Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gesa Hoffmann @gesahoffmann.bsky.social · 1d

It was wonderful to have Bijun with us @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social & @incavirus.bsky.social to finally "use our microscope to its full potential" as our core-facility put it! 🔬

Congrats to all, esp. @bijuntang.bsky.social and @xanderjones.bsky.social ! Super happy to be a part of this great story!

7 15

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

GeminiTeamLab @geminiteamlab.bsky.social · 7d

How do geminiviruses maximize their limited coding capacity? Our recent preprint uncovers splicing of viral transcripts as one more strategy used by this viral family. We show that RNA splicing is prevalent in the geminivirus TYLCV — and required for infectivity! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Pervasive splicing in a plant DNA virus

Viruses maximize their limited coding space through strategies that increase transcript and protein diversity. In mammalian viruses, splicing is a well-established mechanism for proteome expansion, ye...

www.biorxiv.org

24 44

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Harvard Med Cell Biology @harvardcellbio.bsky.social · 8d

Historically, viruses were thought to primarily use host cell's translational machinery. New work from @harvardcellbio.bsky.social faculty Amy Lee reveals that a giant DNA virus encodes its own IF4F initiation complex, suggesting an unexpected evolutionary innovation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Giant DNA viruses encode a hallmark translation initiation complex of eukaryotic life

In contrast to living organisms, viruses were long thought to lack protein synthesis machinery and instead depend on host factors to translate viral transcripts. Here, we discover that giant DNA virus...

www.biorxiv.org

39 93

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

IBMP | Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes @ibmp-cnrs.bsky.social · 12d

🦠🌱 New review in Annual Review of Virology:
Double-stranded RNA sensing underpins antiviral immunity in plants, linking RNA silencing, RNA decay, PTI & ETI. By Manfred Heinlein (IBMP)
#PlantScience #Virology #rna
▶️https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-virology-092623-101447

2 4 18

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Heinrich Bente @hebente.bsky.social · 13d

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Here it comes, first preprint from my postdoc time at @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social in the lab of @claudiakohler11.bsky.social

Samplify: A versatile tool for image-based segmentation and annotation of seed abortion phenotypes

Automated seed phenotyping has wide applications in research and agriculture and relies on easy-to-use platforms and pipelines. Seed phenotyping in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana poses a signi...

www.biorxiv.org

2 5 9

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Manuela Casasoli @manuelacasasoli.bsky.social · 13d

Do not miss it!
1st Place
2025 Small World in Motion Competition

"Self-pollination in a flower of thymeleaf speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)"

Credit
Jay McClellan

🧪 #Science #SciComm #Nature #Photography
1- www.nikonsmallworld.com
2- www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/20...

3 21 90

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

John Ngo @johntngo.bsky.social · 18d

🚀 Our new paper is out @natmethods.nature.com!

Kuffer & Marzilli engineered conditionally stable MS2 & PP7 coat proteins (dMCP & dPCP) that degrade unless bound to RNA, enabling ultra–low-background, single-mRNA imaging in live cells.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧬 www.addgene.org/John_Ngo/

6 97 220

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Maddy Seale @maddyseale.bsky.social · 18d

Out First Release in @science.org this week:

A large scale analysis of the epigenetics of transposable elements in Arabidopsis shows transgenerational stability

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#PlantScience

Transposable elements are vectors of recurrent transgenerational epigenetic inheritance

DNA methylation loss at transposable elements (TEs) can affect neighboring genes and be epigenetically inherited in plants, yet the determinants and significance of this additional system of inheritan...

www.science.org

13 43

Gesa Hoffmann @gesahoffmann.bsky.social · 18d

Really beautifully written perspective 😊 and it’s great to read a piece that also considers plant parasites 🙏🍀

2

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Luís M. Silva @luismsilva.bsky.social · 18d

Interested in #virulence? Not sure what it is - or how to explain it? Just curious? 🧐🦠🧬🦋

@kayla-king.bsky.social and I just wrote a Primer for @currentbiology.bsky.social on the ecology and evolution of virulence!

