Eoghan King

Localized glutamine leakage drives the spatial structure of root microbial colonization Plant roots release exudates to encourage microbiome assembly, which influences the function and stress resilience of plants. How specific exudates drive spatial colonization patterns remains largely ...

Amazing work by @hueihsuantsai.bsky.social and colleagues from @nikogeldner.bsky.social, Feng Zhou @tonnigrubeandersen.bsky.social labs in Science

Localized glutamine leakage drives the spatial structure of root microbial colonization

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

#chemotaxis #MicroSky

Cellular energy sensor SnRK1 suppresses salicylic acid-dependent and -independent defenses and bacterial resistance in Arabidopsis In nature, plants cope with various pathogens that compete for cellular resources during infection. It has long been suggested that plant defense activity must be linked to cellular energy and metabol...

Cellular energy sensor SnRK1 suppresses salicylic acid-dependent and -independent defenses and bacterial resistance in Arabidopsis

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

EPP1 is an ancestral component of the plant Common SymbiosisPathway https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.30.679610v1

Localized glutamine leakage drives the spatial structure of root microbial colonization

A bacterial signal coordinates plant-microbe fitness trade-off to enhance sulfur deficiency tolerance in plants Mukherjee et al. report fitness trade-off between plants and the rhizosphere microbiome under sulfur deficiency, mediated by the tri-peptide signal glutathione. Competition among rhizosphere bacteria ...

A bacterial signal coordinates plant-microbe fitness trade-off to enhance sulfur deficiency tolerance in plants: Cell Host & Microbe www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Function-Based Selection of Synthetic Communities Enables Mechanistic Microbiome Studies Abstract. Understanding the complex interactions between microbes and their environment requires robust model systems such as synthetic communities (SynCom

The main work from my time in Aachen is now out 🎉 if you have wanted to make a SynCom that captures the functional-landscape of microbiota, MiMiC2 makes that possible based on metagenomic data! 1/7 doi.org/10.1093/isme...

Multilevel Analysis of Response to Plant Growth Promoting and Pathogenic Bacteria in Arabidopsis Roots | Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions® A major challenge in plant-microbe interaction research is understanding how plants distinguish between commensal and pathogenic microorganisms. We compared Arabidopsis responses to two contrasting ba...

Multilevel Analysis of Response to Plant Growth Promoting and Pathogenic Bacteria in Arabidopsis Roots

We are trying to upload plant pathogen genomes from Palestine, but NCBI doesn’t even list Palestine as a country.

Let’s see what Reviewer #2 will say when we submit a paper titled “Genetic diversity of gall-forming Pseudomonas isolated from olives and almond trees in Palestine.” 🥴

The recognition of the palestinian people and native land is also in the hands of us biologists 🇵🇸 Respect for making a step in that direction 👏

Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

My department at UC Davis is hiring a mycologist, broadly interpreted. Please repost, share, and consider applying. recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339

Cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases mediate Wall Teichoic Acid perception in Arabidopsis Plants and animals detect microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) to initiate defense responses. Both lineages employ pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), yet plant mechanisms for sensing Gram-...

Gram-positive bacterial MAMP sensed by a plant cysteine rich receptor kinase. I've been waiting for this preprint to drop. Nice story!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

PhD in Biostimulants & Nitrogen Use Efficiency at UniLaSalle & Gaïago, France A fully funded CIFRE PhD position is open at UniLaSalle Rouen, France, in collaboration with Gaïago. The research focuses on biostimulants and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in wheat and maize to support sustainable and resilient agroecosystems. Start date: January 2026.

PhD in Biostimulants & Nitrogen Use Efficiency at UniLaSalle & Gaïago, France

A fully funded CIFRE PhD position is open at UniLaSalle Rouen, France, in collaboration with Gaïago. The research focuses on biostimulants and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in wheat and maize to support sustainable and…

A quantitative microbiome atlas reveals hidden diversity, eukaryotic keystones, and evolutionary trade-offs in plant rhizospheres. www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...

Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services | PNAS Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services

Charles Cockell said that “without lions there is life, but without microorganisms there can be no higher life forms” …

Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services | PNAS

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

New preprint from the lab by Adele Pioppi on her #NNF_INTERACT project

Successive cultivation under drought selects for specific microbiome members in the wheat rhizosphere

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

An aeroponic system to characterize maize root exudates in relation to N and P nutrition and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis Abstract. Root exudates play major roles in the recruitment of plant microbiota. The metabolic composition of root exudates varies according to plant devel

Aeroponic system to characterize maize root exudates in relation to N and P nutrition and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis 🌽🍄

Call for a tenure-track position at our Department of Plant Molecular Biology in Lausanne! We are searching for promising early-career researchers in the broad field of plant-organismal interactions. Deadline: November 30, 2025 - Please re-post!

career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...

