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Team Thomma

@teamthomma.bsky.social

2.7K followers 980 following 140 posts

Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Evolutionary Microbiology @UniCologne & @CEPLAS_1, studying how fungi interact with plants and their environment. He/him. 💛🖤

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Team Thomma @teamthomma.bsky.social · Jun 16

Last week, our latest @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social preprint was released, a joint-venture of @antonkraege.bsky.social & @wolki95.bsky.social and co-directed by @nicksnelders.bsky.social a 🧵

bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · Jun 11

Undermining the cry for help: The phytopathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae secretes an antimicrobial effector protein to undermine host recruitment of antagonistic Pseudomonas bacteria https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.09.658588v1

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Annie Hatmaker, Ph.D. @annemakerofhats.bsky.social · 1d

If you saw my talk on the population structure of #Aspergillus flavus at Fungal Genetics in 2024, you might have heard someone ask "how does Aspergillus oryzae fit into the picture?"
If so, you heard my answer was "wait and see--we're working on this exact topic"
Well, the wait is over! Preprint ⬇️

bioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 5d

Population-Specific Transcriptomic Shifts Underlie Secondary Metabolic Diversification in Aspergillus flavus and the Domestication of Aspergillus oryzae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.02.680074v1

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Soil Biology Group - Wageningen UR @sbl-wur.bsky.social · 2d

📢 Hot off the press in New Phytologist!
A fresh study explores the link between root traits and ecosystem functions 🌱🌍, with our very own Thom Kuyper among the co-authors! 👏

🔗 Check it out :
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Rooting for function: community‐level fine‐root traits relate to many ecosystem functions

Humans are driving biodiversity change, which also alters community functional traits. However, how changes in the functional traits of the community alter ecosystem functions—especially belowground...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social · 2d

W3-Professur: Evolution und Biodiversität der Pflanzen
@humboldtuni.bsky.social

Start: 1 Oktober 2026
Deadline: 24 Oktober 2025

haushalt-und-personal.hu-berlin.de/de/personal/...

W3-Professur für „Evolution und Biodiversität der Pflanzen“

haushalt-und-personal.hu-berlin.de

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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 2d

Evolution of fungal mating systems: Study of #Cryptococcus & Kwoniella by @marcoacoelho.bsky.social @marciadavidpalma.bsky.social &co shows that MAT locus fusions & recombination suppression drive diversity of #SexualReproduction in #fungi @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/479579M

Top: Micrographs showing hyphal filaments extending from colony peripheries in a sexual cross between CBS8507 and CBS10435 after 2 weeks of incubation on CMA and V8 pH 5 media, in the dark, at room temperature. Insets depict two types of basidia: globose (a–c) and lageniform (b–d). Black arrows indicate clusters of cells emerging near basidia (either at the surface or embedded), scored as potential meiotic progeny (basidiospores). Bottom: Schematic representation of key chromosomal rearrangements and evolutionary events underlying transitions from tetrapolar to bipolar and pseudobipolar mating configurations. The phylogenetic tree highlights inferred changes in MAT locus structure, with color-coded branches representing both extant and reconstructed MAT configurations. Dashed lines indicate unresolved phylogenetic relationships among clades A, B, and C. Insets summarize distinct evolutionary stages, including: the ancestral organization with unlinked and compact P/R and HD loci (1); small-scale expansion of the P/R locus in Kwoniella (2); two independent large-scale expansions of the P/R locus in Cryptococcus (5); relocation of P/R and HD loci onto the same chromosome in Kwoniella resulting in either pseudobipolar (3) or fused (4) MAT configurations; and independent HD-P/R fusion events with HD gene loss in Cryptococcus pathogens and Cryptococcus sp. 3 (6). These transitions illustrate the diverse pathways by which chromosomal rearrangements (CRs) have shaped MAT locus architecture in these fungal lineages.

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bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · 6d

Differential contributions of an antimicrobial effector from Verticillium dahliae to virulence and tomato microbiota assembly across natural soils https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.30.679524v1

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Charles Roussin-Léveillée @charlesrleveillee.bsky.social · 6d

NEW ARTICLE FROM THE LAB 🎉🍀🧫

Groundbreaking work performed by @hueihsuantsai.bsky.social and all!

Please, go have a read! Congrats to making it to the cover!!!

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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Isabel Monte @isabelmonte.bsky.social · 7d

Thanks Sebastian @pfeilmeier.bsky.social for coming to the @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social for a #TRR356 seminar. We have all enjoyed discussing with you about #MPMI, Xanthomonas, hydathodes and more!

Three ZMBP junior PIs (Mau, Margot and Isa) and Sebastian sitting in a bar with some empty glasses

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ZMBP @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social · 6d

Have you noticed someone new here? 👇
Welcome @mpcontreras.bsky.social, our new junior group leader at the ZMBP!
#newPI #plantscience #MPMI

Isabel Monte @isabelmonte.bsky.social · 7d

Thanks Sebastian @pfeilmeier.bsky.social for coming to the @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social for a #TRR356 seminar. We have all enjoyed discussing with you about #MPMI, Xanthomonas, hydathodes and more!

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Remco Stam @rstam.bsky.social · 7d

Very happy to see this work finally online!
Resistance against necrotrophic pathogens is not generally conserved. When comparing five wild tomato spp, we saw that one spp co-opted a different mechanism against Sclerotinia infection!

