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

We are very close to reaching the registration cap for MECS2026. Given the strong interest, we have increased the number of participants from 100 to 120 and extended registration until April 12. Please note, however, that we can no longer accept poster submissions.

CDPKs regulate ROS burst during plant cell death Hino et al. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/32FTI7...

ECRs, one week to go! Please join us for an exciting event: The Sainsbury Laboratory Summer Conference in Plant-Microbe Interactions for Early Career Researchers 20th – 31st July 2026 Norwich, UK Application deadline: 12:00 BST (UTC +1) Monday 30th March 2026 www.tsl.ac.uk/tsl-summer-c...

🥳 Happy that our manuscript, first published on @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social has been accepted for publication in "Microbiome" and will be part of a collection on "Harnessing plant microbiomes to improve performance and mechanistic understanding" link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Less than two weeks left to apply for the TSL Summer Conference in Plant-Microbe Interactions! ☀️🌱🧬 Discuss the latest approaches & discoveries in plant health with international and local speakers. ⏰ APPLY online by 30 March '26 ⬇️

Rooting for your frenemies @keihiruma.bsky.social et al show how plants orchestrate endophytic fungi to keep pathogenic ones in check to maintain health & prevent disease onset 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/pcp/... 🧑‍🏫 commentary by Zhe Wang doi.org/10.1093/pcp/... #PlantScience #PlantImmunity 🤩Cover Image👇

TSL Summer Conference getting a shoutout during Ren Ujimatsu’s @rujimatsu.bsky.social presentation at the JSPP Annual Meeting (Ren was a 2024 participant). @thesainsburylab.bsky.social

And here is a very recent paper by the brilliant Aoi Kudoh @Chelonia_mydas5 on sex determination gene of yam doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Kudoh et al. 2025 doi.org/10.1101/2025...

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

Just a reminder that our TSL Summer Conference in Plant-Microbe Interactions is taking place this summer in Norwich! ⏰ APPLY by 30 March 2026 More info on our website: www.tsl.ac.uk/tsl-summer-c...

🔥Hot off the press....!🔥 ⭐The February Issue of Plant & Cell Physiology is out now!⭐ 🛋️ academic.oup.com/pcp/issue/67/2 @academic.oup.com @jspp-news.bsky.social #PlantScience 🌱 📸Photo credit: Shunsuke Miyashima, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Japan 📝Related paper: doi.org/10.1093/pcp/...

Join us on March 10, 2026 at Kyoto University 🇯🇵 for a day celebrating my long-time friend and collaborator Prof. Ryohei Terauchi. "Kyoto Mini-Symposium on Plant–Microbe Interactions"

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

Preprint: Here we report a glass bead-based system suitable for the *simultaneous monitoring* of Arabidopsis root exudate and root microbiome dynamics. Teaser: some link between glucosinolates ~ SynCom composition. Happy reading. Credits to Charlotte Joller et al.! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Great opportunity!! It was very very valuable experience. Don’t miss it!

Join us in Norwich this July for the TSL Summer Conference in Plant-Microbe Interactions! ☀️🌱🧬 Discuss the latest approaches & discoveries in plant health with international keynote and local speakers. APPLY by 30 March '26 ⬇️ Click link for more info www.tsl.ac.uk/tsl-summer-c...

Finally!! 🎉 After a long journey and multiple rounds of revisions, my Commentary is officially out in @plantcellphysiol.bsky.social ! We discuss the fascinating "Gatekeeper" role of endophytes in plant immunity based on the great work by @keihiruma.bsky.social et al. 📄 Read here:

Genetic factors driving multi-host infection in a core member of the root mycobiota https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.12.01.690973v1

Finally published! Our new study in Curr Biol @currentbiology.bsky.social analyzes how CYP707A1 promoter variation drives an evolutionary trade-off between stomatal defense and gas exchange across Brassicaceae species. Free-access link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1m7H93QW8S...

Our ten years of work is finally out in Current Biology! We reveal a new mode of action of the bacterial phytotoxin coronatine produced by Pseudomonas syringae. www.cell.com/current-biol...

