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Posts by Ken Shirasu

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.

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...

5 days ago 71 80 1 3
Norio Takeshita on the right, with a quote from his article on the left.

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

3 weeks ago 12 8 0 0

Awesome news. Congratulations @gittacoaker.bsky.social. very well deserved.

3 weeks ago 11 1 1 0
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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....

Cell-surface receptors play key roles across many biological processes.
In plants, these receptor families have undergone remarkable expansion. Here, we systematically review these receptors in
@theplantjournal.bsky.social

Happy to see this out!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

4 weeks ago 35 22 2 0
Fig. 1 CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION (CLE) in biotic plant interactions.

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

#TansleyInsight: CLE peptides in plant-biotic interactions

Nicolas Frei dit Frey & Thomas Spallek
👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#LatestIssue #PlantScience

1 month ago 14 7 0 0
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Our editors write:

- Restoration ecology: Resurrecting the American chestnut rdcu.be/e8LDv

- Fungal virulence: Piercing the wall rdcu.be/e8LD9

- Developmental genetics: A nitrogen-response coordinator rdcu.be/e8LEp

#PlantScience

1 month ago 8 3 1 0
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AlphaFold database has entered the era of complexes. Together with NVIDIA, DeepMind and EBI, we use ColabFold, OpenFold and MMseqs2-GPU to predict ~31 million complexes (homo & hetro-dimers) resulting in 1.8 million high-quality predictions
📄 research.nvidia.com/labs/dbr/ass...
🌐 alphafold.ebi.ac.uk

1 month ago 265 111 8 3

Please check the latest from our lab! Root-fungus senses host nutrient status, determining its infection strategies!

1 month ago 11 7 0 1
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The Bart Lab at UC Berkeley is looking for a postdoc. Please share!

2 months ago 37 40 1 0
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Dihydroxyhexanoic acid biosynthesis controls turgor in pathogenic fungi Many plant pathogenic fungi penetrate host surfaces mechanically, using turgor pressure generated by specialized infection cells called appressoria. These appressoria develop semipermeable cell walls ...

Out in @science.org this week, two fungal enzymes synthesise DHHA, which controls cell wall porosity and turgor in plant pathogenic fungi www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#mycology
#plantscience

2 months ago 50 22 0 0
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NSF seeks public input on its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–2030 NSF Strategic Plan

NSF needs to hear from you. Among other points, I suggested: keep politics out of science; stop using the threat of cancelling scientific grants to try to control universities; increase NSF funding for fundamental research. Pls send around. Deadline is January 27. Thanks
www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...

3 months ago 66 56 1 0
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The molecular basis of the binding and specific activation of rhizobial NodD by flavonoids The specific partnership between legumes and rhizobia relies on a chemical dialogue. Plant flavonoids activate the bacterial transcription factor NodD, which triggers production of Nod factors that ar...

In @science.org this week:
The interaction between flavonoids and rhizobial Nod factors during legume symbiosis

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#plantscience

3 months ago 21 10 0 1

Horizontal acquisition of nicotine catabolism gene cluster drives the assembly of tobacco root microbiota community www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12...

3 months ago 4 3 0 0

Many thanks to the editors for the invitation. Free access tᴏ the article: authors.elsevier.com/a/1mIlz3PtAV...

4 months ago 2 2 0 0

Well done, Bruno!

4 months ago 1 0 0 0
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I’m excited to share a new preprint from Carella group #CarellaCapybaras! biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
In this study, we show molecular co-evolution of two popular nonhost resistance genes in plants, RAR1 and SGT1, in ferns. For a quick read before Christmas, here’s the thread:

4 months ago 26 15 1 0
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The evolutionary mysteries of a rare parasitic plant New study maps the strange genomes of Asia-Pacific Balanophora species, giving new insights into the evolution of parasitic plants and an unconventional role of plastids.

The rare, mushroom-like Balanophora plant surprises researchers with their genetic makeup and unconventional role of plastids in biosynthesis, despite being entirely parasitic of a select few trees. New study in @newphyt.bsky.social 👇 www.oist.jp/news-center/...

