I thought the Aspergillus fumigatus pan-genome was pretty wild when we started this project.

Aspergillus flavus said, "hold my beer..." Not only does it have a strong population structure with differences between environmental and clinical strains, only 58%of genes are conserved across the species!

Harnessing random peptide mixtures to combat multidrug-resistant fungal infections | mBio The rising prevalence of invasive fungal infections, particularly among immunocompromised individuals, has become a critical public health concern. However, antifungal drug development has not kept pace with this growing need, and treatment options remain limited to a small number of drug classes. The emergence of multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens, such as Candida auris, further exacerbates this crisis by reducing the efficacy of existing therapeutics and increasing the risk of treatment failure. In this study, we evaluate the antifungal potential of FK20, a random peptide mixture (RPM) composed of L-phenylalanine and L-lysine. FK20 displays potent activity against C. auris and other clinically relevant Candida species, impairs biofilm formation, and exhibits synergy with caspofungin. Importantly, FK20 limits the emergence of resistance and demonstrates therapeutic efficacy in a murine model of systemic candidiasis. These findings establish RPMs as a promising new class of antifungals with broad-spectrum activity and clinical potential against drug-resistant fungal infections.

🚨A random solution to a growing fungal threat🚨
Our work on random peptide mixtures reveals potent antifungal activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens like C. auris, with low resistance potential and strong biofilm activity.
Now out in mBio!
Congrats to John and Yael for the fantastic work 👏

I’ve read all the biographies & Crick’s autobiography too, but I feel like I got to know the real person in this book. A masterpiece, because of the brilliant writing and research of @matthewcobb.bsky.social

Genome–host association mapping reveals wheat pathogen genes involved in host specialization - Nature Plants This study introduces genome–host association (GHA), leveraging natural epidemics to map the genetic landscape of host adaptation in the pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Applied to 832 wheat fungal stra...

Thrilled to share our paper now out in Nature Plants 🎉
We developed a genome-host association (GHA) approach to study pathogen adaptation directly from field metadata by using the originating host cultivar as phenotype.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🗓Full list of invited speakers for the 2027 GRC Immunology of Fungal Infections is now online.
🍄Check out the fantastic line-up and get your application in early - this meeting is typically oversubscribed! Lots of opportunities for talks from the abstracts
www.grc.org/immunology-o...

Interested in B chromosomes in plants/animals or accessory chromosomes in fungi? Don't miss the 6th B Chromosome Conference in Olomouc, Czech Republic! The abstract submission deadline is April 15th. Come and join this great research community!

Details and registration: olomouc.ueb.cas.cz/en/6bcc

Names matter: the word ‘citizen’ carries legal, political, and cultural meanings that are not neutral, say @britishecologicalsociety.org. Instead, consider using the term ‘community science’.

Preprint alert 🚨 (1/10) 🧵

𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘹 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺:
It can promote resistance, susceptibility, or restrict cell death 🤯

So what is its actual role?

We show it acts as a spatial organizer of immunity across cell types 🌱🦠 #proteostasis

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

🔬 #ImageOfTheWeek

Highlights from the CMM annual retreat - three energising days of science, discussion and collaboration. Great to connect with colleagues from CMM Africa, CMM LATAM, our honorary PIs, and invited speakers Michail Lionakis and @chitinette.bsky.social

#Mycology #Fungi

That makes the 150th acceptance letter of my academic career…
…from understanding transcription factors through regulatory networks, biofilm sociomicrobiology and experimental evolution, chemical ecology to plant microbiomes and microbial communities
🇭🇺➡️🇳🇱➡️🇩🇪➡️🇩🇰➡️🇳🇱

Congrats to Iris and the co-authors 🥳 this is a massive study, so great to see it out!

