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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 8h

SalicS1 may also have implications for human health. SA is the natural compound behind aspirin, one of the world’s most widely used medicines, and the team says their biosensor variant that also detects aspirin could be adapted to study aspirin metabolism in human cells.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 8h

The ability to measure SA reversibly and without damaging plant tissues opens up exciting opportunities to address long-standing questions in plant biology, particularly how plants deploy SA in response to both pathogenic threats and environmental stressors.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 8h

SalicS1 visualised surges of SA accumulation spreading from the site of pathogen invasion. First author @bijuntang.bsky.social said: “With SalicS1 we can watch SA as it rises and falls in real time, inside living tissues, and even track how it spreads from cell-to-cell during infection.”

Arabidopsis thaliana leaf under mock (left) versus infection (right) 20 hours after infection: The right leaf shows salcylic acid (SA) accumulation spreading from the site of pathogen invasion. Images by Bijun Tang.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 8h

Salicylic acid biosensor, SalicS1, tracks the plant immune hormone salicylic acid in real time - revealing propagation of hormone surge during plant pathogen advance

Latest biosensor from @xanderjones.bsky.social team
In Science doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Summary www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/new-bio...

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Zoe Nahas @zoenahas.bsky.social · 13d

Check out the link below for a summary of our recent paper on how plants coordinate their branching architecture, via @slcuplants.bsky.social 🌱

Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 20d

🌱From Bud to Branch🌱
New model reveals how local & systemic signals combine to regulate shoot branching.
"...by modulating #auxin transport, local #BRC1 expression in each bud could contribute to the systemic control of branching." @zoenahas.bsky.social
🔗 dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
@plosbiology.org

Axillary buds are located at the base of each leaf. Initially dormant, each can grow into a branch. To study how branching is regulated by local signalling within each bud and by systemic signalling from other buds, we used stem sections with two axillary buds and their associated leaves (left). This signalling network influences, for example, whether one bud grows and rapidly inhibits the other (middle), or whether both buds grow simultaneously (right).

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Xander Jones @xanderjones.bsky.social · 6d

Only a few days left to apply!

My group is looking for a postdoc to engineer and deploy new tools to precisely manipulate and decode how auxin coordinates plant morphogenesis.

@starmorph-syg.bsky.social

Research Associate - Reprogramming Development (closes 7 October 2025)

www.cam.ac.uk

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Sebastian Schornack @dromius.bsky.social · 8d

Job Advert - Russell R. Geiger Professorship of Crop Science @camplantsci.bsky.social @cropscicentre.bsky.social www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/russell...

Russell R. Geiger Professorship of Crop Science

The Board of Electors to the Russell R. Geiger Professorship of Crop Science invite applications for this Professorship from persons whose work falls within the general field of the Professorship to

www.cam.ac.uk

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

School of Biological Sciences @cambridgebiosci.bsky.social · 14d

Unlock your potential with a Master's at the University of Cambridge! 🔬 Our MPhil in Biological Sciences offers a unique opportunity for cutting-edge, lab-based research at a world-leading institution.

Explore and apply: www.mphil.bio.cam.ac.uk

#Cambridge #BiologicalSciences #Postgraduate

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Cambridge Philosophical Society @camphilsoc.bsky.social · 16d

The next Research Café: Science Communication will take place on 30th September 2025 @ 11:30am-2:30pm at @West Hub, Cambridge.

We have limited places, sign up here!

For details and to sign-up:
www.tickettailor.com/events/thewe...

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Alex Webb Lab @alexwebblab.bsky.social · 8d

@camplantsci.bsky.social here in Cambridge is wonderful place to work. Great colleagues. Some very good science and a vibrant city. If you are a world-leading crop scientist wanting to lead a thriving centre, we would like you to join us
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/russell...

Russell R. Geiger Professorship of Crop Science

The Board of Electors to the Russell R. Geiger Professorship of Crop Science invite applications for this Professorship from persons whose work falls within the general field of the Professorship to

www.cam.ac.uk

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Department of Plant Sciences Cambridge @camplantsci.bsky.social · 8d

From space science to dinner plates: the future of farming indoors - on the new paper from an international team reimaging the way we grow food into the future.