4 months ago 10 7 1 0
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植物の“センサー”を探る研究者が目指すもの 2025年9月に科学雑誌『Science』に発表された、植物の免疫受容体「SCORE」の発見。SCOREは85%以上の細菌やカビ、昆虫に共通する「低温ショックタンパク質(CSP)」を検知し、免疫反応を誘導します。

www.riken.jp/pr/closeup/2...

4 months ago 6 2 0 0
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How do plants fight disease? 🌱 #NASmember Jane Parker studies NLR proteins that help plants sense attackers and launch powerful immune defenses. She shares her latest findings on how these proteins signal plants to resist disease in a new @pnas.org QnAs: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

4 months ago 31 13 0 0
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Name badges all ready for kick off at the Stromlo Plant Pathogen (and Pests!) conference in Canberra at @biologyanu.bsky.social #strompath2025

4 months ago 10 2 1 0
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Privileged to have @yasukadota.bsky.social present at the Stromlo conference on the SCORE receptors … brilliant story. #strompath25

4 months ago 10 3 0 0
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Transposable elements are vectors of recurrent transgenerational epigenetic inheritance DNA methylation loss at transposable elements (TEs) can affect neighboring genes and be epigenetically inherited in plants, yet the determinants and significance of this additional system of inheritan...

Out First Release in @science.org this week:

A large scale analysis of the epigenetics of transposable elements in Arabidopsis shows transgenerational stability

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

#PlantScience

7 months ago 50 18 0 2
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How parasitic plants avoid being parasitized | Plantae It’s not too difficult to envision how a plant recognizes something very different from itself, like a bacterium, oomycete, or fungus. It’s a bit less obvious how a plant recognizes another plant as…

Plant Science Research Weekly -- How parasitic plants avoid being parasitized (Science) @shirasulab.bsky.social (Summary by Mary Williams @PlantTeaching.bsky.social) buff.ly/KEgzFe5

#PlantaePSRW

5 months ago 6 4 1 0

Congrats, Tatsuya!

5 months ago 6 0 1 0
An illuminated Corpus Clock, featuring a large golden chronophage (time-eater) on top, located at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The clock face is intricately designed with multiple circular layers and glowing lights.

An illuminated Corpus Clock, featuring a large golden chronophage (time-eater) on top, located at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The clock face is intricately designed with multiple circular layers and glowing lights.

In case you missed it, the clocks went back last night in the UK 🕰️

Do you think Chronophage at @corpuscambridge.bsky.social is enjoying the extra hour?

📸 Lloyd Mann

5 months ago 7 3 0 0
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Carnivorous plants lack genes to host arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi When friends abandon them, some plants go on a killing spree.

botany.one/2025/10/carn...

5 months ago 12 5 0 0

Read PCP Editors Satoko Yoshida and Takayuki Tohge's exciting collaborative work on parasitic plants (below).

And watch out for PCP's upcoming special issue on #ParasiticPlants (organised by Satoko Yoshida, Atsushi Okazawa, Thomas Spallek and Kaori Yoneyama) - out next year...!

5 months ago 5 2 0 0

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eswp...

5 months ago 2 0 0 0

It’s been 14 years since I uploaded a video on YouTube showing that Striga does not infect other members of the Orobanchaceae family.JSPS Fellow Simon came to Japan and carried out mutant screening to find mechanism and it was 10 years ago that the mutant was finally obtained. A long journey.

5 months ago 33 14 0 1
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Glucosylation of endogenous haustorium-inducing factors underpins kin avoidance in parasitic plants Parasitic plants rarely attack themselves, suggesting the existence of a kin-avoidance mechanism. In the root parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum, prehaustorium formation is triggered by host-se...

Simon's mutant finally published! Well done, Satoko' lab with Harro, Tobimatsu, Tohge collaborations. Glucosylation of endogenous haustorium-inducing factors underpins kin avoidance in parasitic plants | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

5 months ago 23 10 2 2