Professor, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences

Prof. Salomon received his B.Sc. (suma cum laude) in Biology with an emphasis in biotechnology from the Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University in 2006. He then continued to his Ph.D. studies also at the Faculty of Life Sciences at TAU in the Dean's direct Ph.D. track under the supervision of Prof. Guido Sessa. In 2011, Prof. Salomon joined the laboratory of Prof. Kim Orth at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, USA as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He joined the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University in 2016.

Prof. Salomon is a two-time recipient of the prestigious ERC grant and of the Alon Fellowship for Outstanding Young Investigators.

How do bacteria fight each other? How do they manipulate host cells to their advantage? How can we use bacterial toxins to develop novel antibacterial treatments? These are the questions we answer in the Salomon Lab.
 

We use a multi-disciplinary approach to study bacterial protein secretion systems and their toxins, focusing mainly on the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS). The T6SS is a unique machine that shoots a "poisoned arrow" at neighboring cells. It can deliver toxic effectors directly into eukaryotic host cells as well as into competing bacterial cells, therefore mediating both virulence and antibacterial activities to shape their environment.

We employ molecular microbiology, genetics, proteomics, microscopy, bioinformatics, and biochemical tools to identify activities and targets of T6SSs in pathogenic bacteria. We also work to discover new toxic effectors and determine their mechanism of action and dissemination, and we aim to develop novel T6SS-based platforms for antibacterial treatments.

Selected publications:

• ​​Fridman CM, Keppel K, Rudenko V, Altuna-Alvarez J, Albesa-Jove D, Bosis E#, & Salomon D# (2025) A new class of type 6 secretion system effectors can carry two toxic domains and are recognized through the WHIX motif for export. PLOS Biology, in press

• Mahata T, Kanarek K, Goren MG, Ragavan RM, Bosis E#, Qimron U#, & Salomon D# (2024) Gamma-Mobile-Trio systems are mobile elements rich in bacterial defensive and offensive tools. Nature Microbiology, 9(12):3268-3283

• ​Mass S, Cohen H, Gerlic M, Ushijima B, van Kessel JC, Bosis E, & Salomon D (2024) The coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus uses a T6SS to secrete a group of novel anti-eukaryotic effectors that contribute to virulence. PLOS Biology, 22(9):e3002734

• Carobbi A, Di Nepi S, Bosis E, Salomon D#, Sessa, G. (2024) PIX is an N-terminal delivery domain that defines a new class of polymorphic T6SS effectors in Enterobacterales. Cell Reports, 43(4):114015

• ​Kanarek K, Fridman CM, Bosis E #, & Salomon D# (2023) The RIX domain defines a new class of polymorphic T6SS effectors and secreted adaptors. Nature Communications, 14:4983

• Tchelet D, Keppel K, Bosis E, & Salomon D (2023) Vibrio parahaemolyticus T6SS2 effector repertoires. Gut Microbes, 15(1): 2178795

• Cohen H, Baram N, Fridman CM, Edry-Botzer L, Salomon D #, & Gerlic M # (2022) Post-phagocytosis activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by two novel T6SS effectors. eLife, doi: 10.7554/eLife.82766

• Dar Y *, Jana B *, Bosis E #, Salomon D # (2021) A binary effector module secreted by a type VI secretion system. EMBO Reports, e53981

• ​Jana B, Keppel K, Salomon D (2021) Engineering a customizable antibacterial T6SS-based platfrom in Vibrio natriegens. EMBO Reports, e53681

• Fridman CM, Keppel K, Gerlic M, Bosis E #, Salomon D #. (2020) A comparative genomics methodology reveals a widespread family of membrane-disrupting T6SS effectors. Nature Communications, 11:1085

• Jana B*, Fridman CM*, Bosis E #, Salomon D #. (2019) A modular effector with a DNase domain and a marker for T6SS substrates. Nature Communications, 10:3595.