Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Lara Van Dijck

Oliver Bossdorf @bossdorf.bsky.social · 14d

Job Alert! We're hiring a BIOINFORMATICIAN / NGS SPECIALIST to support our new Molecular Biodiversity Lab in the @terra-cluster.org at @unituebingen.bsky.social. Like the idea to use your skills for understanding biodiversity? To work on diverse questions in a wonderful place? Apply!
Please repost!

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Dan Kliebenstein @spicybotrytis.bsky.social · 14d

Fun review of Arabidopsis anti-pathogen metabolism with @somssich.bsky.social and @tonnigrubeandersen.bsky.social.

Started to make a complete catalogue and had to focus. Even with all this knowledge, we still haven't studied most Arabidopsis enzymes or metabolites doi.org/10.1093/plph...

Guns in Rosettes: The Arabidopsis chemical weapons arsenal

Arabidopsis remains one of the best studied models today and has a number of remarkable chemical defense systems which actively engage, interact and preven

doi.org

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nikogeldner.bsky.social @nikogeldner.bsky.social · 21d

Call for a tenure-track position at our Department of Plant Molecular Biology in Lausanne! We are searching for promising early-career researchers in the broad field of plant-organismal interactions. Deadline: November 30, 2025 - Please re-post!

career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...

Career Opportunities: DBMV: Tenure Track Assistant Professor towards Associate Professor in the field of Plant-organism (22484)

career5.successfactors.eu

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Giannis Stringlis @gstringlis.bsky.social · 26d

🔬🌱Our review “Roots: metabolic architects of beneficial microbiome assembly” led by PhD candidate Melissa Uribe Acosta @plantphys.bsky.social discusses plant mechanisms of root microbiome selection. Co-authors: @cornepieterse.bsky.social Jiayu Zhou Alberto Pascale.
academic.oup.com/plphys/artic...

Roots: metabolic architects of beneficial microbiome assembly

Abstract. The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices has driven a renewed interest in plant–microbiome interactions as a basis for the ne

academic.oup.com

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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 28d

2/2 @hotvegetables.bsky.social now solved this mystery, showing that this locus is responsible for natural variation in root architecture in response to commensal Pseudomonas — likely due to local adaptation
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Ka Wai Ma @kawaima.bsky.social · Sep 2

Our review article on the "Potential and challenges for application of microbiomes in agriculture" is published
@theplantcell.bsky.social [1/n]
doi.org/10.1093/plce...

Potential and challenges for application of microbiomes in agriculture

Abstract. The plant microbiome can promote plant health and productivity through a multitude of mechanisms. Our understanding of plant–microbiome interacti

doi.org

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parkergroup.bsky.social @parkergroup.bsky.social · Aug 25

🚨 New paper alert!

Our work is published in PNAS! @junli-wang.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social

In this study, we uncover how NLR-assembled and canonical Ca2+ ion channels cooperate to confer robust resistance against disease in plants.

Check it out here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

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Marc Somssich @somssich.bsky.social · Aug 21

Great to see this really cool story (see quoted post) published in @newphyt.bsky.social!

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Congratulations @laravdijck.bsky.social, @parkergroup.bsky.social!

Plant-Scopoletin-Fungal Endophyte-Iron

#PlantScience #Coumarin #PlantImmunity #PlantNutrition

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Lara Van Dijck @laravdijck.bsky.social · Aug 21

Plants often struggle to obtain sufficient iron from the soil. Plant metabolites, in concert with root microbes, can enhance iron availability. Here, a root fungal endophyte improves Arabidopsis iron nutrition in synergy with plant-derived coumarins.

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Lara Van Dijck @laravdijck.bsky.social · Aug 21

Super excited to share that my PhD research paper is finally out!
@newphyt.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1111/nph....

@parkergroup.bsky.social

Cooperation between a root fungal endophyte and host‐derived coumarin scopoletin mediates Arabidopsis iron nutrition

Iron acquisition is a critical challenge for plants, especially in iron-deficient soils. Recent research underscores the importance of root-exuded coumarins in modulating the root microbiome communi.....

doi.org

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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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parkergroup.bsky.social @parkergroup.bsky.social · Jul 17

Parker Group alumni, from the early 2000s to 2025, the best folks! Grateful for everyone who helped shape the science over the years #2025ISMPMI
Thanks @federicalocci.bsky.social for taking the picture

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kathywippel.bsky.social @kathywippel.bsky.social · Jul 16

Our paper on Pseudomonas intra-genus competition in SynComs on Arabidopsis roots is now out @plosbiology.org ! 🎉
If you want to chat about the story, visit poster 374 tomorrow, Thursday #2025ISMPMI

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Pseudomonas intra-genus competition determines the protective function of synthetic bacterial communities in Arabidopsis thaliana

The plant microbiome can protect its host against detrimental bacterial strains. This study shows that competition among Pseudomonas bacteria in synthetic bacterial communities determines how well the...

journals.plos.org

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Giuliana Hessler @giurassicpark.bsky.social · Jul 14

Great talk at #2025ISMPMI by @federicalocci.bsky.social on a TN protein in systemic resistance. So happy to catch up on @parkergroup.bsky.social projects!