KunzLab@LMU @kunzlab.bsky.social · 7d

This looks very interesting. Congrats @rstam.bsky.social et al. Co-option of transcription factors drives evolution of quantitative disease resistance against a necrotrophic pathogen url: academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...

Co-option of transcription factors drives evolution of quantitative disease resistance against a necrotrophic pathogen

Quantitative disease resistance in a wild tomato genotype evolved through species-specific regulatory network rewiring, with an ancient transcription facto

academic.oup.com

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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 8d

Amazing work by the Santiago lab @unil.bsky.social. The malectin-LRR receptor kinase IGP1 senses cello-oligomers to alert the plant immune system & enhance disease resistance. Very nice discovery & mechanism.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬 @apmweber.bsky.social · 10d

A new crop in the lab. 🌱 Field day with TaCoCass team members — working to boost photosynthetic efficiency in cassava and secure a more sustainable food future. #Cassava #Photosynthesis #FoodSecurity

Cassava leaves with red petioles and some cassava flowers and fruits

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bioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 11d

A co-evolved peptide-GPCR system senses host entry to drive fungal infection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.26.678928v1

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Erich M. Schwarz @erichmschwarz.bsky.social · Aug 1

After 10 years of work, a complete telomere-to-telomere gap-free genome for C. elegans finally exists: it has 106 Mb rather than the textbook 100.3 Mb, and up to 366 additional genes.
genome.cshlp.org/content/35/8...

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Science Magazine @science.org · 13d

When harmful fungi invade their carefully cultivated crops, fungus-farming termites fight back with the precision of skilled gardeners, a new Science study reveals, smothering them in soil clumps enriched with microbial allies that inhibit fungal growth. https://scim.ag/4nsAqCu

Fungus-farming termites can protect their crop by confining weeds with fungistatic soil boluses

The symbiotic agriculture of fungus-farming termites can collapse if they fail to prevent invading weeds. Previous studies suggest a role for symbiotic fungistatic microbes in bringing about weed cont...

www.science.org

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Anna Poetsch @apoetsch.bsky.social · 13d

Dear CRC TRR 341, thanks for having me. It was fascinating to learn more about the genomes of plants in their ecological context!

CRC TRR 341 "Plant Ecological Genetics" @trr341.bsky.social · 14d

Our 5th Internal Progress Colloquium is coming to an end! Two days full of scientific interactions. Honoured to have with us Caroline Müller (Bielefeld University) and @apoetsch.bsky.social! Our ECRs have progressed enormously and this makes us so happy!

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 15d

A recent cool preprint by John Whitney's lab on a new family of antibacterial proteins secreted by Gram-positive bacteria that enter and kill a broad spectrum of bacteria. Cell entry is receptor-independent and relies on cleavage by a co-secreted protease and the PMF.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Proteolytically activated antibacterial toxins inhibit the growth of diverse Gram-positive bacteria

Many species of bacteria produce small-molecule antibiotics that enter and kill a wide range of competitor microbes. However, diffusible antibacterial proteins that share this broad-spectrum activity ...

www.biorxiv.org

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CRC TRR 341 "Plant Ecological Genetics" @trr341.bsky.social · 14d

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Team Thomma @teamthomma.bsky.social · 15d

All part of the miracle! 😎

Reposted by Team Thomma

Jason Stajich @hyphaltip.bsky.social · 16d

Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology & Fungal Biology, UC Davis. 🍄🌱 recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339 Deadline Dec 1, 2025. 👀 "Primary teaching responsibilities will be teaching Introductory Mycology, an upper-division lab class, and SAS 30, Mushroom, Molds & Society"

Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology

University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

recruit.ucdavis.edu

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Freddy Boutrot @freddyboutrot.bsky.social · 15d

CEPR2 perceives group II CEPs to regulate cell surface receptor-mediated immunity in Arabidopsis doi.org/10.1371/jour...

CEPR2 perceives group II CEPs to regulate cell surface receptor-mediated immunity in Arabidopsis

Author summary To protect themselves against pathogens, plants have evolved a sophisticated and intricate immune system that allows pathogen detection and the activation of appropriate defense respons...

doi.org

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Gitta Coaker @gittacoaker.bsky.social · 16d

My department at UC Davis is hiring a mycologist, broadly interpreted. Please repost, share, and consider applying. recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339

Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology

University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

recruit.ucdavis.edu

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Team Thomma @teamthomma.bsky.social · 18d

Miracles exist #Vitesse 💛🖤

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Khaled_Selim Lab @selimlab.bsky.social · 19d

We discovered a new family of c-di-NMP receptors, widespread in bacteria & regulating🦠motility @pnas.org

A great collab. w/ @mygalperin.bsky.social @vikramalva.bsky.social @thethormannden.bsky.social

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

@hhu.de @cmfi.bsky.social
@sfb1381.bsky.social
@mibinet.bsky.social

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Francis M. Martin @fmartin54.bsky.social · 19d

Charles Cockell said that “without lions there is life, but without microorganisms there can be no higher life forms” …

Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services | PNAS

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services | PNAS

Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services

www.pnas.org

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Team Thomma @teamthomma.bsky.social · 19d

Huge congrats, Megan! And lots of success in this new role!!! 🎉