Tom Heaven
@tcheaven.bsky.social
200 followers 940 following 11 posts
Molecular plant microbe interactions, genomics, bioinformatics, powdery mildew, scab, psyllids, Candidatus liberibacter, Podosphaera, Venturia
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Reposted by Tom Heaven
caterpillar-coevo.bsky.social
Very exciting to see this out in the world! @tcheaven.bsky.social did some excellent work and I'm happy to have played a (small) supporting role on this project
genomebiolevol.bsky.social
Heaven @saskiahogenhout.bsky.social et al. generated chromosome-level genomes for three psyllid species that are plant disease vectors, revealing detoxification gene expansions and genetic substructure across Europe.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf116

#genome #entomology
Reposted by Tom Heaven
samtmugford.bsky.social
We are excited to share our latest preprint from the Hogenhout lab (@matteogravino.bsky.social @saskiahogenhout.bsky.social
, @johninnescentre.bsky.social
) on plant-aphid interactions, showing that the aphid effector Mp10 balances suppression of DAMP responses and activation of ETI via EDS1.
biorxiv-plants.bsky.social
Aphid effector Mp10 balances immune suppression and defence activation through EDS1-dependent modulation of plant DAMP responses https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.26.640334v1
tcheaven.bsky.social
➡️ Overall, the UK HE sector is not delivering graduates with the skill set outlined in numerous reports as required to enable food production in a changing climate. Our research highlights the need for curriculum reviews and greater focus on plant science.
tcheaven.bsky.social
📊 We found a surprising lack of consistency in plant science teaching. The only common curricula we identified was limited to the 18 courses we grouped as Plant Science, which are delivered by just 9 institutions.
tcheaven.bsky.social
🔍 We found a wide diversity in the information made available by university websites on course structures and module content. As a result a prospective student/employer interested in plant science will find it virtually impossible to determine which degree will deliver the skills they need.
tcheaven.bsky.social
⚠️ Skills shortages in crucial areas like soil science and plant pathology are well-documented. Yet, our data shows these topics are often overlooked in general biology courses. #FoodSecurity #PlantBlindness #SkillsGap
Reposted by Tom Heaven
chrislewislee.com
“unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted”.

Sign this statement and make sure that our voices are heard.

www.aitrainingstatement.org
tcheaven.bsky.social
...recognised as the primary vector of 'carrot yellows' by carrot growers in Northern Europe. This research provides valuable insights into the evolution of psyllids and their interactions with phytopathogenic bacteria. Ultimately, this will lead to more effective pest management strategies. 🌱
tcheaven.bsky.social
...psyllids. We identified gene families linked to insecticide resistance, which could explain their ability to survive control measures. 🧬

With the help of collaborators in Scotland, Finland, Norway, and Austria we also discovered genetic subpopulations within Dyspersa apicalis, which is...
tcheaven.bsky.social
This work from the
@saskiahogenhout.bsky.social lab was part of the CALIBER project, evaluating the risk of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum in UK carrots, potatoes and tomatoes (hubs.ly/Q02wxL-30). Our high-quality genome assemblies revealed insights into the genetic makeup of these...
hubs.ly
tcheaven.bsky.social
Our preprint is now live! We have sequenced the genomes of three psyllid species. These insects pests transmit devastating plant diseases like 'zebra chip' in potatoes and 'carrot yellows' in carrots. 🥕

#MolecularEntomology #MPMI #PlantPathology #psyllids #liberibacter
Reposted by Tom Heaven
samtmugford.bsky.social
If you'd like a condensed version of this story, and also another recent preprint from the @saskiahogenhout.bsky.social lab here's a talk I recently gave at the Tulip graduate school in Toulouse
youtu.be/9EoC6Zd6f_k?...
Samuel Mugford-Molecular mechanisms of plant immune suppression by virulence factors in aphid saliva
YouTube video by TULIP
youtu.be
Reposted by Tom Heaven
qunliu07.bsky.social
We're happy to present a pre-print from the Hogenhout lab (@saskiahogenhout.bsky.social), describing how a family of proteases in aphid oral secretions suppress plant immunity.
Reposted by Tom Heaven
samtmugford.bsky.social
We’re delighted to share our latest preprint from the Hogenhout lab (@saskiahogenhout.bsky.social) on the molecular mechanisms on plant-aphid interactions. Here we show how the aphid Mp10 effector protein acts as a local anaesthetic to suppress the plant perception of aphid attack
Reposted by Tom Heaven
plantpollinator.bsky.social
This is terrifying.
zacklabe.com
Time for the @bsky.app community to see one of my favorite visualizations of climate change...

"Shifting Distribution of Land Temperature Anomalies" by svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5211/ ⚒️🧪