Akira@TheLab

Our new lab logo (created by the amazing @hsuanpai.bsky.social)!
tatsuyanobori.com

I remember early experiments on CYP707A1 beginning just as I started my PhD in the Tsuda lab (then at MPIPZ Cologne) in 2015. A wonderful piece of work. Kudos to the team for their tenacity🎉

Our findings highlights a key evolutionary trade-off between stomatal defense and gas exchange. Huge thanks to everyone involved! @kenichitsuda.bsky.social

We found that this gene regulation is required for rapid stomatal opening in response to light to enhance gas exchange. We also show that variations in the CYP707A1 promoters account for the differential stomatal responses across Brassicaceae species.

The absence of this gene regulation in C. rubella and E. salsugineum is associated with resistance against coronatine-mediated stomatal opening. We then asked what drive this diversification in Brassicaceae.

We show that coronatine transcriptionally activates the ABA hydroxylase gene CYP707A1 to open stomata, promoting bacterial invasion. Interestingly, within Brassicaceae, Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis lyrata possess this gene regulation, while Capsella rubella and Eutreme salsugineum do not.

Evolutionary trade-off between stomatal defense and gas exchange in Brassicaceae Kang et al. show that coronatine hijacks the ABA hydroxylase CYP707A1 in A. thaliana to override stomatal defense. While CYP707A1 also enables rapid light-induced stomatal opening, C. rubella and E. s...

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...

We are pleased to announce that @tatsuyanobori.bsky.social has won the Young Investigator Award by the Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists.

The award ceremony and the recipient's lecture will take place at the next Tokyo Annual Meeting on 14 March 2026.

buff.ly/pemelQu

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

Every good programmer I know has been saying this to me for months; meanwhile every not-great programmer I know has been trying to outsource their work to ai, causing more issues/delays than they if did it themselves.

A lot of these tools only seem good to people who are not great at their jobs.

Dynamic shifts in plant-microbe relationships Plant-microbe interactions encompass a continuum from mutualism and commensalism to parasitism. Mutualists confer benefits such as nutrient acquisitio …

I am happy to see this out!

Plant-microbe relationship (mutualistic, commensalistic, parasitic) is not fixed, but rather dynamic, depending on the specific context.
We summarize the current knowledge on this.

Hope you enjoy~

www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/plan...

Chinese scientists turn Moon soil into oxygen and water needed for life In a breakthrough that could transform the future of space exploration, Chinese scientists have developed a technology that can extract water from lunar soil and use it to produce oxygen and chemicals vital for fuel, dramatically reducing the need to...

Chinese scientists turn Moon soil into oxygen and water needed for life
->India Today | #Moon #Space #Science #Soil #Water | More info from EcoSearch

🎉 Our new paper is out in Science Advances!
Plants can detect parasitic nematodes.

www.science.org/doi/full/10....

A copper-dependent, redox-based hydrogen peroxide perception in plants https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.22.666036v1

Cryo structure of CARD1 from N. benthamiana transiently produced protein.

various goofy and dinged-up funny things, including an “I WANT TO BELIEVE” sign with reassortant bunyavirus cartoons that i clumsily photoshopped in undergrad after being called a “virus mulder”

oh it 1000% is. there’s a reason this has been a desk meme wall staple since I made it in undergrad

Emergence of isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis within Brassicales | PNAS Salicylic acid (SA) is a major defense phytohormone. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the isochorismate (IC) pathway is the primary route for pathogen-indu...

I'm very happy that this paper is now published in PNAS!

Isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis appears to have emerged in the Brassicales after the divergence of C. papaya, likely within the timeframe between the divergence of B. maritima and R. odorata.

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

Emergence of isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis within Brassicales | PNAS Salicylic acid (SA) is a major defense phytohormone. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the isochorismate (IC) pathway is the primary route for pathogen-indu...

Love the work! Really nice design. Congrats to @kenichitsuda.bsky.social team.
Emergence of isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis within Brassicales | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

“Our study provides strong evidence that the IC pathway emerged within the Brassicales order, which was driven by key evolutionary innovations in the IC pathway genes ICS, EDS5, and PBS3.”

Emergence of isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis within Brassicales www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Last day of #2025ISMPMI, last poster session: dont miss @shanshuo.bsky.social fantastic poster about how we used a combination of scRNAseq and cell-type specific approaches to reveal the role of autophagy in stomatal & mesophyll immunity during Pseudomonas infection - more info ➡️ P-432 #proteostasis

Read Nakano's latest review in PCP discussing 'Long-Term Consequences of PTI Activation and Its Manipulation by Root-Associated Microbiota'

🆓 doi.org/10.1093/pcp/...

#PlantMicrobiome

Tsuda lab @mpipz.bsky.social reunion!
#2025ISMPMI

Awesome to see next generation of group leaders from @earlhaminst.bsky.social presenting at #2025ISMPMI 👏

Hot off the printer!

Our lab will be introducing PHYTOMap to the MPMI community. Interested in spatially mapping both microbiomes and plant gene expression? Come see our posters at #2025ISMPMI

P-315 by @siyusong.bsky.social
P-441 by @hsuanpai.bsky.social

Growth arrest is a DNA damage protection strategy in Arabidopsis - Nature Communications This study demonstrates that growth arrest under stress in Arabidopsis protects meristem cells from DNA damage, challenging the idea that it is merely due to energy trade-offs and highlighting its rol...

This is interesting!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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...

Doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

NPR1 promotes blue light–induced plant photomorphogenesis by ubiquitinating and degrading PIF4 | PNAS Light is a major determinant of plant growth and survival. NONEXPRESSER OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1) acts as a receptor for salicylic aci...

I somehow missed this article. Looks quite interesting.

NPR1 promotes blue light–induced plant photomorphogenesis by ubiquitinating and degrading PIF4 | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

JSPS Research Fellowship The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellowship supports you as a highly qualified postdoc from Germany in conducting your research in Japan – regardless of discipline.

Hey my fellow Germans! I wasn't aware, but there is an AvH-JSPP postdoc fellowship, dedicated to German citizens aiming to do their postdoc in Japan. It covers salary + travel to Japan + startup for your life in Japan. Let me know if you are interested!
www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/apply/spo...

New Article: "TIR immune signalling is blocked by phosphorylation to maintain plant growth" rdcu.be/eqwo4

Ca2+-dependent kinases phosphorylate TIR domains at a conserved serine to block NADase activity across kingdoms. Link with SNC1-mediated immunity in plants.