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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

eLife @elife.bsky.social · 3d

The koji-fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, traditionally used in Japanese brewing, is now widely used to make enzymes.

It seems its capacity for enzyme production is thanks to its unique ability to proportionally increase cell volume and nuclear number.
buff.ly/bPSNRL6

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

nikogeldner.bsky.social @nikogeldner.bsky.social · 6d

A long road to the Cover of Science!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Localized glutamine leakage drives the spatial structure of root microbial colonization

Plant roots release exudates to encourage microbiome assembly, which influences the function and stress resilience of plants. How specific exudates drive spatial colonization patterns remains largely ...

www.science.org

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Klaus Schlaeppi @kschlaeppi.bsky.social · Aug 29

updated preprint: Intriguingly, Arabidopsis responded with both, improved growth and enhanced defence to a maize-conditioned soil microbiome, and this dual microbiome feedbacks were mediated by priming of the defences. Credits to Katja Stengele et al.!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Benzoxazinoid-mediated microbiome feedbacks enhance Arabidopsis growth and defense

Plants modulate their surrounding microbiome via root exudates and this conditioned soil microbiome feeds back on the performance of the next generation of plants. How plants can perceive this altered...

www.biorxiv.org

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Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · Aug 16

Exactly😣 It was big conference that I rarely got to see you. Next time, let’s have lunch or dinner — I want to talk about our science! I hope your new journey in Switzerland goes well🤞

Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · Aug 16

Congrats Fantin🎊 Beautiful work!!

Fantin Mesny @mesny.bsky.social · Aug 15

📣 NEW PREPRINT 📝

We identified evolutionary origins of many fungal effectors!
We show that fungi secrete lots of antimicrobial proteins, and that some of them were repurposed by plant pathogens for host immune suppression.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

cc @teamthomma.bsky.social

Plant-associated fungi co-opt ancient antimicrobials for host manipulation

Evolutionary histories of effector proteins secreted by fungal pathogens to mediate plant colonization remain largely elusive. While most functionally characterized effectors modulate plant immunity, ...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Kei Hiruma @keihiruma.bsky.social · Aug 8

We have posted our latest preprint. We explore how an endophytic fungus promotes plant growth and fitness under fluctuating nitrogen-limited conditions in both field and laboratory settings, in additively with bacteria attracted to its hyphae. We hope you enjoy it!

bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · Aug 7

Nitrogen acquisition and selective bacterial attraction through fungal hyphae promote plant growth and health under nitrogen limitation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.05.668771v1

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Team Thomma @teamthomma.bsky.social · Jul 24

📣 Happy to see the journal publication 📄 of our work on Starships 🚀 in Verticillium fungi: terrific work led by @yukiyosato.bsky.social
rdcu.be/exBSp

Starship giant transposons dominate plastic genomic regions in a fungal plant pathogen and drive virulence evolution

Nature Communications - Giant transposons, known as ‘Starships’, mediate horizontal gene transfer between fungal genomes. Here, Sato et al. show that Starships occupy genome regions...

rdcu.be

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Mary Williams @PlantTeaching @plantteaching.bsky.social · Jul 12

Epipactis helleborine, also known as broad leaf helleborine. An orchid with many small green-purple flowers starting to open.
Finding wild orchids brings me joy.

Epipactis helleborine, also know as broad leaf helleborine. An orchid with many small green-purple flowers starting to open .

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Norio Takeshita @fungalcell.bsky.social · Jul 4

Cell wall remodeling in a fungal pathogen is required for hyphal growth into microspaces. #mBio This study highlights the critical role of hyphal plasticity and cell wall remodeling in the pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum by genetics and micro-channel devices. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Klaus Schlaeppi @kschlaeppi.bsky.social · Jun 30

Updated preprint: MMF1 is "a microbiota receptor” through which Arabidopsis plants perceive their soil microbiome. Perception optimises root microbiome composition, immune status and ultimately leads to better growth. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A TNL receptor mediates microbiome feedbacks in Arabidopsis

Plant performance depends on the soil microbiome. While microbiome feedbacks are well documented, the mechanisms by which plants perceive and mediate these feedbacks remain unclear. We established a f...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Mary Williams @PlantTeaching @plantteaching.bsky.social · Jun 3

A single domestication origin of adzuki bean in Japan and the evolution of domestication genes |
Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Do you love もち (mochi)? If so (or even if you don't), this is an interesting article on the origin of adzuki beans (あずき), source of "red bean paste".

A single domestication origin of adzuki bean in Japan and the evolution of domestication genes

Adzuki is a central legume in East Asian culinary culture, yet its domestication origin remains debated. Using ~700 accessions across Asia, we show that the initial domestication happened three to fiv...

www.science.org

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Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · May 17

Next Monday!

Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · May 7

Webinar Alert🌱
Want to learn cutting-edge studies in plant-microbe interaction? Join our webinar "Advances in Plant-Microbe Interactions: Insights from Asia to the World" with
@elifecommunity.bsky.social !
📅 May 19, 2025 | 🕝 JST 14:30–17:20 (UTC+9)
📌Register: u-tokyo-ac-jp.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · May 7

Webinar Alert🌱
Want to learn cutting-edge studies in plant-microbe interaction? Join our webinar "Advances in Plant-Microbe Interactions: Insights from Asia to the World" with
@elifecommunity.bsky.social !
📅 May 19, 2025 | 🕝 JST 14:30–17:20 (UTC+9)
📌Register: u-tokyo-ac-jp.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

Kenichi Tsuda @kenichitsuda.bsky.social · May 7

An online webinar: Advances in Plant-Microbe Interactions:
Insights from Asia to the World on May 19.

organized by Ren Ujimatsu, who won a 2024 Ben Barres Spotlight Award from eLife @elife.bsky.social

Her recent publication
www.cell.com/current-biol...

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

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Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · May 7

Very happy to organize this exciting webinar. Thank you for everything, Prof. Tsuda!

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Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · May 2

Thanks a lot for your question! Our pathogenic strain “Ct3” become beneficial in high temperature (Hiruma et al., Nat. Commun. 2023). The CtBOT6 genes are identical between the two strains, but interestingly, there is slight deference in 1kb upstream of start codon.

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Reposted by Ren Ujimatsu

American Society of Plant Biologists @aspbofficial.bsky.social · Apr 30

Plant Science Research Weekly -- Friend or Foe? How fungi switch between helping and harming plants (Current Biology) @rujimatsu.bsky.social @keihiruma.bsky.social (Summary by Carlos González Sanz) buff.ly/xfa7e93

#PlantaePSRW

Friend or Foe? How fungi switch between helping and harming plants | Plantae

Plants coexist and interact with various microorganisms in the soil environment, including fungi. These associated fungi can not only cause diseases but also establish symbiotic interactions that…

buff.ly

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Ren Ujimatsu @rujimatsu.bsky.social · Apr 25

I love to read the website Plantae, so very honored to be featured! Thank you🙏

Mary Williams @PlantTeaching @plantteaching.bsky.social · Apr 25

Plant Science Research Weekly April 25 plantae.org/plant-scienc... (2/2) Cryptic giant virus infection; A fungal switch between ally and aggressor; Stopping citrus greening with peptide therapy; A mechanosensitive ion channel helps parasitic plants clamp down.