved two ISWI remodellers, TgSNF2h and TgSNF2L. TgSNF2h forms a complex that insulates active genes, regulates MORC-driven sexual commitment and ensures precise gene expression, s...

Thrilled to share my first paper, now out in
@natmicrobiol.nature.com! Huge thanks to my amazing supervisor @hakimi.bsky.social and everyone who contributed to this work!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The Roland A. Cooper Award was established in 2024 to support parasitologists from endemic areas to attend international parasitology conferences. Your generous contribution, no matter the size, will have an immediate impact. www.socapar.org/home/donate

📣Next ParaFrap Webinar: Mauld LAMARQUE (Team Maryse Lebrun) @umontpellier.bsky.social : "Pleiotropic role of the malaria parasite PP1 phosphatase during P. falciparum life cycle" @parafrap.bsky.social
Chairperson: Maryse Lebrun @lebrunlab.bsky.social

🗓️ March 13, 3pm CET

🎟️ bit.ly/ParaFrapWeb

Graphic for International Women’s Day is divided into two halves. On the left, a white background features a simple line drawing of a rose with the text "FLOWERS ARE NICE" in purple uppercase letters. On the right, a purple background displays a bold white and yellow feminist symbol with the text "EQUAL RIGHTS ARE BETTER" in uppercase, with "EQUAL" highlighted in yellow. The European Commission logo is in the bottom right corner.

When a woman is empowered, the world is empowered.💜️

#InternationalWomensDay

Wonderful work. Congratulations all

Cryptosporidium modifies intestinal microvilli through an exported virulence factor Cryptosporidium is a common intestinal infection of vertebrates and a significant threat to public health. Within the epithelial layer of the intestine, the parasite invades and replicates. Infected cells are readily detected under the microscope by the presence of elongated microvilli, particularly around the vacuole where the parasite resides. Here, we identify a family of Cryptosporidium virulence factors that are exported into the host cell during infection and localise to the microvilli. We examine the trafficking and function of the most highly expressed family member, MVP1, which appears to control the elongation of microvilli through engagement of host EBP50 and CDC42. Remarkably, this mechanism closely mirrors that of an enteropathogenic Escherichia coli virulence factor, MAP, which is also known to drive host microvilli elongation during infection. This highlights a unique instance where eukaryotic and prokaryotic virulence factors have convergently evolved to modulate host actin structures through a similar mechanism. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Cryptosporidium modifies intestinal microvilli through an
exported virulence factor!! Phenomenal work from the newly DR’ed Elena Rodrigues
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

📅 Save the Date! The EMBO Workshop "Host-Parasite Relationship: From Mechanisms to Control Strategies" organized by @ParaFrap will take place on October 5-8, 2025, at Les Embiez Island. Stay updated on registration opening —enter your email here: coming-soon.embo.org/w25-83 #Science #Parasite

a black and white drawing of two people hugging with the words virtual hug below them . Alt: a black and white drawing of two people hugging with the words virtual hug below them .

I wish I could send all of you out there a hug - witnessing second hand so much needless stress, uncertainty and suffering.

I see you and I stand with you.

The malaria parasite PP1 phosphatase controls the initiation of the egress pathway of asexual blood-stages by regulating the rounding-up of the vacuole Author summary Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum infections remains a major human threat in endemic countries. Its proliferation within the host relies on the iteration of red blood cell invasio...

#PLOSPathogens: The #malaria parasite PP1 phosphatase controls the initiation of the egress pathway of asexual blood-stages by regulating the rounding-up of the vacuole dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour... @plos.org ParaFrap Teams: @lebrunlab.bsky.social @lavazeclab.bsky.social

The HCF101 protein is an important component of the cytosolic iron–sulfur synthesis pathway in Toxoplasma gondii Iron-sulfur proteins require specialized assembly pathways and play vital roles in cellular functions. This study shows that the plastid-derived protein HCF101 functions in the cytosolic Fe-S assembly...

Stoked to see the latest research from our lab now out in @plosbiology.org! Check it out to learn more about lineage-specific adaptations in the cytosolic iron-sulfur assembly pathway in Apicomplexa.

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Top: Immunofluorescence assay of cKD-TgHCF101 treated for 7 days in the presence of ATc, cyst wall is labeled with DBL, parasites are outlined with anti-IMC3 antibody and DNA is stained with DAPI. Bottom: Schematic representation of the putative organization of the CIA pathway in T. gondii. This scheme places TgHCF101 as an Fe-S transfer protein from the CTC to client protein ABCE1. Plant nomenclature was used for the purpose of the figure, but names for human homologs are mentioned between brackets when appropriate.

Iron-sulfur proteins require specialized assembly pathways. @s-besteiro.bsky.social &co show that the plastid-derived protein HCF101 functions in the cytosolic Fe-S assembly pathway in #Toxoplasma and is crucial for #parasite viability 🧪 @plosbiology.org plos.io/3EFKKoQ

Molecular Parasitology Community - Travelaward2025 Scroll down for the application form

Do you work on parasites and reside in an LMIC? Consider applying for a 2025 MPM LMIC award. The deadline is March 3rd, 2025—details on the website.
www.parasitesrule.com/mpm-xxxvi/tr...

📣 ParaFrap Webinar: Gretchen DIFFENDALL (Team A.Scherf @pasteur.fr): Metabolomics Identifies a Natural Host Cytoadhesion Inhibitor in Asymptomatic #Malaria Cases
@parafrap.bsky.social
Chairperson: Antoine CLAESSENS @ant1-claessens.bsky.social

🗓️ Thursday, February 13, 3pm CET

🎟️ bit.ly/ParaFrapWeb

Global Parasitology Seminar next Monday: Ira Blader on Toxoplasma & oxygen. 2/10/25 12 pm EST in person & zoom. ⁦‪@TrendsParasitol‬⁩ ⁦‪@BSPparasitology‬⁩ ⁦‪@parasitesrule‬⁩ ⁦‪@AmSocParasit‬⁩ ⁦‪@AS_Para‬⁩ ⁦‪@pennvet‬⁩ ⁦‪@SFParasitologie‬⁩ ⁦‪@CTEGD‬⁩

Register! womeninmalaria.es/wim-conferen...