Date:      Friday, 11 Dec 2026
Time:      2pm – 3pm
Venue:   SBS CR2 (SBS-01n-22)

Abstract:
Bacteria have developed sophisticated nanomachines that ensure the efficient and specific secretion of multiple extracellular factors. The type I| secretion system (T2SS) is specialized in the transport of complex exoproteins that require intracellular folding. The current understanding of the T2SS secretion process suggests a, still unknow, sequential and dynamic mechanism involving the successive interaction of the secreted effector with various periplasmic components of the machinery. In this seminar, Dr. Romé will discuss how structure-function approaches involving cryo-EM and AlphaFold, combined with multiple protein-protein interaction tools, have enabled them to better understand several dynamic aspects of this singular secretory nanomachine.​

Speaker:
Dr Romé Voulhoux
LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Universite, IMM, Marseille, France

Biography:
Dr. Romé is a Research Director and Group Leader at the LCB, CNRS/ Aix Marseille University. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Aix Marseille University and completed his postdoctoral training at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, prior to taking up his current position at LCB. He is a molecular microbiologist whose research focuses on bacterial transport nanomachines. His major contributions to the field include the discovery of the BAM system in Neisseria meningitidis during his postdoctoral work, and the biochemical and functional characterization of the Xcp Type I| Secretion System (T2SS) as well as the pseudopaline zincophore transport cycle in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which constitute key aspects of his current research.