Antimicrobial effectors of plant-associated fungi: multipurpose proteins with fast-evolving surfaces and structurally conserved cores Plants are exposed to a variety of devastating pathogens, causing significant yearly yield losses. In order to facilitate infections, plant pathogens …

So diverse and yet conserved. Check out opinion paper by Leonhard Pachinger @leopach.bsky.social on antimicrobial effectors produced by fungal pathogens: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes
@hittingerlab.bsky.social , @linder-surprise.bsky.social et al show how distinct genetic routes can converge on the same genetic outcome
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A new study from our group, led by Iris Eisermann, of the septin interactome during appressorium development, revealing many new interactors and significantly widening the biological function of septins in fungal pathogenesis. 👇

@thesainsburylab.bsky.social

Fellows4FungiMSCA Postdoctoral Network - Leibniz-HKI

📣 Check out this excellent #Postdoc opportunity @leibniz-hki.de which is part of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions #MSCA #COFUND. Consider applying to join my lab if you’re interested in opportunistic infections caused by #Fusarium (research area 5). Call ends 26 May 2026

www.fellows4fungi.eu

Norio Takeshita on the right, with a quote from his article on the left.

A surprising observation of hundreds of nuclei in a single cell led researcher Norio Takeshita to investigate the remarkable powers of a fungus renowned across Japan.

Read the latest interview from Inside Discovery: buff.ly/0i4KBTi

@fungalcell.bsky.social

Dissecting the RNA-binding capacity of the multi-RRM protein Rrm4 essential for endosomal mRNA transport Abstract. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) utilize multiple RNA-binding domains (RBDs) to engage with extensive messenger RNA (mRNA) networks. Understanding the

Breakthrough article 😊
Joint effort of teams Zarnack & König & Feldbrügge clarifies how multiple RNA-binding domains cooperate to identify functional important binding sites in vivo
doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
@zarnack-group.bsky.social
@könig-lab.bsky.social
@mibinet.bsky.social
#EMBOrnaLocalization

Transposable elements hitchhike on Starships across fungal genomes - Nature Communications Large mobile genetic elements known as Starships act as vehicles for transferring transposable elements (TEs) between fungi. Here, Griem-Krey et al. show that these ‘hitchhiking’ TEs can drive rapid e...

Now out!
We show that TEs can be horizontally transferred between fungal species via Starships. Once transferred, these TEs can become active, changing the genome organization and affecting the lifestyle of the recipient fungus.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@oggenfussursula.bsky.social #TEsky

📣 Job opportunity: ERC-funded position as a Five-Year Postdoctoral Researcher (all genders welcome) in @jandevries.bsky.social lab in Göttingen, Germany. Find more info here:
www.uni-goettingen.de/de/644546.ht...
#plantsci

There is a week left to apply for two available positions in my lab @ipbhalle.bsky.social

- PhD: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/12-phd-posit...

- Postdoc: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/13-postdocto...
Earliest start date: 01/05/2026.

We are interested in plant immune receptor biochemistry and evolution. Please share!

Big news from our lab: we can now stably edit the genome of a parasitic plant! Transgene-free, genome-edited P. japonicum in one generation! This will transform how we study #parasiticplants and other hard-to-transform plants.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Fig. 1 CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION (CLE) in biotic plant interactions.

✨ Paper spotlight ✨

(🧵 1/6) CLE peptides in plant biotic interactions
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Postdoctoral position in biology (m/f/d) (2/2026) Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (Halle) offers a Postdoctoral position in Biology

Please share! We are looking for a postdoctoral scientist (2 years, extension possible) starting from 01/05/2026 at
@ipbhalle.bsky.social! The project focuses on plant immune receptor biochemistry and structural biology.
Deadline 09/03/2026.

Apply at: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/11-postdocto...

New #preprint from the lab: When one plant parasitizes another, the impact goes beyond nutrient loss. We show that parasitism weakens the host plant’s immunity, leaving it highly susceptible to microbial infections. Find out why: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #PlantImmunity #ParasiticPlants

From life-saving medicine to gourmet cheese – our microbe of the year 2026 is Penicillium 🌟

This brush mold 🧫gave us penicillin & launched the antibiotic era 💊, and is a common workhorse in biotech labs🧪.
And it makes your cheese delicious 🧀🐭

#VAAM #MikrobeDesJahres #MicrobeOfTheYear #Penicillium

New preprint from our lab: Salicylic acid- induced alkalinization of the apoplast requires TMK1 and results in growth attenuation

www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Big thanks to all who contributed @guidogrossmann.bsky.social
@julien-gronnier.bsky.social
@kaltraxhelilaj.bsky.social

Anyone looking for roommates for #Fungal26 in Asilomar?
I will participate and I am looking for someone to share a room for the week!

I'm a female PhD student, looking to share a room with another female. Please DM me if you'd like to team up with me 😄
Reposts appreciated!

