Research Interests

We work to identify and understand new regulators of cellular infiltration into tissues; our ultimate goal is to enable their modulation to improve symptoms in diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity. We utilize fruit fly genetics for discovery and then apply in vivo imaging, biophysical approaches, mass spectrometry, metabolomics and high throughput sequencing to explore function. We extend these findings into vertebrate models; one current focus is a turbocharger of mitochondrial energy production and its importance for immunology and the brain.

Selected Publications

Akhmanova, M., Emtenani, S., Krueger, D., Gyoergy, A., Guarda, M., Vlasov, M., Vlasov, F., Akopian, A., Ratheesh, A., De Renzis, S., Siekhaus, D.E. (2022) Cell division in tissues enables macrophage infiltration. Science 376, 394-6.

Emtenani, S., Martin, E., Gyoergy, A., Bicher, J., Genger, J.W., Hurd, T.R., Koecher, T., Berthaler, A. Rangan, P, Siekhaus, D.E. (2022) Macrophage mitochondrial bioenergetics and tissue invasion are promoted by an Atossa-Porthos axis in Drosophila. The EMBO Journal e109049 1-29

Roblek, M., Bicher, J., van Gogh, M., Gyoergy, A., Seebock, R. Szulc, B., Damme, M., Olczak, M, Bursig, L., Siekhaus, D.E. (2022) The solute carrier MFSD1 decreases 1 Integrin’s activation status and thus metastasis. Frontiers in Oncology 12, 777634 1-16

Belyaeva, V., Wachner, S., Gyoergy, A., Emtenani, S., Gridchyn, I., Akhmanova, M., Linder, M., Sibilia, M., Siekhaus, D.E. (2022) Fos regulates macrophage infiltration against surrounding tissue resistance by a cortical actin-based mechanism in Drosophila. PLOS Biology 20(1): e3001494 1-36

Valoskova, K., Biebl, J., Roblek, M., Emtenani , S., Gyoergy, A., Misova, M., Ratheesh, A., Shkarina, K., Larsen, I.S.B, Vakhrushev, S.Y., Clausen, H., Siekhaus, D.E. (2019) A conserved MFS orchestrates a subset of O-glycosylation to facilitate macrophage dissemination and tissue invasion. Elife e41801 1-41

Ratheesh, A, Biebl, J., Vesela, J., Smutny, M., Papusheva, E. Krens, S.F.G, Kaufmann, W., Gyoergy, A., Casano, A.M., Siekhaus D.E. (2018) Drosophila TNF modulates tissue tension in the embryo to facilitate macrophage invasive migration. Developmental Cell 45(3):331-346

Gyoergy, A., Roblek, M., Ratheesh, A., Valoskova, K., Belyaeva, V., Wachner, S., Matsubayashi, Y., Sanchez-Sanchez, B.J., Stramer, B., and Siekhaus D.E. (2018) Tools allowing independent visualization and genetic manipulation of Drosophila melanogaster macrophages and surrounding tissues. G3 (Bethesda) 8(3):845-857

Matsubayashi, Y., Louani, A., Dragu, A., Sánchez-Sánchez, B.J., Serna-Morales, E., Yolland, L., Gyoergy, A., L Vizcay, G., Fleck, R.A., Heddleston, J.M., Chew, T.L., Siekhaus D., Stramer B. (2017) A moving source of matrix components is essential for de novo basement membrane formation. Current Biology 27(22):3526-34

Siekhaus, D., Haesemeyer, M., Moffitt, O. and Lehmann, R. (2010) RhoL controls invasion and Rap1 localization during immune cell transmigration in Drosophila. Nature Cell Biology 12(6):605-610