Josh Bennett
@joshwbennett.bsky.social
PhD student in the Banfield Lab, JIC. Studying plant pathogen interactions🦠🌾
Reposted by Josh Bennett
My new Emmy Noether Group is recruiting!
🔬 Two PhD positions in plant pathogen evolution
🧬 Start: April 2026 (flexible)
📍 Dept. of Phytopathology & Plant Protection @rstam.bsky.social @uni-kiel.de
⏰ Apply by 15 Dec 2025
🔗 More info: www.uni-kiel.de/personal/de/...
Do get in touch or share 😊
🔬 Two PhD positions in plant pathogen evolution
🧬 Start: April 2026 (flexible)
📍 Dept. of Phytopathology & Plant Protection @rstam.bsky.social @uni-kiel.de
⏰ Apply by 15 Dec 2025
🔗 More info: www.uni-kiel.de/personal/de/...
Do get in touch or share 😊
Aktuelle Ausschreibungen
Aktuelle Ausschreibungen
www.uni-kiel.de
November 3, 2025 at 9:03 AM
My new Emmy Noether Group is recruiting!
🔬 Two PhD positions in plant pathogen evolution
🧬 Start: April 2026 (flexible)
📍 Dept. of Phytopathology & Plant Protection @rstam.bsky.social @uni-kiel.de
⏰ Apply by 15 Dec 2025
🔗 More info: www.uni-kiel.de/personal/de/...
Do get in touch or share 😊
🔬 Two PhD positions in plant pathogen evolution
🧬 Start: April 2026 (flexible)
📍 Dept. of Phytopathology & Plant Protection @rstam.bsky.social @uni-kiel.de
⏰ Apply by 15 Dec 2025
🔗 More info: www.uni-kiel.de/personal/de/...
Do get in touch or share 😊
Reposted by Josh Bennett
New pre-print from the team!
The manuscript is @emma-raven.bsky.social's PhD work showing that whether a leaf is a carbon sink or a carbon source influences how they execute immune responses.
Have a read!
#PlantScience
@johninnescentre.bsky.social
The manuscript is @emma-raven.bsky.social's PhD work showing that whether a leaf is a carbon sink or a carbon source influences how they execute immune responses.
Have a read!
#PlantScience
@johninnescentre.bsky.social
Primary metabolism underpins the execution of immune responses in different tissues of the same plant https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.11.681807v1
October 14, 2025 at 7:16 AM
New pre-print from the team!
The manuscript is @emma-raven.bsky.social's PhD work showing that whether a leaf is a carbon sink or a carbon source influences how they execute immune responses.
Have a read!
#PlantScience
@johninnescentre.bsky.social
The manuscript is @emma-raven.bsky.social's PhD work showing that whether a leaf is a carbon sink or a carbon source influences how they execute immune responses.
Have a read!
#PlantScience
@johninnescentre.bsky.social
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Primary metabolism underpins the execution of immune responses in different tissues of the same plant https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.11.681807v1
October 14, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Primary metabolism underpins the execution of immune responses in different tissues of the same plant https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.11.681807v1
Reposted by Josh Bennett
New opportunity to undertake a PhD in my group at the John Innes Centre - if you’re interested in plant immunity and evolution check out the link!
Understanding Host Compatibility in the Marchantia-Phytophthora System (CARELLA_J26DTP) | Doctoral Training Partnership
The fossil record demonstrates that filamentous microbes invaded ancient plant cells with intracellular hyphal structures over 450 million years ago. To this day, a rich diversity of extant land plant...
biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk
October 12, 2025 at 5:30 PM
New opportunity to undertake a PhD in my group at the John Innes Centre - if you’re interested in plant immunity and evolution check out the link!
Check out this cool story and great science from the protease master Big Al! 🍊👍
1/13 Thankfully, both you and your plants have a lot of sophisticated ways to fight off invading pathogens.
In our new preprint, we describe a new way in which animals and plants share a common strategy to ward off harmful bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In our new preprint, we describe a new way in which animals and plants share a common strategy to ward off harmful bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A secreted citrus protease cleaves an outer membrane protein of the Huanglongbing pathogen
Plants secrete a variety of proteases as a defense response during infection by microbial pathogens. However, the relationship between their catalytic activities and antimicrobial functions remains la...
www.biorxiv.org
October 11, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Check out this cool story and great science from the protease master Big Al! 🍊👍
Reposted by Josh Bennett
1/13 Thankfully, both you and your plants have a lot of sophisticated ways to fight off invading pathogens.
