Huang Tan

RNA splicing generates a functionally specialized Rep protein isoform in geminiviruses — enabling timely control of the viral cycle. Strikingly, similar strategies might have evolved in DNA viruses infecting different kingdoms: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Spearheaded by @delphinem-p.bsky.social!

Alternative splicing expands the functional portfolio of a plant virus to control the viral cycle https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.19.706752v1

Cool story from @meristemania.bsky.social lab on growth-defense tradeoff at the shoot apical meristem www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Highly recommended！

Please share!
My group at @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social is offering a post-doctoral position (4 years). We look for a structural biologist with experience in Cryo-EM/Cryo-ET to investigate the mechanisms of host invasion by pathogenic fungi. Deadline February 28th!
uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet...

FBI frame-up of Indiana University postdoc Youhuang Xiang: Anti-China witch-hunt escalates The arrest and prosecution of Chinese researcher Youhuang Xiang, announced December 19 by FBI Director Kash Patel, is the latest episode in an FBI/Department of Justice campaign to criminalize scienti...

FBI frame-up of Indiana University postdoc Youhuang Xiang: Anti-China witch-hunt escalates
www.wsws.org/en/articles/...
I'd heard whispers of these arrests for carrying plasmids and bio materials across borders before, but someone just shared this detailed news report with me.
Please be careful.

Who wore it better?

Why I’m genetically engineering a rainbow flower…

And how a Russian fairy tale inspired the idea 🧵

What could be better than discussing single-stranded DNA viruses with an international community of experts and a trans-kingdom perspective — at an affordable prize?

Doing it in Bahia, Brazil! 🌴🌊☀️

Join us for IS3DV, June 15-19!
isdv2026.com

Cell-type-specific gating of gene regulatory modules as a hallmark of early immune responses in Arabidopsis leaves nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Why are so many plant viruses phloem-restricted? New work from Xueping Zhou’s lab reveals how this tissue tropism is determined in a geminivirus — and why phloem confinement can turn out to be an evolutionary advantage! www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🌱🦠🚷🅿️🛫🌱

Xanthomonas coordinates type III–type II effector synergy by activating fruit-ripening pathway Plant cell walls harbor vast carbohydrate reserves, yet how pathogens unlock them remains unclear. We show that the citrus canker pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) mobilizes cell wall suga...

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

Organelles do NOT have a single uniform pH.
And if you think they must, because “protons diffuse fast,” this paper is for you.
A thread on why that assumption is wrong; and what we found instead. 🧵 1/n

A PhD position (initially 3 years) is available in our laboratory in the Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), at the University of Tübingen (Germany). The position is available with an intended start date starting January 2026. Interested applicants should submit a single PDF comprising a motivation letter describing your research interests, an up-to-date CV, and the names and contact information for 2 references to timing.lab@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de ideally before July 21st.

We're looking for a new PhD candidate to join the lab. Please share 🌱😄

1/ Preprint alert:

🌾 The developing leaf of the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon at single-cell resolution

👉 doi.org/10.1101/2025...
A 70k-cell single-cell RNA-seq atlas of the developing grass leaf—from the shoot meristem to mature leaf tissues. @cerealcell.bsky.social @lbmountain.bsky.social

Cell wall patterning regulates plant stem cell dynamics The plant cell wall regulates development through spatiotemporal modulation of its chemical and mechanical properties. Pectin methylesterification is recognized as a rheological switch controlling wal...

Out in @science.org this week:
PME5 is sequestered in the nucleus and released during cytokinesis allowing its activity to be timed with cell division.

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

#PlantScience
#PlantSci

Abstract For the past two years, I have been contemplating how best to write this review that not only reflects on a few significant and nostalgic moments in my more than three decades of professional career in the molecular plant-microbe interaction (MPMI) field, but also offers my personal outlook on the future aimed at inspiring young scientists to join this exciting discipline. Rather than a comprehensive overview, I would like to place greater emphasis on the “whys” and the “hows” than the “whats”. I finally decided to use technological advancements critical for the development of our field as a thread to connect the past with the future. Founder's Review

"Leaf It to Science: Uncovering Plant Immune Systems Through Technological Advances Open Access"

Reflections on Career, #PlantScience and #PlantImmunity by Xinnian Dong

academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...

when it started…😎😉❤️🔥

Rosa with a big smile in front of a screen showing the GeminiTeam members at the end of her presentation in the EMBO Member's Meeting

Rosa and other newly elected EMBO members are posing on a stage at the EMBO Member's Meeting 2025

Rosa Lozano-Durán (@geminiteamlab.bsky.social), one of the newly elected EMBO members 2025, has introduced her research at the @embo.org Members' Meeting in Heidelberg.
We are so proud of you!
#plantsci

Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...

1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?

Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

SALICYLIC ACID SENSOR1 reveals the propagation of an SA hormone surge during plant pathogen advance Salicylic acid (SA) is a key phytohormone that orchestrates immune responses against pathogens, including Pseudomonas syringae bacteria. The timing and extent of SA accumulation are tightly controlled...

FRET sensor for SA developed. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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 ...

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

Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91 Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour

Sad news 😔 R.I.P. Jane Goodall! lived an inspiring life & made the world a better place www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

A receptor antagonist counterbalances multiple systemin phytocytokines in tomato Tight regulation of immune activation is crucial for plant health. How plants control the actions of their immunostimulatory phytocytokines is largely…

Check out this new story from the Felix lab, with some contribution from us:
Receptor antagonist prevents hyperactivation of the plant immune system
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A single-cell, spatial transcriptomic atlas of the Arabidopsis life cycle - Nature Plants This study presents an extensive single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomic atlas of the Arabidopsis life cycle that represents ten distinct developmental time points inclusive of six diverse organs.

From a gene’s single cell expression–through spatial localization–to novel function, and beyond!
Now out @natplants.nature.com
We built a comprehensive spatial-transcriptomic atlas of Arabidopsis, revealing cell-type identities across organs in unprecedented detail
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A root-based N-hydroxypipecolic acid standby circuit to direct immunity and growth of Arabidopsis shoots - Nature Plants Root microorganisms can trigger the release of immune-stimulating N-hydroxypipecolic acid from Arabidopsis roots by manipulating a standby circuit of its continuous synthesis and immobilization. N-hyd...

A root-based N-hydroxypipecolic acid standby circuit to direct immunity and growth of Arabidopsis shoots www.nature.com/articles/s41...

My first MPMI #2025ISMPMI 😎😍@GeminiTeam
Excited to hear all the amazing science, have great discussions, and connect with friends!

If you’re interested in plant-(Gemini)virus interactions and scRNA-seq, let’s meet on Wednesday, July 16 at poster P-437. #scRNA-seq
(bring me to your poster as well!

Have you ever wondered why virus-infected plants twist, curl, yellow, and/or stop growing? We did—you can read what we found in our latest review: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... @gmvalora.bsky.social @annualreviews.bsky.social

This is textbook cell biology material by chin-hang Wu and colleagues . Check it out 👇 #plantsci #plantpath #immunology #NLRbiology www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

How to Manage Your Time Effectively as a Researcher | Plantae The role of a researcher encompasses a wide range of demanding and often competing responsibilities, including experimental design, data analysis, manuscript writing, grant preparation, teaching…

#JustIn on Plantae: How to Manage Your Time Effectively as a Researcher. In this new piece, ASPB Plantae Fellows Gourav Arora, Elisa De Meo and Ved Prakash explore practical time management strategies tailored to the unique challenges of academic research. buff.ly/nYo0K4m

#plantscience