Our department of Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Lausanne @unil.bsky.social is recruiting a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in the field of Plant-Organism Interactions 🌱🐛🦠🍄! Application before November 30, 2025. See the official job ad for more details: tinyurl.com/mtxdcz6p

Pleased to share our new article in Cell Host & Microbe, a collaboration with the group of Zhong Wei at NJAU

Common mycorrhizal networks facilitate plant disease resistance by altering rhizosphere microbiome assembly

Free share link: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lnTD6t8JE...

Research Group Leader in Plant-Microbe Systems at IGZ Germany IGZ is hiring a Research Group Leader in Plant-Microbe Systems to advance innovative research on plant-microbe interactions in horticultural crops. Apply by September 30, 2025.

Research Group Leader in Plant-Microbe Systems at IGZ Germany

IGZ is hiring a Research Group Leader in Plant-Microbe Systems to advance innovative research on plant-microbe interactions in horticultural crops. Apply by September 30, 2025.

Roots: metabolic architects of beneficial microbiome assembly The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices has driven a renewed interest in plant–microbiome interactions as a basis for the next “green revolution.” Central to these interactions are root-derived metabolites that act as mediators of microbial recruitment and function. Plants exude a chemically diverse array of compounds that influence the assembly, composition, and stability of the root microbiome. These metabolites can act as nutrients, chemical signals, or antimicrobial barriers, orchestrating beneficial relationships while defending against pathogenic threats. This review highlights the multifaceted role of plant metabolites in root microbiome assembly, focusing on their dynamic regulation by plant genotype, environmental conditions, and immune responses. We discuss the emerging concept of roots as metabolic architects of their associated microbiomes, wherein plant–metabolite–microbiome interactions coevolved alongside critical life-support systems such as immunity and nutrient acquisition. We propose that elucidating the mechanisms of metabolite-driven microbial selection can guide the development of future crops optimized for beneficial microbiome recruitment and enhanced resilience.

Excellent review from @cornepieterse.bsky.social and coll. in @plantphys.bsky.social -> Roots: metabolic architects of beneficial microbiome assembly

Comparing EcoFab 2.0 results from 5 labs on 3 continents‼️

Breaking the reproducibility barrier with standardized protocols for plant–microbiome research

@plosbiology.org by Vlastimil Novak et al from Trent Northen @jgi.doe.gov

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Top: Experimental design where five laboratories across three continents conducted the same experiment using shipped materials. These included a detailed protocol, SynComs and Mock solution stocks, light and temperature loggers, Brachypodium distachyon seeds, EcoFAB 2.0 device parts, and various lab supplies (growth medium, filters, sampling tubes). The authors inoculated B. distachyon plants with either a 16- or 17-member SynCom, with controls being axenic plants and medium-only technical control (Mock-inoculated), n = 7. They tested sterility and imaged roots at multiple time points, quantified plant biomass, analyzed exudate metabolite composition, and measured root and medium microbiomes. Bottom: An illustration showing a global centralized network of laboratories collaborating to study the rhizosphere microbiome and metabolome. Image credit: Kent Leech

Reproducibility in #plant #microbiome experiments. This collaborative effort involving 5 labs achieved consistent, inoculum-dependent results, providing detailed protocols, datasets & best practices to promote #reproducibility in #PlantMicrobiome studies @plosbiology.org 🧪https://plos.io/41IVzzk

Figure 2 in Pantigoso et al. (2025): "Drought-induced shifts in root microbiome and metabolome."

New publication: Hub #metabolites at the root–microbiome interface: unlocking plant #drought resilience, by @vcarryon.bsky.social and others. #droughtresilience #climatechange #sustainableagriculture
doi.org/10.1016/j.tp...

Arabidopsis root defense barriers support beneficial interactions with rhizobacterium Pseudomonas simiae WCS417 Plant roots interact with pathogenic and beneficial microbes in the soil. While root defense barriers block pathogens, their roles in facilitating beneficial plant–microbe associations are understud...

Arabidopsis root defense barriers support beneficial interactions with rhizobacterium Pseudomonas simiae WCS417

Cool preprint! -> Drought drives reversible disengagement of root-mycorrhizal symbiosis | bioRxiv

Potential and challenges for application of microbiomes in agriculture Abstract. The plant microbiome can promote plant health and productivity through a multitude of mechanisms. Our understanding of plant–microbiome interacti

Our review article on the "Potential and challenges for application of microbiomes in agriculture" is published
@theplantcell.bsky.social [1/n]
doi.org/10.1093/plce...

📣 Offre de #stage #Master2 / césure début 2026 @inrae-france.bsky.social @inrae-bioger.bsky.social @agroparistech.fr @univparissaclay.bsky.social en #statistiques #bioinformatique #écologie : "Analyses de la structure des communautés fongiques de la phyllosphère du blé".
Détails ici ▶️ bit.ly/4fvGMOa

Benzoxazinoid-mediated microbiome feedbacks enhance Arabidopsis growth and defense Plants modulate their surrounding microbiome via root exudates and this conditioned soil microbiome feeds back on the performance of the next generation of plants. How plants can perceive this altered...

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...