Cool new preprint on cell wall charge and iron by @elkebarbez.bsky.social . Congrats to all involved.

SEB Annual Conference Florence 2026 Abstract submissions is open from Thursday 8th January until Friday 6th March 2026

www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a...

Last few days to submit an abstract for a SEB session in Florence on plant microbiota! 🌿🦠
Invited speakers: Corné Pieterse, Sofie Goormachtig, and Kathrin Wippel.
Thanks to our sponsors, we’ll also have ECR prizes available. 🏆

Please share/spread the word! 🙏

Come to Florence for a nice session on plant microbiota (P6) with Corné Pieterse @cornepieterse.bsky.social, Sofie Goormachtig @goormachtig.bsky.social and Kathrin Wippel as invited speakers. 10 speakers will be selected upon abstract submission.

Abstract submissions for #SEBconference Florence 2026 are officially open! 🎉

Deadline: 6 March 2026. Submit today and be part of cutting-edge biology in Florence.

More information
www.sebiology.org/resource/seb-conference-florence-2026-abstract-submission-is-now-open.html

Plant phenotypic differentiation outweighs genetic variation in shaping the lettuce leaf microbiota - Environmental Microbiome Lettuce, a widely consumed raw vegetable, harbors leaf-associated microbial communities whose understanding and prediction are crucial for plant and human health. While environmental factors are known...

Happy and proud to share the first first-author paper from @arianna-kr8.bsky.social! Lettuce phenotypes strongly influence leaf-associated microbiota. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

SEB Conference Florence 2026: Abstract submission is now open Abstract submission deadline: Friday 6 March 2026 🗓️

SEB Conference Florence 2026: Abstract submission is now open
Abstract submission deadline: Friday 6 March 2026
www.sebiology.org/resource/seb...

Danger‐associated peptide modulates iron deficiency signaling and root growth in Arabidopsis Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plants and humans, with plants being a primary dietary Fe source. Fe availability significantly affects plant health, development, and yield. Its deficien...

Happy to share that our new study is now published online in @newphyt.bsky.social
We showed dat the PEP2–PEPR2 signaling module plays a key role in Fe-deficiency responses and root growth in Arabidopsis.
doi.org/10.1111/nph....

@arianna-kr8.bsky.social on Plant genetic and root-associated microbial diversity modulate Lactuca sativa responsiveness to a soil inoculum under phosphate deficiency
#PMS2025

When do phosphorus cycling microbes help the plant? Depends on the plant genotype! #PMS2025

It was wonderful to have Bijun with us @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social & @incavirus.bsky.social to finally "use our microscope to its full potential" as our core-facility put it! 🔬

Congrats to all, esp. @bijuntang.bsky.social and @xanderjones.bsky.social ! Super happy to be a part of this great story!

Have a look at our latest preprint about MLO role in root development and calcium signaling!

A symbiotic MLO gene regulates root development via RALF34-triggered Ca2+ signalling in Lotus japonicus www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09....

Oggi esce VERTIGINE, il mio nuovo libro. Un viaggio tra la spietatezza del metodo scientifico, la potenza delle nostre emozioni e il mercato, a volte cinico, delle speranze /1
amzn.eu/d/bBjv73s

#PMS2025 is going global! 🌍

So far, participants from 32 countries have registered for #PMS2025

This is your chance to connect, share ideas, and network with a international community of #plantmicrobiome scientists.

📅 Join now @ 6thplantmicrobiomesymposium2025.com

#MicrobiomeResearch

New preprint! 🐛 Root-knot nematodes hijack root cells, turning them into feeding sites and making plants very sick. Using a cross-species scRNA-seq approach we mapped this process and show how this knowledge can be used to engineer resistant crops.🌱 A summary🧵 :
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

I still think about this 2018 “American Gut” study every time I go grocery shopping - eating MORE than 30 types of plants per week boosts diversity in your gut microbiome, and also reduces antibiotic resistance genes in your body journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10....

Photo of Dr. Cecilia Zumajo-Cardona smiling at the camera.

"Diversity of perspectives and knowledge stimulates creativity, and collaborative work enables projects that would be impossible to achieve alone." - Dr. Cecilia Zumajo-Cardona.

botany.one/2025/09/ceci...

#Botany #PlantScience 🧪

So nice!!! Congrats!

And now the fast train from Frankfurt airport to Cologne is 20 minutes late. Funny how the closer I get, the farther it seems

First some back pain I had to treat with cortisone injection that forced me to postpone the flight. Then, yesterday, my flight was cancelled. Now I'm finally on my way to #2025ISMPMI. A bit late, but I hope to catch up with friends and science!

Why I’m skipping the Congress this year (And why you should still publish your posters) Publishing your poster creates a verifiable and citable record of your work. It also protects you from bad actors — the evidence will be…

I just published: Why I’m skipping the Congress this year (And why you should still publish your posters)

Publishing your poster creates a citable record and protects you from bad actors.

#ISMPMI2025 #OpenMPMI #AcademicChatter #PhDchat

medium.com/p/why-im-ski...

🧵1/
New preprint out!
We reveal that ERAD, a protein degradation pathway, selectively targets intracellular PILS auxin transport facilitators to control growth.
This expands ERAD's role beyond protein quality control, right into developmental regulation.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A TNL receptor mediates microbiome feedbacks in Arabidopsis Plant performance depends on the soil microbiome. While microbiome feedbacks are well documented, the mechanisms by which plants perceive and mediate these feedbacks remain unclear. We established a f...

Updated preprint: MMF1 is "a microbiota receptor” through which Arabidopsis plants perceive their soil microbiome. Perception optimises root microbiome composition, immune status and ultimately leads to better growth. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

1/🚨 New preprint alert! Can mutualists and pathogens co-colonise the same living plant cell and what does that do to the plant membranes that surround these microbes?

🚨Preprint Alert🚨 I'm really happy to finally share our exploits in red algae and introduce the wider community to Bostrychia, the new model system we have been developing to tackle the molecular biology of red algae. Isn't she a beauty? Thread below 🧵 1/8 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Gag proteins encoded by endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development | PNAS Transposable elements (TEs) make up the bulk of eukaryotic genomes and examples abound of TE-derived sequences repurposed for organismal function. ...

💥🥳 At long last, our latest paper is out!

Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development

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

Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social

A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/n

Amazing !! Antiproteolysis peptides (APPs), identified by artificial intelligence, stabilized TF by inhibiting E3 ligase to induce resistance. Targeted Inhibition of Protein Degradation #TIPD #PPSTasis www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Commentary www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Plant genetic and root-associated microbial diversity modulate Lactuca sativa responsiveness to a soil inoculum under phosphate deficiency www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04....

It's always a good feeling to have things out on biorXiv! That's the second line of research we took with lettuce a few years ago, spearheaded by Arianna!