In our new preprint, we describe a new way in which animals and plants share a common strategy to ward off harmful bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In our new preprint, we describe a new way in which animals and plants share a common strategy to ward off harmful bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A secreted citrus protease cleaves an outer membrane protein of the Huanglongbing pathogen
Plants secrete a variety of proteases as a defense response during infection by microbial pathogens. However, the relationship between their catalytic activities and antimicrobial functions remains la...
www.biorxiv.org
October 10, 2025 at 2:15 PM
1/13 Thankfully, both you and your plants have a lot of sophisticated ways to fight off invading pathogens.
In our new preprint, we describe a new way in which animals and plants share a common strategy to ward off harmful bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
In our new preprint, we describe a new way in which animals and plants share a common strategy to ward off harmful bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Josh Bennett
A secreted citrus protease cleaves an outer membrane protein of the Huanglongbing pathogen https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.06.680679v1
October 7, 2025 at 2:03 AM
A secreted citrus protease cleaves an outer membrane protein of the Huanglongbing pathogen https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.06.680679v1
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Have folks had the chance to try out the free-to-use OpenCRISPR yet?
It seems to offer a great alternative for cash-strapped startups.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
It seems to offer a great alternative for cash-strapped startups.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Design of highly functional genome editors by modelling CRISPR–Cas sequences - Nature
Gene editors designed using artificial intelligence can undertake precision editing of the human genome.
www.nature.com
September 30, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Have folks had the chance to try out the free-to-use OpenCRISPR yet?
It seems to offer a great alternative for cash-strapped startups.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
It seems to offer a great alternative for cash-strapped startups.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Preprint: De-novo design of proteins that inhibit bacterial defenses
Our approach allows silencing defense systems of choice. We show how this approach enables programming of “untransformable” bacteria, and how it can enhance phage therapy applications
Congrats Jeremy Garb!
tinyurl.com/Syttt
🧵
Our approach allows silencing defense systems of choice. We show how this approach enables programming of “untransformable” bacteria, and how it can enhance phage therapy applications
Congrats Jeremy Garb!
tinyurl.com/Syttt
🧵
Synthetically designed anti-defense proteins overcome barriers to bacterial transformation and phage infection
Bacterial defense systems present considerable barriers to both phage infection and plasmid transformation. These systems target mobile genetic elements, limiting the efficacy of bacteriophage-based t...
www.biorxiv.org
September 2, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Preprint: De-novo design of proteins that inhibit bacterial defenses
Our approach allows silencing defense systems of choice. We show how this approach enables programming of “untransformable” bacteria, and how it can enhance phage therapy applications
Congrats Jeremy Garb!
tinyurl.com/Syttt
🧵
Our approach allows silencing defense systems of choice. We show how this approach enables programming of “untransformable” bacteria, and how it can enhance phage therapy applications
Congrats Jeremy Garb!
tinyurl.com/Syttt
🧵
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Thrilled to share our new bioRxiv preprint!✨ Huge credit to first author Yujin Chen and thanks to all co-authors. Extra special: my first paper as co-corresponding author (with Lieve Gheysen).
Check how nematodes uncouple FLS2–BSK signalling in 🌱👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Check how nematodes uncouple FLS2–BSK signalling in 🌱👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Thrilled to share our new bioRxiv preprint!✨ Huge credit to first author Yujin Chen and thanks to all co-authors. Extra special: my first paper as co-corresponding author (with Lieve Gheysen).
Check how nematodes uncouple FLS2–BSK signalling in 🌱👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Check how nematodes uncouple FLS2–BSK signalling in 🌱👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Check out our new pre-print! ✨
We cloned AvrWTK4, the first wheat powdery mildew effector recognised by a tandem kinase protein, and show that an HMA-like integrated domain in WTK4 acts as pathogen decoy. Discover the whole story on bioRxiv ⬇️
We cloned AvrWTK4, the first wheat powdery mildew effector recognised by a tandem kinase protein, and show that an HMA-like integrated domain in WTK4 acts as pathogen decoy. Discover the whole story on bioRxiv ⬇️
An HMA-like integrated domain in the wheat tandem kinase WTK4 recognises an RNase-like pathogen effector https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.26.672365v1
September 1, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Check out our new pre-print! ✨
We cloned AvrWTK4, the first wheat powdery mildew effector recognised by a tandem kinase protein, and show that an HMA-like integrated domain in WTK4 acts as pathogen decoy. Discover the whole story on bioRxiv ⬇️
We cloned AvrWTK4, the first wheat powdery mildew effector recognised by a tandem kinase protein, and show that an HMA-like integrated domain in WTK4 acts as pathogen decoy. Discover the whole story on bioRxiv ⬇️
Reposted by Josh Bennett
We’re excited to share our latest work on plant pathogen effector protein evolution @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social. With @kamounlab.bsky.social and Abbas Maqbool.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Rewinding the tape: historical contingency and functional constraints have shaped the evolution of APikL virulence effectors in the blast fungus
Protein evolution is influenced by historical contingencies and functional constraints, but their combined impact on rapidly diversifying pathogen virulence effectors remains poorly understood. Here, ...