Excited to share our latest publication @natcomms.nature.com
Non-canonical IL‑22 receptor signaling remodels the oral mucosal barrier during #Candida albicans immunosurveillance
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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

Undaria pinnatifida gametophyte

Our work on chromatin evolution in brown algae is now published in @natecoevo.nature.com! We show that developmentally complex brown algae evolved without epigenetic silencing pathways long thought universal, underscoring why non-model lineages are important to study. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Title of the Emmy Noether Programme with red arrow and the date's informatieon: Thursday, 02 April 2026, 10:30-12:00 a.m. (in English) and shortlink: www.dfg.de/prospects

#ECR, PhDs and postdocs, take note - here is our alternative date for the info session about the DFG's Emmy Noether Programme, its eligibility requirements and your funding opportunities. Full Details:▶️ www.dfg.de/en/research-...

Now that it's official i've got some news! Our group has moved from @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social to @unihalle.bsky.social where I am now leading the department for phytopathology and plant protection 🍄🌾🧬

A door with a name tag. The tag has a logo with the text SciLifeLab. Below is my name and text "Assistant Professor. Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences. Stockholm University". Through the glass wall you can see the office in a state of disarray

Still cannot fully believe it, but today is officially my first day as a PI at @scilifelab.se and Stockholm University! The lab is open, time to fill it with science..
#newPI

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

Robotics meets genetics: Joining forces to explore <em>Fusa… They are both feared pathogens and a source of hope: fungi of the genus Fusarium. Spreading worldwide, they can ca…

Robotics meets genetics 🤖🧬🍄
Two junior research groups are FUSIONing their expertise to explore Fusarium, a fungus with two faces: a threat and a treasure trove for new therapeutics.

Find out more about FUSION: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

@luziagyr.bsky.social
@slavi-jan.bsky.social

Robotics meets genetics: Joining forces to explore <em>Fusa… They are both feared pathogens and a source of hope: fungi of the genus Fusarium. Spreading worldwide, they can ca…

Nice press release about our new project revolving around antifungals and Fusarium 👇🏻
w/ @luziagyr.bsky.social
by Kerstin Breuer @leibniz-hki.de

www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

Excited for 2 days of Fungal Mycology @fungalupdate.bsky.social at the beautiful @rcphysicians.bsky.social in London! The afternoon session chaired by @elainebignell.bsky.social and kicked off by @drneilstone.bsky.social
#Mycology2026

🌱 We’re excited to launch the BBSRC-funded UK Plant Epigenetics Network (UK-PEN) with our inaugural workshop (free!):

“Plant Epigenetics: From Model to Crop Species”
📅 11–12 June 2026
📍 Uni of Dundee (hybrid)

We look forward to welcoming you!

Feel free to repost to help us reach the community

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

A new genome in the Foxy family!
📣Excited to share our latest preprint on bioRxiv!
We present the first chromosome-level assembly of Fusarium oxysporum FO12, a highly effective biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens like Verticillium dahliae.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵

Status of mycorrhiza research in 2026 Mycorrhizal symbiosis improves the nutrition of most land plants and plays key roles in nutrient cycling and ecosystem function. To understand and leverage the biology of mycorrhizal symbioses for su...

The first publication from the Dallaire and Kameoka labs is out! A forward-looking review on the status of mycorrhiza research in 2026, with emphasis on AM fungi doi.org/10.1111/nph.... @newphyt.bsky.social @ulaval.ca 🇨🇦

It’s time to say farewell to ERC Research Group Leader Thorsten Langner after nearly 3 years at the institute. He reflects on his time here, key milestones, and what’s next: tinyurl.com/2vce2d6k
Congratulations on your new position—we wish you and your team all the best for the future!

Now up on bioRxiv!

Working with @dianzheng.bsky.social and Jan van Kan, we tested how DNA is distributed between nuclei in multinucleate fungal spores.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Congratulations to Johannes Hartl (Berlin Institute of Health & Charité), awardee of this year’s VAAM Research Award @vaam-microbes.bsky.social!

Some reflections on #Fungal26 This was a great meeting as always but set against some turbulent times of course, which meant many regular attendees were not present. This thread is mainly for them. However, the proportion of first-time attendees was very high and very international. #Fungal26 1/15

What an honor and privilege to organize #fungal26 with the one and only Meritxell Riquelme! Thank you fungal community and @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for making this such a great meeting !