Great opportunity for Early Career Researchers - Utrecht PhD Summer School 2026! eps.sites.uu.nl

Get a First Look 🔍: "STT3A Is Required for Recognition of Pathogen-Derived Sphingolipids in Arabidopsis," by Seowon Choi et al. https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-05-25-0061-R

Novel system to explore plant-fungi interaction and fungus-fungus competition. Colletotrichum rocks!

We’ve built this virtual plant scientist PlantScience.ai to grow alongside human researchers🌿. It thinks like an expert, cites like a scholar, and never stops learning. Come and have a chat with it! @yiliangding.bsky.social @johninnescentre.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Spread the word! 🗣️🎙️ Together with @azulsilva.bsky.social and Bluesky-less Magdalena Miranda, supported by @elife.bsky.social, we’re organizing a webinar bringing together people working in science communication and outreach. Please, feel free to share the flyer with anyone who might be interested!

We’re delighted to share that our paper has been just accepted in PCP! We analyzed fungus–fungus competition that suppresses pathogenic colonization in Arabidopsis roots.Special thanks to Duke, Hiroyuki, Yuki, Nanami, and everyone who contributed! t.co/obQyD1rzI1

The koji-fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, traditionally used in Japanese brewing, is now widely used to make enzymes. It seems its capacity for enzyme production is thanks to its unique ability to proportionally increase cell volume and nuclear number. buff.ly/bPSNRL6

A long road to the Cover of Science! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

updated preprint: Intriguingly, Arabidopsis responded with both, improved growth and enhanced defence to a maize-conditioned soil microbiome, and this dual microbiome feedbacks were mediated by priming of the defences. Credits to Katja Stengele et al.! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Congrats Fantin🎊 Beautiful work!!

We have posted our latest preprint. We explore how an endophytic fungus promotes plant growth and fitness under fluctuating nitrogen-limited conditions in both field and laboratory settings, in additively with bacteria attracted to its hyphae. We hope you enjoy it!

📣 Happy to see the journal publication 📄 of our work on Starships 🚀 in Verticillium fungi: terrific work led by @yukiyosato.bsky.social rdcu.be/exBSp

Epipactis helleborine, also known as broad leaf helleborine. An orchid with many small green-purple flowers starting to open. Finding wild orchids brings me joy.

Cell wall remodeling in a fungal pathogen is required for hyphal growth into microspaces. #mBio This study highlights the critical role of hyphal plasticity and cell wall remodeling in the pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum by genetics and micro-channel devices. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

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...

A single domestication origin of adzuki bean in Japan and the evolution of domestication genes | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Do you love もち (mochi)? If so (or even if you don't), this is an interesting article on the origin of adzuki beans (あずき), source of "red bean paste".

Next Monday!

Webinar Alert🌱 Want to learn cutting-edge studies in plant-microbe interaction? Join our webinar "Advances in Plant-Microbe Interactions: Insights from Asia to the World" with @elifecommunity.bsky.social ! 📅 May 19, 2025 | 🕝 JST 14:30–17:20 (UTC+9) 📌Register: u-tokyo-ac-jp.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

An online webinar: Advances in Plant-Microbe Interactions: Insights from Asia to the World on May 19. organized by Ren Ujimatsu, who won a 2024 Ben Barres Spotlight Award from eLife @elife.bsky.social Her recent publication www.cell.com/current-biol... preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Plant Science Research Weekly -- Friend or Foe? How fungi switch between helping and harming plants (Current Biology) @rujimatsu.bsky.social @keihiruma.bsky.social (Summary by Carlos González Sanz) buff.ly/xfa7e93 #PlantaePSRW

I love to read the website Plantae, so very honored to be featured! Thank you🙏

Thrilled to share my first paper published at Current biology!! We found that the expression level of one single transcription factor converts beneficial root endophyte into pathogenic guy😈 (1/8) www.cell.com/current-biol...

It was a great opportunity to share our research! Thank you for organizing!

Great session at #ECFG17 today! The #Colletotrichum workshop featured excellent talks and discussions on genetics, evolution, and host interactions. Thanks to all speakers and participants for sharing amazing science! @ecfg172025.bsky.social @henriklicht.bsky.social