Interested in joining a dynamic, interdisciplinary research department? A call is open for Group Leaders at the UCL Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology.
Please submit your expression of interest by April 13, 2026.
Further details here: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
more information here:
For informal enquiries, please contact the LMCB Fellowship coordinators
Professors Sophie Acton (s.acton@ucl.ac.uk) - (Me)
or Jonathan Chubb (j.chubb@ucl.ac.uk).
To apply, please email the following as one PDF document to Olive Byrne (o.byrne@ucl.ac.uk):
*Recruiting new group leaders*
The @lmcb-ucl.bsky.social at University College London are looking for outstanding candidates to sponsor for career development fellowships. Fellows would then be assessed for tenured positions at the end of the fellowship term.
Tumor-draining Lymph nodes - Online event next week!
follow the link to register
On January 13 from 11:30 – 1:00 pm ET, @thelundlab.bsky.social , Dr. Ivan Maillard, @actonlab.bsky.social , & Dr. Burkhard Ludewig will discuss lymph node remodeling in cancer:
events.cancer.gov/dcb/tdln #TLDNForums
Laurence Wilson and Martin Bees use high-speed 3D holographic imaging to capture the flagellar beat of single algal cells, revealing changes in the ‘handedness’ of the flagellar shapes at different points in their cycle.
#JCSciliaSI
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Figure showing that IL-6 secretion is polarised.
Tongxiang Chen, Anthi Psoma, Geert van den Bogaart, Harry Warner @rug.nl @novo-nordisk.bsky.social & team discover that phosphorylation of VAMP3 couples IL-6 exocytosis to dendritic cell activation.
Highlight: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Article: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
📢 Short talk abstract/scholarship submission ends tomorrow! #KSStromal26
Don't miss out on the biggest #stromal #immunology conference happening in 2026.
Register now: keysym.us/KSStromal26
We hiring! Please share this post with your talented ECRs
We're looking for a postdoc interested in the formation and function of tertiary lymphoid structures - project funded by Wellcome
Based at @lmcb-ucl.bsky.social at University College London
Apply here:
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPD418/r...
Lovely trip to @institutcurie.bsky.social this week for student viva.
Paris in the sunshine ☀️
We found that the FRC network in lymph nodes requires protrusions to follow ECM scaffolds and to link neighbouring fibroblasts.
FRC use MARCKS to generate protrusions, and that PKN2 is the key kinase for these stroma
Updated preprint below
First round of revisions done
doi.org/10.21203/rs....
Dr. Sophie Acton (@actonlab.bsky.social/UCL)
is a Cancer Research UK Senior Fellow with an interest in lymphoid tissue biology.
At #KSStromal26, she'll be sharing her insights on podoplanin - a molecule that controls DC motility within the lymph node.
Register now! Link in bio.
see you there!
Flyer for Keystone meeting on Stromal immunology in health and disease, Feb 2-5th 2026.
Save the date! Keystone Stromal Immunology meeting, Feb 2-5, 2026 #KSStromal26
1. Scholarships/Short Talk Abstracts: October 7
2. Early Registration: December 3 (Save $200!)
3. Poster Abstracts: January 12, 2026 (11:59 MST)
Please share! And reach out if you have any questions.
Can't wait!
Pleased to update this - The paper is published in Cell Reports!
A long road for this one, the paper grew exponentially and evolved over a couple of years. Thanks to @makris1.bsky.social for sticking with it to untangle all the new data!
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
single cell RNAseq data showing shifts in fibroblast phenotypes after genetic deletion of Podoplanin in lymph node stroma.
Our latest preprint! - led by @makris1.bsky.social
we find that Podoplanin expression in lymphoid tissue fibroblasts regulated their inflammatory signalling and crosstalk with immune cell populations
doi.org/10.1101/2022...
Our latest paper is finally out! We are showing the significance of the podoplanin/CLEC-2 signaling axis beyond controlling cellular mechanics and actomyosin contractility.