Check it below and share :)

#MicroSky #EvoSky #pathogens

Ecology and evolution of virulence

Silva and King discuss the concept of virulence and the ecological and evolutionary factors that shape it.

www.cell.com

2 26 60

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · 19d

Samplify: A versatile tool for image-based segmentation and annotation of seed abortion phenotypes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.18.677122v1

3 5

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology 🌱🧪 @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social · 24d

That’s a wrap on an amazing conference #PlantsandPeople ! 🎉 Huge thanks to all participants for your energy, to our speakers and panelists for inspiring insights, and to our sponsors for making it all possible. 🌟 Until next time! 🙏
#PnP25 #Targenomix #metaSysX

2 9

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Schnittger Lab @schnittger-lab.bsky.social · Aug 25

Six more years—plus a lot of blood, sweat, and tears—later, we are thrilled to finally share it: a cytological framework of female meiosis in Arabidopsis!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A cytological framework of female meiosis in Arabidopsis

Female and male meiosis often differ in many aspects, such as their duration and the frequency as well as the positioning of crossovers. However, studying female meiosis is often very challenging and ...

www.biorxiv.org

3 19 42

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

carogutj.bsky.social @carogutj.bsky.social · Aug 23

Attention plant proteomics specialists: We are looking for a Head of our new Proteomics Unit at our international and dynamic Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology. @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social Applications are welcome until 30. Sept 2025: jobs.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/jobposting/8...

Head of Service Unit Proteomics

jobs.mpimp-golm.mpg.de

54 36

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

pfeilmeier.bsky.social @pfeilmeier.bsky.social · Jul 29

Finally a method to identify plant RNA-binding proteins! 🧬 This enables so much new biology to discover from immunity to development! 🤯 🪴 Established by the incredible Victor Sanchez with @havandenburg.bsky.social @uva.nl Congratulations!!

bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · Jul 29

Protocol for capturing the RNA-binding proteome from plants using orthogonal organic phase separation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.29.667348v1

9 19

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Sascha Laubinger @saschalaubinger.bsky.social · Jul 17

One more week to apply for this exciting Professorship in Plant Sciences at Uni Halle! Join our vibrant plant research community 🌱

Info 👉 wcms.itz.uni-halle.de/download.php...

@unihalle.bsky.social @snp2prot.bsky.social

wcms.itz.uni-halle.de

26 19

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Alex Webb Lab @alexwebblab.bsky.social · Jul 17

This is amazing. Engineered broad disease resistance #plantscience 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Remodelling autoactive NLRs for broad-spectrum immunity in plants - Nature

Cleavage by pathogen-derived proteases of an engineered chimeric protein activates its plant immune receptor component, enabling broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens in plants.

www.nature.com

13 26

Gesa Hoffmann @gesahoffmann.bsky.social · Jul 17

Thank you so much, Peter! 😊 it is great to have finally met you in person !

1

Gesa Hoffmann @gesahoffmann.bsky.social · Jul 14

Thank you so much for the opportunity to present at #ASV2025 !

Anna E. Whitfield @aewtospo.bsky.social · Jul 14

@gesahoffmann.bsky.social presents on transgenerational barriers in plant virus transmission at #ASV2025 ❤️Plant Virology 🦠🌱

1 7

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Stéphanie Robert @srobertgroup.bsky.social · Jul 14

Please spread the word: Position in plant development @umeaplantsciencecentre.se

Looking forward to having a new colleague!

www.upsc.se/jobs/6590-as...

Umeå Plant Science Centre - Associate Senior Lecturer in plant physiology with focus on plant embryo development

www.upsc.se

1 27 20

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Anna E. Whitfield @aewtospo.bsky.social · Jul 13

#ASV2025
Don't forget to join us at 8:30 am on 7/14 for the Plant Virology Satellite Symposium. We have a great lineup of international speakers!

1 1 7

Gesa Hoffmann @gesahoffmann.bsky.social · Jul 13

First time in Montreal, first time at #ASV2025, first time giving an invited talk at a conference! I am stoked for the next days ‼️

1 1 15

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

GeminiTeamLab @geminiteamlab.bsky.social · Jul 9

Have you ever wondered why virus-infected plants twist, curl, yellow, and/or stop growing? We did—you can read what we found in our latest review: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... @gmvalora.bsky.social @annualreviews.bsky.social

Symptom Development in Plant Viral Diseases: What, How, and Why? | Annual Reviews

Plant viruses are obligate intracellular pathogens that hijack host cellular machinery to support their replication and spread. Viral infection induces a variety of structural and physiological change...

www.annualreviews.org

37 69

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · Jun 27

Can't enough of science? Worry not - we've got you covered! 😊Our 2024 Yearbook Highlights Research just dropped: filled with inspiring science that shapes our future, from breakthroughs in heart health to ingenious ways to cut waste. Read all here ➡️ www.mpg.de/13631298/yea...

5 8

Reposted by Gesa Hoffmann

Alex Guyon @alexguyon.bsky.social · Jun 24

1/🚨 New preprint alert! Can mutualists and pathogens co-colonise the same living plant cell and what does that do to the plant membranes that surround these microbes?

7 37 72