Read more at: tinyurl.com/3edf6b93

@aligill.bsky.social @alexwebblab.bsky.social @cambridgebiosci.bsky.social

Dr Alison Gill from the University of Adelaide looks over a crop grown in a controlled environment. Photo credit: Lieke Van Der Hulst.

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Zoe Nahas @zoenahas.bsky.social · 13d

Happy to share slightly late that the main work of my PhD is now published! How do plants regulate the number + location of growing branches 🌳🌲? We used experiments and mathematical modelling to study how local and systemic signals are integrated during shoot branching regulation. A thread:

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 23d

How do #plants dynamically modulate their shoot branching for optimal returns? ‪@zoenahas.bsky.social‬ &co show that BRC1 modulates bud competitiveness by reducing #auxin efflux, integrating hormonal cues to fine-tune branching patterns @plosbiology.org @slcuplants.bsky.social 🧪 plos.io/4pnrwY2

2-node explants capture key properties of bud regulation. Top left: A stem segment with two axillary buds illustrates two regulatory hubs controlling shoot branching (i) local expression of the transcription factor BRC1, a repressor of bud activation, and (ii) systemic regulation of the auxin transport network. A canalization-based model of shoot branching postulates that bud activation requires the establishment of canalized auxin transport from the bud into the main stem, the dynamics of which is influenced by autocatalytic feedback in auxin flow between the bud and the stem, and the relative auxin source and sink strengths of the bud and stem, respectively. The relationship between BRC1- and auxin-transport-mediated regulation is not known. Bottom left: Arabidopsis bud activation occurs in at least two phases: a slow-growing lag phase, then a switch to rapid outgrowth. Typical timescale 10–12 days. Right: Diagram illustrating the four possible growth outcomes for bud activation on 2-node explants, and their representation in a Mitchison plot. Mitchison plots present the length of the top bud versus that of the bottom bud over time in each explant. Explants where at least one bud grows are termed active, otherwise, they are inactive. Within active explants, there are three possible outcomes: both buds grow, or only either the top or the bottom bud activates.

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Nick Desnoyer @nickdesnoyer.bsky.social · 27d

Friday Flower 004: Hibiscus trionum 🌺✨

Hibiscus trionum displays a dark bullseye in the center that acts as a landing pad for pollinators 🎯

The bullseye is made by a developmental boundary delineating distinct cell shapes and pigments.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 20d

“Plants have extraordinary flexibility in their growth, and branching is a key part of this adaptability. The unified model we have developed will help us to understand how plants integrate multiple sources of information to determine where to invest in growth.” -Ottoline Leyser

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 20d

The model not only predicted outcomes under various genetic and hormonal conditions, but also incorporated new data on a previously unknown region of the #PIN1 auxin transporter that mediates its response to #strigolactone, offering fresh molecular insight into hormonal control of bud growth."

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 20d

“This work brings together experiments and modelling to show how local and systemic signals can interact to control bud growth. What’s striking is that such a simple model can capture the range of branching behaviours we see experimentally.” -James Locke

Fig 3. Branching behaviors of 2-node explants can be captured by a model with self-activating and mutually-inhibiting buds.
(A) and (B) Model conceptualization and mathematical formulation. The interaction between two buds in a 2-node explant can be considered as a set of self-activating and mutually-inhibiting feedbacks on auxin efflux. Each bud promotes its own auxin efflux and inhibits efflux from the other bud. The auxin efflux E and F from the top and bottom bud, respectively, is influenced by three components (i) a basal rate of auxin efflux v0, (ii) a Hill function which creates a positive feedback on auxin efflux, where v sets the maximum rate of auxin efflux, S the strength of auxin efflux, K the Hill saturation coefficient, n the degree of non-linearity of the Hill function, D the strength of the mutual inhibition between the auxin efflux of the two buds, and (iii) a linear decrease in auxin efflux, the strength of which is set by µ. E and F influence bud lengths N and M, respectively. The relationship between auxin efflux and growth rate is a Hill function, where m influences the degree of nonlinearity, and Q is the saturation coefficient. (C) Steady state growth rate as a function of the steady state of auxin efflux, for different values of Q and m. Three grey vertical lines mark three steady states of auxin efflux at 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75. (D) and (E) Three stochastic simulations illustrating the model behaviors. Each set of simulations is represented with a different color. (F) Deterministic simulation showing the change in auxin efflux E over time for 5 different values of v0: 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.09. Scripts of simulations underlying this figure can be found at https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.120831.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 20d

Scientists from @slcuplants.bsky.social combined experiments & modelling to demonstrate how local signals in plant buds link up with whole-plant hormone flows to control branching.
Research summary
www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/bud-to-...