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Lara Van Dijck @laravdijck.bsky.social · Jul 14

Want to learn more about fungal-coumarin-iron interactions in the rhizosphere? Come to my poster 240 on Thursday
#2025ISMPMI

Henni Laessle @hennilaessle.bsky.social · Jul 14

If you’re curious about the function of conserved TIR-only proteins in Arabidopsis and barley, come by my poster P018 on Tuesday morning!
Also check out more from @parkergroup.bsky.social:
🔹 @laravdijck.bsky.social – P240 on Thursday
🔹 Steven Cheng – P011 on Wednesday
#2025ISMPMI

Lara Van Dijck (@laravdijck.bsky.social)

PhD candidate at Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Parker group studying 🍄🌱⌬ @parkergroup.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social

laravdijck.bsky.social

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KC👨‍🔬🌾🍄🇦🇺 @karchuntan.bsky.social · Jul 13

Aaron Lawson - Up and coming protocol for recombinant protein complex expression (powdery mildew MLA-Avr) using Nbenth #2025ISMPMI

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Mary Williams @PlantTeaching @plantteaching.bsky.social · Jun 19

#ICAR2025
Thank you to all who participated in today's workshop! I'm still pondering our final question, since to some extent we are "preaching to the choir". How do we get the folks in the room who really need to be there?
What are your thoughts?

Andrea Paterlini (he/him) @apaterlini.bsky.social · Jun 19

The inclusive education & mentoring workshop we organised at #ICAR25 went well! Thought-provoking talks from Agnes Uhereczky, @plantteaching.bsky.social, @yoselin.bsky.social (& @blackinplantsci.bsky.social award recipients), Sofie Goormachtig, myself, @mehta-lab.com! 🌱🎉 Thank you for attending!

Anatomical theatre filled with people. Paper resources are placed on the wooden desks. Mary Williams is presenting at the front of the room.

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Moritz K. Nowack @moritznowack.bsky.social · Jun 16

Starting the scientific program of #ICAR2025 with an amazing keynote by Jane Parker @parkergroup.bsky.social on the structural basis of plant immunity! Looking forward to 5 days of fantastic Arabidopsis and plant science at the #Bijlokesite in Ghent!

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leoniekraska.bsky.social @leoniekraska.bsky.social · Jun 9

Really happy to see my PhD work out. Big thanks to @tonnigrubeandersen.bsky.social and everyone involved. I hope you enjoy reading it :)

Tonni Andersen @tonnigrubeandersen.bsky.social · Jun 9

Time for another paper from our lab!
This time it’s about passage cells. This work originated from a collaboration with @lauraragni.bsky.social and was spearheaded by the super-talented @leoniekraska.bsky.social Below you will find a thread that explains our findings.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...

MYB68 regulates radial endodermal differentiation and suberin patterning

In this study, Kraska et al. identify MYB68 as a novel regulator of endodermal suberization, linked to the formation of distinct identities in the xylem-pole-associated endodermis. The research uncove...

www.cell.com

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Lara Van Dijck @laravdijck.bsky.social · Jun 7

Thank you!!

Lara Van Dijck @laravdijck.bsky.social · Jun 7

Curious about my PhD research @parkergroup.bsky.social? The paper is available as preprint on bioRxiv now!
🔬 The interaction between scopoletin and fungal endophyte F80 rescues plant growth under iron-limiting conditions by resolving the iron mobility bottleneck.
📝 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Cooperation between a root fungal endophyte and host-derived coumarin scopoletin mediates Arabidopsis iron nutrition

Iron acquisition is a critical challenge for plants, especially in iron-deficient soils. Recent research underscores the importance of root-exuded coumarins in modulating the root microbiome community...

www.biorxiv.org

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Marc Somssich @somssich.bsky.social · May 17

Over the last couple of years I have been writing individual chapters of what I call

𝗔 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Each chapter covers a specific, basic, but for some reason special and interesting aspect of #PlantScience research.

Have a look here 👇🧵

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Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research @mpipz.bsky.social · May 14

Celebrating a new PhD at @mpipz.bsky.social! 🎓 Dr. Ram Sevak Raja Kumar defended her thesis in @hacquardst.bsky.social’s lab. Congrats, and all the best for what’s next! 🌟 #PhDone #PlantScience

The post shows a picture of Ram after successfully passing her viva on a green background with words congratulating him on acquiring the PhD title.

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Stéphane Hacquard @hacquardst.bsky.social · Apr 10

We present MetaFlowTrain, an easy-to-build, highly parallelized, and cost-effective fluidic system for studying microbial exometabolites and their roles in modulating microbe–microbe–host interactions. Kudos to @chesneau-g.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social
Give it a try: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Alain Goossens @alaingoossenspsb.bsky.social · Apr 3

Recruitment time! You're a junior postdoc and want to discover and produce bioactive fungal metabolites that are involved in the chemical warfare between fungi and plants? Then apply here!
jobs.vib.be/j/108923/pos...

Postdoctoral Researcher - VIB

OverviewThe group of Specialized Metabolism, led by Prof. Alain Goossens at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, and the metabolic engineering researc

jobs.vib.be

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