www.biorxiv.org
August 13, 2025 at 2:36 PM
We’re excited to share our latest work on plant pathogen effector protein evolution @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social. With @kamounlab.bsky.social and Abbas Maqbool.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Excited this paper is finally published! We focused on the inner concave surface of LRR RKs to expand bacterial flagellin perception in plants. Selection indicates expanded perception is more common than previously thought. Experiments led by @jerrytli.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Unlocking expanded flagellin perception through rational receptor engineering - Nature Plants
Receptor kinase FLS2 detects the flg22 epitope of bacterial flagellin. Here the authors identify key residues on FLS2’s concave surface that enable expanded perception of flg22 variants, allowing the ...
www.nature.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Excited this paper is finally published! We focused on the inner concave surface of LRR RKs to expand bacterial flagellin perception in plants. Selection indicates expanded perception is more common than previously thought. Experiments led by @jerrytli.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Josh Bennett
A conserved small RNA-generating gene cluster undergoes sequence diversification and contributes to plant immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.20.665670v1
July 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
A conserved small RNA-generating gene cluster undergoes sequence diversification and contributes to plant immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.20.665670v1
Reposted by Josh Bennett
#2025ISMPMI Want to know about transcriptional regulation driving pathogenicity in the blast fungus? Come to my poster (P-156) session today!
From 13:30 to 15:15 🌾
From 13:30 to 15:15 🌾
July 17, 2025 at 7:27 AM
#2025ISMPMI Want to know about transcriptional regulation driving pathogenicity in the blast fungus? Come to my poster (P-156) session today!
From 13:30 to 15:15 🌾
From 13:30 to 15:15 🌾
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Super excited to be giving a talk at #2025ISMPMI today in the Synthetic biology concurrent session from 15:15 - 15:35! Come along if you’re interested in engineering Tandem Kinase Proteins
July 17, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Super excited to be giving a talk at #2025ISMPMI today in the Synthetic biology concurrent session from 15:15 - 15:35! Come along if you’re interested in engineering Tandem Kinase Proteins
Reposted by Josh Bennett
🎉 Exciting news during #2025ISMPMI
Our AlphaFold sensor vs helper NLR paper is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social!
Big thanks to the reviewers for their constructive feedback 🙏
📖 Check out the peer-reviewed version here 👇
🔗 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
bsky.app/profile/yusu...
Our AlphaFold sensor vs helper NLR paper is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social!
Big thanks to the reviewers for their constructive feedback 🙏
📖 Check out the peer-reviewed version here 👇
🔗 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
bsky.app/profile/yusu...
July 16, 2025 at 3:57 PM
🎉 Exciting news during #2025ISMPMI
Our AlphaFold sensor vs helper NLR paper is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social!
Big thanks to the reviewers for their constructive feedback 🙏
📖 Check out the peer-reviewed version here 👇
🔗 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
bsky.app/profile/yusu...
Our AlphaFold sensor vs helper NLR paper is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social!
Big thanks to the reviewers for their constructive feedback 🙏
📖 Check out the peer-reviewed version here 👇
🔗 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
bsky.app/profile/yusu...
