Roncero-Carol, JoanOlaizola-Muñoa, JuneAran, BegoñaMularoni, LorisMiret-Cuesta, MartaBlanco Cabra, NúriaCasals, MarcRumbo Roig, MireiaSolé Inarejos, MiquelOjosnegros, SamuelAlsina i Español, BertaTorrents, EduardVeiga, AnnaIrimia Martínez, ManuelHoijman, Esteban2025-07-282025-07-282025Roncero-Carol J, Olaizola-Muñoa J, Arán B, Mularoni LS, Miret Cuesta M, Blanco-Cabra N, et al. Epithelial cells provide immunocompetence to the early embryo for bacterial clearance. Cell Host & Microbe. 2025;33(7):1106–20. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2025.05.0251931-3128http://hdl.handle.net/10230/71009Early embryos are exposed to environmental perturbations that may influence their development, including bacteria. Despite lacking a proper immune system, the surface epithelium of early embryos (trophectoderm in mammals) can phagocytose defective pluripotent cells. Here, we explore the dynamic interactions between early embryos and bacteria. Quantitative live imaging of infection models developed in zebrafish embryos reveals the efficient phagocytic capability of surface epithelia in detecting, ingesting, and destroying infiltrated E. coli and S. aureus. In vivo single-cell interferences uncover actin-based epithelial zippering protrusions mediating bacterial phagocytosis, safeguarding developmental robustness upon infection. Transcriptomic and inter-scale dynamic analyses of phagocyte-bacteria interactions identify specific features of this epithelial phagocytic program. Notably, live imaging of mouse and human blastocysts supports a conserved role of the trophectoderm in bacterial phagocytosis. This defensive role of the surface epithelium against bacterial infection provides immunocompetence to early embryos, with relevant implications for understanding failures in human embryogenesis.application/pdfeng© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.05.025Embryonic developmentCell dynamicsPhagocytosisEpithelial tissueQuantitative live imagingBacterial infectionsHost-pathogen interactionsZebrafishHuman embryoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess