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Reposted by Aileen Berasategui

Nick Talbot @talbotlabtsl.bsky.social · 1d

New pre-print from our group showing remarkable synchrony of proliferative growth and regulated cell death during plant infection- each conidial cell has a different fate - by the rice blast fungus. Led by Alice Eseola with @osesmir.bsky.social Lauren Ryder @danmaclean.bsky.social and Martin Egan

bioRxiv Molecular Biology @biorxiv-molbio.bsky.social · 1d

Synchronous spatio-temporal control of autophagy and organelle trafficking is necessary for appressorium-mediated plant infection by Magnaporthe oryzae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.06.680644v1

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Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 1d

Aileen Berasategui @berasymbionts.bsky.social (VU) on Origin and evolution of a defensive symbiosis in tortoise beetle

Chelymorpha alternans beetle => today, focusing on pupation

see their @currentbiology.bsky.social paper (with @hassansalem.bsky.social)
www.cell.com/current-biol...

#NIME2025

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Nils Rädecker @radecker.bsky.social · 2d

🪸🧪 We’re hiring! Join our ERC-funded group at the @hifmb.de in Oldenburg, Germany to explore the cellular origins of photosymbiosis:⁣
⁣
𝟏 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐜 + 𝟐 𝐏𝐡𝐃𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.⁣
Deadlines: Oct 29 & Nov 5. Links below. ⁣

Questions: [email protected]⁣
#Photosymbiosis #HIFMB #ERC #AcademicJobs

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Flora Vincent @floravincent.bsky.social · 9d

Dear all, registration for the upcoming EMBO/EMBL Symposium on "the cellular mechanics of symbiosis" is now OPEN 🤩 ! Feel free to register ! www.embl.org/about/info/c...
#EESSymbiosis #ProtistsOnSky #SymbioSky
@hassansalem.bsky.social @berasymbionts.bsky.social @embl.org

The cellular mechanics of symbiosis: sensing friend from foe

www.embl.org

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EMBL Events @events.embl.org · 8d

✨🚀 #EESSymbiosis is now open for registration!

Submit your abstract by 25 November 2025 and join us as we explore the evolution of intimate species-species interactions 👉 https://s.embl.org/ees26-03-bl

🗓️ 17 – 20 March 2026
📍 EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual

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Charissa de Bekker PhD (she/her) @zombieantdoc.bsky.social · 15d

Which fungal 🍄 molecules cause zombie 🧟‍♀️ ant 🐜 behaviors? @williamycete.bsky.social has begun to answer this question! He found a peptide that binds to scramblase and affects important odor-dependent behaviors in ants. Spoiler: worms 🪱 played a key role in this research 🧐 doi.org/10.1101/2025...

The First of Us: Ophiocordyceps use a novel scramblase-binding peptide to manipulate zombie ants

Parasite-adaptive manipulation of behavior is a widespread natural phenomenon. While Ophiocordyceps zombie fungi are well-known for hijacking ant behavior to increase their fitness, functionally chara...

doi.org

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Benjamin Wolfe @benwolfe.bsky.social · 22d

Such a delight to share our work on the evolution of a cheese rind fungus in @currentbiology.bsky.social.

This is the fantastic PhD work of @nicolasleonlouw.bsky.social and resulted from amazing collaborations, a wedding proposal(!), an undergrad course, & more!

🧵

www.cell.com/current-biol...

Long-term monitoring of a North American cheese cave reveals mechanisms and consequences of fungal adaptation

Using a unique longitudinal sampling approach, Louw et al. demonstrate how a cheese-associated Penicillium population has adapted in an artisan cheese production facility in Vermont, USA. Adaptation i...

www.cell.com

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Dr. Danny Haelewaters 🏳️‍🌈🍄🪰🦇🔬🧬 @dhaelewa.bsky.social · 21d

📣New paper alert📣
@michieldegroot.bsky.social ran laboratory experiments at the University of South Bohemia, which revealed that abiotic factors DO significantly affect parasitism of Harmonia axyridis by Hesperomyces harmoniae. Congratulations! Read more: doi.org/10.1111/een.... #TeamLaboul

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 21d

www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

A host organelle (in sea slugs) integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis

A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis

Sea slugs steal foreign chloroplasts and store them in specialized organelles that facilitate photosynthesis and eventual digestion to mediate starvation resistance.

www.cell.com

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 21d

A study uncovers genes behind an extreme symbiosis: Pygmy seahorses perfectly mimic the gorgonian coral they live within, are resistant to the coral's venom, and are protected from infection by the coral’s antimicrobial compounds. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Two pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti) blend seamlessly into the branches of their gorgonian coral host to which they cling with their prehensile tails.
CREDIT: South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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The Sainsbury Laboratory @thesainsburylab.bsky.social · 28d

We are pleased to announce that @talbotlabtsl.bsky.social has been awarded the RKS Wood Prize 2026 by the @bspp.bsky.social.

“I am humbled to have been awarded the RKS Wood Prize 2026. I’d like to thank my research group and my TSL colleagues for their inspiration and support.”

buff.ly/VvoR27Q

Nick Talbot, Executive Director and senior group leader at TSL, is pictured in a glasshouse surrounded by rice plants.

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Andrew D. Cronin @andrewdcronin.bsky.social · Sep 8

How do light and noise pollution impact selection on sexual signals?

We tested mate attraction and bat predation on túngara frogs in the field.

Full text: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

#evolutionarybiology
#animalbehavior
@eseb.bsky.social
@jevbio.bsky.social

Photo: Grant Maslowski

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Angus Bucknell @angusb.bsky.social · Sep 6

Delighted that our work on the Sanctuary Starship #transposon is now published! A big thanks to all co-authors, especially to the ever-amazing @mcdonaldmeganc.bsky.social for her mentorship!

doi.org/10.1128/mbio...

Sanctuary: a Starship transposon facilitating the movement of the virulence factor ToxA in fungal wheat pathogens | mBio

The work presented here expands our understanding of a novel group of mobile genetic elements called Starships that facilitate the horizontal exchange of numerous genes between fungal pathogens. Our a...

doi.org

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Aileen Berasategui @berasymbionts.bsky.social · Sep 8

Registration will open soon. But mark your calendars for another symposium on host-microbe interactions! Can't wait to see you all in Heidelberg!

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.

Aileen Berasategui @berasymbionts.bsky.social · Sep 8

Including many of our colleagues who are not on Bluesky:
John Archibald
Yoshitomo Kikuchi
Julia Vorholt-Zambelli
Arielle Woznica
Noriko Yamada
Jonathan Zehr

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Aileen Berasategui @berasymbionts.bsky.social · Sep 8

We have a wonderful lineup of speakers:
@sbulgheresi.bsky.social
@zombified.bsky.social
@fkttkm.bsky.social
@ngerardo.bsky.social
@vkokkoris.bsky.social
@mcsymbiont.bsky.social
@evanowack.bsky.social
@pselaphinae.bsky.social

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Aileen Berasategui @berasymbionts.bsky.social · Sep 8

🚨 Save the date! Thrilled to be co-organizing the next iteration of the @embl.org Symposium on the Cellular Mechanics of Symbiosis (📅 March 17-20), w/ @floravincent.bsky.social, @hassansalem.bsky.social & Tom Richards.
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
#EESSymbiosis #Symbiosis #SymbioSky #MicroSky 🦠

The cellular mechanics of symbiosis: sensing friend from foe

www.embl.org

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Alejandro Manzano Marín @amanzanom.bsky.social · Aug 22

@symbnet.bsky.social alumni crowd at #ESEB2025
w/ @berasymbionts.bsky.social & @vandriienko.bsky.social #SymbioSky

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Adria LeBoeuf @adriatica.bsky.social · Aug 21

@berasymbionts.bsky.social speaking about socially transferred materials and her amazing beetles and fungal symbiont transfer opening the @socialtransfernet.bsky.social symposium at #ESEB2025

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Steve Ramm @steveramm.bsky.social · Aug 21

Good morning #eseb2025! Come join us at 10:30 in room 131+132 to hear invited speakers @jennyperry.bsky.social and @berasymbionts.bsky.social plus many excellent contributed talks on #socialtransfers

@socialtransfernet.bsky.social
@joriskoene.bsky.social
@adriatica.bsky.social

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The Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute @westerdijkinst.bsky.social · Aug 19

𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐍𝐀-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐢 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫! 👇

The Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute will host a specialized training on DNA-based Identification of Fungi:

📆 October 9–10, 2025 (2 days)
🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬: https://f.mtr.cool/wrirtjfrww

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Hassan Salem @hassansalem.bsky.social · Aug 17

The Tübingen & Amsterdam crews have landed in Barcelona for #ESEB2025! Cooling off with helados before the science (and festivities) begin🍦

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Aileen Berasategui @berasymbionts.bsky.social · Aug 17

Congratulations, Joris!!! Wonderful news! 🥳🥳🥳

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Joris M. Koene @joriskoene.bsky.social · Aug 14

Looking forward to this symposium with a great line-up at @eseb2025.bsky.social

Social Transfer Network @socialtransfernet.bsky.social · Aug 13

🚨 Exciting news for #ESEB2025!
Join us in Barcelona for our symposium:

Cooperation, Conflict & the Evolution of Socially Transferred Materials (S08)
📅 Thursday, 21 Aug 2025
🕥 10:30–12:30 | 🕔 17:00–19:00 (Poster Session)

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Joris M. Koene @joriskoene.bsky.social · Aug 14

Looking forward to presenting at @eseb2025.bsky.social! I will present research on differences in responses to seminal fluid between populations of a simultaneously hermaphroditic snail. I will use @anitomical.bsky.social's model of L. stagnalis to highlight the anatomical location of the prostate

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