Congratulations @faltegoer.bsky.social ! 🥳

We just received funding for a 2yr postdoc position on cryoEM of fungal gpcrs. Official call will open soon.

Contact me if you‘re interested!

How do Lactococcus bacteria defend themselves against phages?

A new review in 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 revisits 34 Abi-like antiphage systems, including 11 described recently, and maps their diversity, structure and likely mechanisms.

Read the paper: buff.ly/rawFDwf

#Microbiology #Phages

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...

Postdoctoral Scholar position in the Coaker group University of California, Davis We are seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to join our research program focused on immune receptor engineering and spatial analyses of plant pathogens interactions using computational and imaging approaches. The position will involve integration of molecular, imaging, and computational approaches. Relevant publications from the laboratory include Nature Plants (2025, PMID: 40721669), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024, PMID: 38814867), and Cell Reports (2023, PMID: 37342910). https://www.coakerlab.org/ Qualifications: • Ph.D. in plant biology, molecular biology, genetics, computational biology, or a related field • Strong background in genomics and/or computational biology • First author publications in peer-reviewed journals • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment • Experience in plant innate immunity is preferred Application Instructions: The position is initially available for two years, with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding. Salary is based on the University of California postdoctoral salary scale (https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/represented-oct-2025-scales/t23.pdf). The salary range for this position is $69,073-$82,836 US Dollars/year. Review of applications will begin June 1, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled. Please submit a CV, a brief statement of research interests (~1 page), and contact information for three references to glcoaker@ucdavis.edu. The research statement should describe your previous work, how your expertise aligns with ongoing research in the lab, and potential future research directions.

We are hiring! We’re excited to recruit a postdoc to our lab at UC Davis to work on plant immune engineering and single-cell analyses of plant pathogen interactions. Apply by June 1. Please repost. www.coakerlab.org/postdoctoral...

Host-adapted enzymatic deconstruction of acetylated xylan limits immune activation and facilitates mutualistic colonization of monocot roots This study identifies a monocot-specific enzymatic module in the beneficial root endophyte Serendipita indica, showing how ancestral saprotrophic enzymes have been repurposed into an immune-compatible...

Very proud to share our new paper led by Mathias Brands from my team at @UniCologne! With Markus Pauly team @HHU. Host-adapted enzymatic deconstruction of acetylated xylan limits immune activation and facilitates mutualistic colonization of monocot roots: Molecular Plant www.cell.com/molecular-pl...

The VEO Group has a position open for a PhD student to investigate Fungi-bacteria interactions in complex communities! Check out this position and many more at the JSMC website 👇👇

www.jsmc-phd.de/admission/va...

Yayoi Kusama in Cologne

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...

New pre-print from the lab! We show that the subtilase SBT12a is essential for symbiosome stabilization in Medicago. Using HUNTER proteomics, we even got some of its substrates. Have a look.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

“All was strange”…….. mystical

Reconstructing plant beneficial bacterial consortia by integrating dilution-to-extinction microbiome perturbation with genome-resolved synthetic ecology www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04...

Intrinsic disorder in elicitin-like effectors: Molecular shields in the arms race of biotrophic pathogens www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04...

Column | Trump kan de rechtsstaat elk moment in de afgrond kieperen Op 7 april, de dag dat Donald Trump beloofde „een hele beschaving” te vernietigen, schreef de Amerikaanse historica Marci Shore, die het door MAGA gekooide academische leven in Amerika is ontvlucht en nu op de universiteit van Toronto werkt: „Ik doceer al dertig jaar Europese geschiedenis. Amerikanen hebben me altijd gevraagd hoe de Holocaust mogelijk was, hoe Duitsers een gevaarlijke gek die…

Waarom Amerikaanse soldaten Trumps illegale bevelen moeten weigeren, maar dat waarschijnlijk niet zullen doen
Mijn column in @nrc.nl

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...

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...

Nutzpflanzenforscherin aus dem „Klaus Tschira Boost-Fund“ gefördert Die Pflanzenforscherin Dr. Eliza Loo, Arbeitsgruppenleiterin am Institut für Molekulare Physiologie an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (HHU), wird für die kommenden zwei Jahre für ein Projek...

Huge congrats to Dr. Eliza Loo! The associated MibiNet researcher has secured a "Klaus Tschira Boost Fund" grant to explore targeted programming of plant microbiomes. Fantastic news for @hhu.de and the MibiNet team!
#MibiNet #HHU
@elizaloopi.bsky.social
www.hhu.de/en/detail-re...

Great to see this paper in its final published form!

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

Micro-scale spatial metagenomics opens a new era in microbiome ecology Understanding microbial communities requires moving beyond 2D representations toward a holistic view that couples 3D spatial organization with ecological function, integrating microbial inventories, g...

Micro-scale spatial metagenomics opens a new era in microbiome ecology

@cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social Opinion from @mizrahilab.bsky.social

www.cell.com/trends/micro...

New Preprint! Engineering quantitative root disease resistance in barley by targeting conserved SCAR susceptibility genes without compromising seed yield or mycorrhizal symbiosis. This work has been led by @binebrumm.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Domain gain or loss in a fungal chitinase enables specialization towards antagonism or immune suppression - Nature Communications Gain or loss of a particular domain contributes to functional specialization of a conserved chitinase in beneficial root endophyte towards microbial antagonism or host immune suppression.

Really proud of this work led by Ruben Eichfeld! We show how a CBM domain gain/loss can rewire fungal chitinases, turning them from antifungal enzymes into immune-suppressing effectors that support plant symbiosis.

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

Antimicrobial peptides and proteins as rheostats of intestinal homeostasis and immunity Antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) function as molecular rheostats of host–microbe interactions and cell-intrinsic defense. Rather than being …

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Nice review by Talia Akoh-Arrey and John Brooks. But it also made me appreciate the Current Opinions format with these 'highlighted' papers.

Through them, my attention was drawn to: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

^^ and this is a really cool study! 1/4

I just published: #CelebratingAlumni: The Lab Is a Launchpad, Not the Destination

These last weeks brought several alumni into sharp focus, and I couldn't resist writing it down. A celebration. With links.

medium.com/p/celebratin...

Nice breakthrough! 👌

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

Congratulations, Gulnara! Big achievement! 🥳

Congratulations, Thorsten! 🎉

New #preprint 😍‼️ led by 2 incredible postdocs @ninizhani.bsky.social & Ranj Papareddy: transforming #UFMylation from a local ribosome rescue pathway to systems level regulator of mRNA splicing www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... A short 🧵

Plant cell surface receptors Plant cell surface receptors have evolved to perceive peptides, proteins, glycans, lipids, and small molecules through diverse ectodomains, integrating these inputs into distinct physiological output...

nice comprehensive review on plant cell surface receptors. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

What if plant immunity doesn’t stop bacteria from arriving - but from staying?
Excited to share our new Dangl Lab paper (doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2535583123), asking a fundamental co-evolutionary question: which flagellar function is targeted by plant immunity?
#Coevolution #Plant-Microbiome #PNAS
🧵1/8

At FEMS Microbiology Ecology, thematic issues are designed to reflect the true breadth of microbial ecology, from fundamental processes at the cellular level to ecosystem-wide dynamics.

Explore all the thematic issues here: buff.ly/QLRZpMd