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Join us for the 🪴 🌵 Plant Peptide Receptor Meeting 2025 ☘️ 🪴 in 🏴 Edinburgh 🏴 8th-10th September
#plantsignaling #PlantScience #plantsci
pprm2025.events.kdmeventsportal.co.uk
@pprm2025.bsky.social
A thread 🧵
(1/n)
#plantsignaling #PlantScience #plantsci
pprm2025.events.kdmeventsportal.co.uk
@pprm2025.bsky.social
A thread 🧵
(1/n)
Plant Peptide Receptor Meeting 2025
pprm2025.events.kdmeventsportal.co.uk
May 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Join us for the 🪴 🌵 Plant Peptide Receptor Meeting 2025 ☘️ 🪴 in 🏴 Edinburgh 🏴 8th-10th September
#plantsignaling #PlantScience #plantsci
pprm2025.events.kdmeventsportal.co.uk
@pprm2025.bsky.social
A thread 🧵
(1/n)
#plantsignaling #PlantScience #plantsci
pprm2025.events.kdmeventsportal.co.uk
@pprm2025.bsky.social
A thread 🧵
(1/n)
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Very happy to share our preprint on heavy metal associated (HMA) domain-containing rice proteins bound by the rice blast MAX effector AVR-Pia! 🌾
The Magnaporthe oryzae MAX effector AVR-Pia binds a novel group of rice HMA domain-containing proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.11.664054v1
July 15, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Very happy to share our preprint on heavy metal associated (HMA) domain-containing rice proteins bound by the rice blast MAX effector AVR-Pia! 🌾
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Big thanks to everyone who stopped by my poster today at #2025ISMPMI!
For those that missed it, you can check it out on Zenodo!
zenodo.org/records/1588...
For those that missed it, you can check it out on Zenodo!
zenodo.org/records/1588...
Engineering new-to-nature immune sensors for novel recognition of Magnaporthe oryzae
Phytopathogenic fungi significantly impact global food security, causing up to 40% of annual crop yield losses worldwide. Alone, the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae has a global economic impact of $66...
zenodo.org
July 14, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Big thanks to everyone who stopped by my poster today at #2025ISMPMI!
For those that missed it, you can check it out on Zenodo!
zenodo.org/records/1588...
For those that missed it, you can check it out on Zenodo!
zenodo.org/records/1588...
Excited to attend my 1st ISMPMI conference, and present our work on a paired wheat CNL/MLKL receptor mechanism! 🌾
Come chat to me at my poster on Tuesday, P-050! 📜
If you miss my poster session, I will be talking in: Crop resistance genetics and genomics on Wednesday - 16:25-16:35!
Come chat to me at my poster on Tuesday, P-050! 📜
If you miss my poster session, I will be talking in: Crop resistance genetics and genomics on Wednesday - 16:25-16:35!
July 14, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Excited to attend my 1st ISMPMI conference, and present our work on a paired wheat CNL/MLKL receptor mechanism! 🌾
Come chat to me at my poster on Tuesday, P-050! 📜
If you miss my poster session, I will be talking in: Crop resistance genetics and genomics on Wednesday - 16:25-16:35!
Come chat to me at my poster on Tuesday, P-050! 📜
If you miss my poster session, I will be talking in: Crop resistance genetics and genomics on Wednesday - 16:25-16:35!
Reposted by Josh Bennett
The Magnaporthe oryzae MAX effector AVR-Pia binds a novel group of rice HMA domain-containing proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.11.664054v1
July 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
The Magnaporthe oryzae MAX effector AVR-Pia binds a novel group of rice HMA domain-containing proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.11.664054v1
Reposted by Josh Bennett
A plant pathogen effector blocks stepwise assembly of a helper NLR resistosome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.14.664264v1
July 14, 2025 at 2:02 PM
A plant pathogen effector blocks stepwise assembly of a helper NLR resistosome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.14.664264v1
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Up and ready! Find me at P-267 today for some molecular evolution and NLR biology! 🥬💻
You can also find the poster and preprint below 👇🏻
#2025ISMPMI
You can also find the poster and preprint below 👇🏻
#2025ISMPMI
July 14, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Up and ready! Find me at P-267 today for some molecular evolution and NLR biology! 🥬💻
You can also find the poster and preprint below 👇🏻
#2025ISMPMI
You can also find the poster and preprint below 👇🏻
#2025ISMPMI
Reposted by Josh Bennett
Preprint: “Structural modeling reveals viral proteins that manipulate host immune signaling”
Using AI-guided structural modeling, we find new families of viral proteins that sequester or cleave host immune signaling molecules
Congrats Nitzan Tal!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Using AI-guided structural modeling, we find new families of viral proteins that sequester or cleave host immune signaling molecules
Congrats Nitzan Tal!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
July 14, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Preprint: “Structural modeling reveals viral proteins that manipulate host immune signaling”
Using AI-guided structural modeling, we find new families of viral proteins that sequester or cleave host immune signaling molecules
Congrats Nitzan Tal!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Using AI-guided structural modeling, we find new families of viral proteins that sequester or cleave host immune signaling molecules
Congrats Nitzan Tal!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...