What a start to the final month of our IRTG! Congratulations to Anja Sieven from the @kaiheimel.bsky.social lab on her defence!

Want good Bioinformatics resources for Phytopathogens?
Plant pathology community at @bspp.bsky.social and @britmycolsoc.org.uk please take the time to complete the Phytopathogen Genomics Resources Survey:-
🔗 zurl.co/gKjC1
Your input is important for FungiDB/@veupathdb.org
& Ensembl @ebi.embl.org.

Please RT:
We have an opening for a junior group leader position in „Phage Biology & Biotechnology“.
www.fz-juelich.de/de/karriere/...

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact me via email for further details.

@spp2330.bsky.social; @mibinet.bsky.social

We proudly present a new preprint by Leon Pierdzig et al: Wall teichoic acids, glycopolymers specific to Gram-positive bacteria, trigger defense and cell death in Arabidopsis. Cysteine-rich RLKs act as key components in their perception. doi.org/10.1101/2025...

he Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis is seeking applications for a fulltime, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Mycology, with a focus on plant pathogenic, symbiotic, or mycotoxigenic fungi and fungal-like organisms (e.g., oomycetes). We are looking for a highly motivated and creative scientist with a strong background in mycology and/or the biology of fungi and fungal-like organisms that interact with plants. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a world-class, externally funded research program that integrates both fundamental and applied aspects of fungal biology within the context of plant pathology. We welcome applicants pursuing a wide range of research topics related to plant-associated fungi, including but not limited to mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis or symbiosis with plants, population genomics and evolution of fungal plant pathogens, plant-associated fungal microbiomes and plant-microbe interactions, and/or one health approaches to fungal diseases and antifungal resistance. Applicants working in other relevant research areas involving pathogenic, symbiotic, or mycotoxigenic fungi or fungal-like organisms that affect plant health are also encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will have significant opportunities for collaboration with faculty in plant pathology, microbiology, genomics, and agricultural sciences, and to contribute to addressing issues of importance to California’s agricultural and natural ecosystems. The appointee primary teaching responsibilities will be teaching Introductory Mycology, an upperdivision lab class, and SAS 30, Mushroom, Molds & Society, a general education class for non-majors. Additional graduate and undergraduate teaching responsibilities may be assigned based on departmental needs and the candidate’s expertise. The department offers modern instructional facilities, including a newly renovated teaching laboratory.

Please repost -- The Univ. California Davis dept of Plant Pathology is hiring a Fungal biologist / Mycologist

Applications due Dec 1

Application portal: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339

Screenshot shows part of the job posting (with alt-text of the same text)

Illustration depicting the ways in which fungi can exchange genetic material with each other. Starship mediated HGT is confirmed experimentally in this preprint.

We did it! We caught Starship #transposons moving between #fungal species in the lab, including between species separated by ~100my. We think Starships are a mediator of HGT in fungi, akin to conjugative elements in bacteria. Check out the preprint. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Only a couple of weeks till the @eseb2025.bsky.social conference!

I’m so honored to be one of the keynote speakers, and incredibly excited about the amazing scientific program and the opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones!

#eseb2025

#2025ISMPMI Corinna Thurow reveals their exiting findings that transdifferentiation induced by Verticillium dahliae is achieved by the TRADE effector targeting Varicose host scaffold protein.

A person giving a scientific talk showing a slide with varicose mutant plants and a workflow for mass spec from a TRADE pulldown

Corinna Thurow is the last talk today before the free afternoon.

Verticillium effector (TRADE) interacts with host varicose protein (VCS). Used a forward screen to figure out insensitive mutants and identified a WIND1 transcription factor.
#2025ISMPMI

When you believe you have seen it all.....
These fungi distribute their 16 or 18 chromosomes into deifferent nuclei within the same cell....how weird and cool

Distribution of haploid chromosomes into separate nuclei in two pathogenic fungi Nuclei define eukaryotes, enabling macromolecular compartmentalization and cellular regulation. Each nucleus is believed to contain one or more haploid sets of chromosomes (1N). However, we discovered...

Wonderful new story from our friends and collaborators @UBC Vancouver @ubcbotany.bsky.social @irtgprotect.bsky.social, bringing unanticipated insights into the biology of highly researched fungal pathogens (Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)

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

I had some absolutely incredible papers come online this week, and I need to take a minute to post about each of them. First, let me tell you about the CarboTag probes for imaging plant cell walls! From the Sprakel lab (a short thread) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New post doc opportunity in our team at Kiel University in the north of Germany. We are looking for a motivated molecular biologists to unravel plant-microbe interactions in grasses. Please see: www.uni-kiel.de/personal/de/...

More to our research and group here: www.environmental-genomics.de

Please check out our Commentary on the recent PNAS paper from the @charlesmelnyk.bsky.social lab about systemic signals in Phtheirospermum japonicum:
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...