#fibroblasts #podoplanin #stroma #inflammation
@actonlab.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
🔬 Calling all researchers! 📢
Submit your research or reviews on myeloid cells for a special collection curated by experts!
Dive into the latest on their role in health & disease, and contribute to cutting-edge immunology. 🧬
👉 Learn more & submit: bit.ly/43OULe9
Learn more about UCL's Computational Cell Biophysics MRes by registering for one of our virtual open events on Wednesday 9 April: www.ucl.ac.uk/lifesciences...
Contribute to the latest research on neuroinflammation! 🧠🔬
We’re inviting submissions on microglia, CNS immunopathology, and novel immune interactions in the brain.
Submit by June 2025!
📄 Learn more: bit.ly/3XAlsPV
🐟 Did you know the immune system might be linked to the lunar cycle? A new study on freshwater three-spined sticklebacks suggests a tiny endogenous tidal rhythm in immune gene expression! 🌊🔬
Read more in Discovery Immunology 👉 bit.ly/4hMtCMm #Immunology
Cartoon showing key mechanotransduction signalling pathways to the nucleus. Mechanosensitive ion channels at the plasma and nuclear membranes allow Ca2+ entry into the cytoplasm and nucleus, activating downstream signalling pathways. NE stretching opens NPCs, facilitating entry of transcription factors (TF) and transcriptional coregulators (TCR) that alter gene expression. Additionally, NE stretching activates Ca2+ channels in the ER, promoting Ca2+ entry into the nucleus. Stretch-induced activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) further drives the arachidonic acid (AA) pathway, leading to gene expression changes.
In their Review, Julien Morival, Anna Hazelwood and Jan Lammerding @lammerdinglab.bsky.social discuss new insights and technological advances in understanding nuclear mechanotransduction.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Journal of Cell Science cover featuring a transmission electron micrograph of the stacked membranous discs which form the outer segments of photoreceptor cells.
Issue 4 is complete
Explore our ToC: journals.biologists.com/jcs/issue/13...
Our cover image shows the stacked membranous discs which form the outer segments of photoreceptor cells. See article from Mohona Gupta, Gregory Pazour and colleagues: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
NEW @preprintclub.bsky.social Journal Club of @biorxiv-immuno.bsky.social paper by @makris1.bsky.social @actonlab.bsky.social showing that loss of podoplanin in fibroblastic reticular cells results in decreased antibody levels and smaller germinal centres after immunization
And Erika McCartney from Toronto will present a preprint about the effect of Podoplanin expression on the phenotypes and immunoregulatory properties of fibroblasts in lymph nodes. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
On #WorldCancerDay, we meet with @actonlab.bsky.social where Sophie Acton delves into the interactions between immune cells and support cells in lymph nodes and tumours. She discusses how fibroblasts influence immune responses and their potential in cancer therapy.
www.ucl.ac.uk/lifesciences...
From left to right: Sophie Acton, Pedro Carvalho, Guillaume Jacquemet, Charlotte Kirchhelle and Aryeh Warmflash.
Also in Issue 2:
- Research Highlights on axon guidance, muscle fibres & EGFR signalling
- Meet our Associate Editors, Sophie Acton @actonlab.bsky.social, Pedro Carvalho, @guijacquemet.bsky.social, @ckirchhelle.bsky.social & Aryeh Warmflash
- GAG lyases Review
journals.biologists.com/jcs/issue/13...
From left to right in individual pictures: Sophie Acton, Pedro Carvalho, Guillaume Jacquemet, Charlotte Kirchhelle and Aryeh Warmflash.
JCS Editor-in-Chief @drmichaelway.bsky.social introduces our new Associate Editors.
We are delighted to welcome Sophie Acton @actonlab.bsky.social, Pedro Carvalho, @guijacquemet.bsky.social, @ckirchhelle.bsky.social and Aryeh Warmflash to the JCS team.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
