Tomo @kawashimalab.bsky.social and I organized a special issue for @cytoskeljournal.bsky.social 🍀🔬
We have 11 articles on plant cytoskeleton in this issue. Looking forward to seeing the final version of the issue.
Here is our editorial take:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
During secondary growth, primary protective barriers break, and a new one forms beneath: the phellem.
But what triggers phellem to differentiate and become a functional barrier? Our results show it’s mechanical cues from tissue rupture 🌱
Check out our preprint 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵/1
At the top, a timeline of early evolution indicating the development of oxygenic photosynthesis at 3 billion years ago, and the origin of eukaryotes between 2.5 and 2 billion years ago. Underneath, a diagram shows the possible integration of a proteobacteria into an Archea, leading to the formation of mitochondria.
#PlantSci Research Weekly March 13, 2026 plantae.org/plant-scienc...
Reviews: Vulnerability of plant reproduction in warming world; Potential of macroalgae for space flight.
Also – Metagenomic insights into the origin of eukaryotes; Biosynthetic gene clusters for post-chorismate metabolism (1/3)
🔬🍀🎉
I am happy and excited to share that graduate student, @ohazel.bsky.social Olivia's first author research article is published now @newphyt.bsky.social
We are grateful to editor, reviewers, and @newphyt.bsky.social to help us to improve the story
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Expression patterns of selected AGP genes.
AGP and EXO-LIKE genes promote brassinosteroid-dependent anisotropic growth
Daria Novikova, et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#PlantScience
Another really interesting #SciHis Story by @asimovpress.bsky.social.
Goes to show that there are interesting and curious stories and facts in everything - even little things like Agar that seem simple and straightforward.
www.asimov.press/p/agar
#ScienceHistory #MolecularBiology #Agarose #Seaweed
🔬🍀
(1/3) My undergraduate student, Joh, is working on chromatin (magenta dots in the movie) dynamics during the altered nuclear (green) shape.
Here is a beautiful movie of chromatin dynamics.
We are very excited to share a new resource from our team: spatial subcellular proteome maps in plants! We developed an MS-based method that registers localizations of about 8000 proteins in Arabidopsis roots in a single experiment.
(1/9)
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Happy to share this preprint, we describe how the membrane could shape the ROS nanoenvironment in plant responses to osmotic signals. Led by @arthur-poitout.bsky.social and amazing colleagues @yvonjaillais.bsky.social , @jbfiche.bsky.social , A Meyer, and J Ugalde.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
We are happy to announce the start of the MechanoBioTalks – Mechanics, Materials and Living Matter an initiative organized by GreenTE young researchers. The aim of the webinars is to bring together researchers interested in biomechanics, biophysics and biology.
Register here: green-te.nl/activities/
Congrats to all the co-authors for this great work.
@hamannlab.bsky.social. Sprakel lab.
Our work now on its final version. We mapped the mechanical properties of roots at tissue and single cell levels using Brillouin microscopy and molecular rotors. Additional mutants and stress measurements from what we previously showed in the preprint are included.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
‼️ SAVE THE DATE‼️
We are excited to announce that the 10th International BioBrillouin Meeting will take place from the 30th November – 3rd December 2026 in Exeter, United Kingdom.
Registration will open soon, and be announced on www.biobrillouin.org
Hello world 👋 My first post here on Bluesky
Excited to share our review in Chemical Reviews’ special issue “Mechanochemistry and Strain” on Mechanochromic Mechanophores 🛠️🌈
bit.ly/3OajSCg
A memorable experience to read, reflect on, and synthesize the incredible work from the community
@pubs.acs.org
Fig. 1 (shortened, full legend in paper): The human nuclear pore complex (NPC). (A) Illustration of the radially symmetric human NPC, connecting cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. The different ring subunits of the NPC are depicted by five of its eight symmetric spokes. In between the spoke units, the NPC lateral channels are depicted. The luminal ring and inner ring anchor the NPC in the nuclear envelope (NE). The outer double rings attach at the outer and inner nuclear membrane (ONM, INM). The cytoplasmic filaments and nuclear basket form the NPC peripheral extensions. The central channel is filled by intrinsically disordered phenylalanine–glycine (FG)-rich nucleoporins (FG-NUPs), which are depicted as spaghetti-like domains (translucent purple). Notably, the central channel is not structurally resolved, and the in vivo conformational state of the FG-NUPs remains speculative. Their spaghetti-like depiction here only serves as an illustration.