(A) A stem segment with two axillary buds illustrates two regulatory hubs controlling shoot branching (i) local expression of the transcription factor BRC1, a repressor of bud activation, and (ii) systemic regulation of the auxin transport network. A canalization-based model of shoot branching postulates that bud activation requires the establishment of canalized auxin transport from the bud into the main stem, the dynamics of which is influenced by autocatalytic feedback in auxin flow between the bud and the stem, and the relative auxin source and sink strengths of the bud and stem, respectively. The relationship between BRC1- and auxin-transport-mediated regulation is not known. (B) Arabidopsis bud activation occurs in at least two phases: a slow-growing lag phase, then a switch to rapid outgrowth. Typical timescale 10–12 days. Modified from Nahas and colleagues [46]. (C) Diagram illustrating the four possible growth outcomes for bud activation on 2-node explants, and their representation in a Mitchison plot. Mitchison plots present the length of the top bud versus that of the bottom bud over time in each explant. Explants where at least one bud grows are termed active, otherwise, they are inactive. Within active explants, there are three possible outcomes: both buds grow, or only either the top or the bottom bud activates. All graphics were drawn by hand using Adobe Illustrator by Zoe Nahas.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 20d

🌱From Bud to Branch🌱
New model reveals how local & systemic signals combine to regulate shoot branching.
"...by modulating #auxin transport, local #BRC1 expression in each bud could contribute to the systemic control of branching." @zoenahas.bsky.social
🔗 dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
@plosbiology.org

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 22d

This annual workshop, which is spearheaded by members of the Computational Morphodynamics group, has grown from 20 attendees in 2011 to 70 attendees in 2025.

Looking forward to the next gathering at @ensdelyon.bsky.social in 2026!

ℹ️ computationalmorphodynamics.org

Computational Morphodynamics Group

Research group members and details of upcoming and past workshops organised by the Computational Morphodyamics Group.

computationalmorphodynamics.org

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 22d

And thank you to the Quantitative Plant Biology journal for sponsoring this workshop and running a great session on publishing your research.

The organisers of this meeting are co-editing a QPB issue dedicated to Computational Morphodynamics.

Call for papers: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Computational Morphodynamics

www.cambridge.org

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 22d

🌿💻 Plant Models and Morphology 💻🌿

The 9th International Plant Computational Biology Workshop @slcuplants.bsky.social brought together mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists and biologists exploring plant development through models and simulations.

Huge thanks to organisers and speakers!👏

Group photo of workshop attendees standing in ginkgo tree courtyard with the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University building in background.

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

International Barley Hub @intbarleyhub.bsky.social · 23d

Thanks to Madelaine Bartlett from Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge Uni,
@slcuplants.bsky.social
for a fascinating and thought provoking presentation today. Find out more about Madeline's work using grass diversity to dissect mechanisms of angiosperm evolution here:
bartlettlab.org

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Phil Carella @philcarella.bsky.social · 27d

Join us for the 4th annual NonSeed Plant Meeting in Norwich this year! @johninnescentre.bsky.social

Genetics Society Non-Seed Plant SIG @gensocuknonseed.bsky.social · 28d

Registration for #nonseedUK25 is officially open: www.jic.ac.uk/event/4th-ge.... If you wish to be considered for a talk, please submit your abstract by 30th October. Thanks to @philcarella.bsky.social for acting as local organizer this year 😃

a sign that says open with red lights on it .

ALT: a sign that says open with red lights on it .

media.tenor.com

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Sebastian Schornack @dromius.bsky.social · 23d

#iMMM2025 is about to kick of in Munich, Bavaria (clearly), Germany - looking forward to 2.5 days filled with amazing molecular mycorrhiza research!

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Reposted by Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 23d

How do #plants dynamically modulate their shoot branching for optimal returns? ‪@zoenahas.bsky.social‬ &co show that BRC1 modulates bud competitiveness by reducing #auxin efflux, integrating hormonal cues to fine-tune branching patterns @plosbiology.org @slcuplants.bsky.social 🧪 plos.io/4pnrwY2

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