🧬 🚚 SPECIAL ISSUE REVIEW 🚚 🧬
In this review, Ejike et al. highlight the role of phase separation for the transport of cargo through the nuclear pore complex, highlighting the assembly, structure, and function of the nuclear pore.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪
2026 UK plant biomechanics workshop on 17th April 2026 in Nottingham.
Abstract submissions deadline is 13 Feb, and registration is open.
🌱🧪🌿🔬#PlantSci
New episode of #No_Time_To_Read_podcast! 🎙️
I had a wonderful discussion with @ajeetchaudhary.bsky.social Ajeet about his recent Molecular Plant paper. His work made it to the cover as well.
Podcast: tinyurl.com/3ppeys36
Article: www.cell.com/molecular-pl...
Fig. 1 (shortened, full legend in paper): Cellulose synthesis and cell wall expansion. (A) Regulation of cell wall expansion by cellulose synthesis, notably by processes that are sensitive to mechanical forces. Exocytosis and endocytosis of cellulose synthases are modulated by turgor pressure (1). The direction of movement of the cellulose synthase is controlled by the orientation of microtubules, and velocity is predicted to be controlled by membrane tension (2). Regulation of cell wall expansion depends on CWI sensing (3). (B) Cell shape and integrity depend on cellulose synthesis. Epidermal cells of Arabidopsis cotyledon (upper panels; scale bars=200 µm) and leaf trichomes (lower panels; scale bars=100 µm), in wild-type (left) and anisotropy1 hypomorphic mutant (right) plants. Adapted from Fujita et al. (2013). (C, D) Hypocotyl length depends on cellulose synthesis and on cell wall integrity (CWI) sensing.
🧱 REVIEW 🧱
Plant growth is regulated by cell wall polysaccharide synthesis & integration, occurring indirectly via cell wall integrity sensing, relying on tight coupling between polysaccharide integration, remodelling & wall tension- Muller et al.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪
Active matter physics studies living beings as open, out of equilibrium, and emergent systems. In this perspective on plant morphogenesis, we show how such features arise from the basic hydromechanics of plant tissue and how to capture them in models. 🌱💧
Preprint 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2512.05554
New preprint!
SOSEKI polarity proteins are mechanoresponsive integrators linking growth and tissue mechanics during lateral root formation. Their polarity marks growth boundaries and reorganises in response to mechanical alterations —reshaping how we think about axis formation.
tinyurl.com/28p7af2w
Also happy to say that Arabidopsis epidermal cells make the cover of @theplantjournal.bsky.social for the issue with our paper, showing that nitrate availability impacts pectin metabolism and cell wall mechanics for growth 🌱
Check the work here 👉 doi.org/10.1111/tpj....
A very good historical perspective why you want to work on the weed…
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
📢 Apply now for the EMBL Course 'Brillouin microscopy for life science applications'!
🔬 Learn this cutting-edge, non-invasive imaging method that reveals the mechanical properties of living cells in real time.
📍 EMBL Heidelberg
📅 9–13 Feb 2026
👉 s.embl.org/brm26-01-bl
#EMBLBrillouin
Lab is expanding to a new horizon of imaging!
I am extremely proud of my grad student @juliazheku.bsky.social Julia to take a lead on our new Vibratome and create this GORGEOUS 3D image of the radial section of wheat root.
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/...
Don't forget to submit your abstract until October 1, 2025 to join this amazing lineup of speakers at the 9th International BioBrillouin Conference from Nov 25-27 in Berlin! Looking forward to seeing you there 🤩
JXB EDITORIAL INTERNSHIPS 2026 "My JXB internship was an excel-lent opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the editorial and publishing process." Sujit Jung Karki, University College Dublin, JXB intern 2024 19 "I had the opportunity to publish an Insight article as the sole author, which was something I did not expect to be able to achieve at this early point in my career." Katie Watson, University of Hong Kong, JXB intern 2025 "Being an editorial intern has been an enriching and formative experience." Luis Alonso Baez, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, JXB intern 2025 Apply by 30th September 2025 bit.ly/jxbinterns
💡 Did you know the JXB Editorial Internships call is now open? 💡
This is the 4th round of our internship programme 🌱
Check out what past interns had to say about their experience 👩💻
Deadline: 30 Sept
👉 bit.ly/jxbinterns?ut...
#PlantScience 🧪
