Scott Anderson

How do predatory wasps find their caterpillar prey?

In our new preprint on Biorxiv we show that the host plant's immune system detects herbivory to sound the alarm. 🌱🐛

See thread from @nataliagupa.bsky.social -- a surprising role for a plant PRR in indirect defense against herbivores.

electron microscopy image of a C elegans on a yellow background

🧬June's most-read Genetics paper independently validates previous research showing that #CElegans can inherit learned pathogen avoidance: buff.ly/HQgprLp

Stories of Salicylic Acid: A Plant Defense Hormone Salicylic acid (SA) is a key plant hormone required for establishing resistance to many pathogens. SA biosynthesis involves two main metabolic pathways with multiple steps: the isochorismate and the p...

For those who are not familiar with SA research history, we humbly introduce a review we wrote years ago: www.cell.com/trends/plant... @cp-trendsplantsci.bsky.social

New preprint: In situ Architecture of #Plasmodesmata.

Using #cryoET, #AlphaFold & proteomics, we uncover the native organization of plant intercellular nanopores.

🔗 doi.org/10.1101/2025...

🧪🧵1/n
#teamtomo #PlantScience #Physcomitrium #Arabidopsis #cryoEM

Infection of Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea (Sss) in a hairy root culture system. A, Healthy potato hairy roots 21 days after induction with Rhizobium rhizogenes. B, Formation of gall-like structures on hairy roots. C, Sss sporangia stained with trypan blue observed in root hairs 4 weeks post-inoculation. D, Sss sporangia stained with trypan blue observed in the cortex of hairy roots 8 weeks post-inoculation.

A breakthrough for potatoes: Samodya K. Jayasinghe et al. identify salicylic acid as a key defense hormone against Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea, a persistent soilborne protist threatening yields around the world. 🥔

Read the press release to learn more: www.apsnet.org/about/newsro...

This is a legitimately incredible result that hints at something fundamental about plasmids that we don’t yet understand

We recently wrote two Preview articles of exciting MPMI papers in Mol Cell and Dev Cell.

Two surprising cases showing different ways to regulate immune receptors in plants -- the cell surface LRR-RK, SYR1 and the intracellular NLR DM2

Short summaries below 🧵🌱 #2025ISMPMI

A person presenting a scientific talk showing a slide quantifying P bodies through microscopy

@manuelgonzalezfuen.bsky.social explains that eukaryote P bodies contain translationally inactive RNAs.

Do pathogens induce the formation of these? Yes!

How? Effectors!… that repress ER stress response.

Why? Make plants susceptible by reducing translation of immunity genes.
#2025ISMPMI

A cellular entity retaining only its replicative core: Hidden archaeal lineage with an ultra-reduced genome Defining the minimal genetic requirements for cellular life remains a fundamental question in biology. Genomic exploration continually reveals novel microbial lineages, often exhibiting extreme genome...

So cool, a novel archaeon with a super small genome and no metabolic genes!
"An unprecedented level of metabolic dependence on a host, a condition that challenges the functional distinctions between minimal cellular life and viruses."
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

USDA abruptly halts $59 million grant to University of Idaho - The Daily Chronicle The University of Idaho took a gut punch earlier this week when the U.S. Department of Agriculture abruptly terminated a $59 million grant, which  would have pumped money to Gem State farmers to ...

www.chronline.com/stories/usda...

Over the last couple of years I have been writing individual chapters of what I call

𝗔 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Each chapter covers a specific, basic, but for some reason special and interesting aspect of #PlantScience research.

Have a look here 👇🧵

A typical NLR recognizes a family of structurally conserved effectors to confer plant resistance against adapted and non-adapted Phytophthora pathogens This study characterizes the AvrNb effector of Phytophthora sojae, a non-adapted pathogen of Nicotiana benthamiana, together with the corresponding plant receptor, NbPrf. NbPrf-mediated recognition of...

A single NLR controls nonhost resistance to Phytophthora sojae in Nicotiana benthamiana and can also recognize structurally conserved effectors from other Phytophthora spp. #PlantScience #PlantImmunity
www.cell.com/molecular-pl...

Triggering ‘suicide hatching’: Japanese researchers unveil how potatoes and microbes outsmart the potato cyst nematode A Kobe University study reveals a crucial chemical relationship among potato plants, soil microbes, and potato cyst nematodes, potentially transforming pest control in agriculture. Scientists ident…

Japanese researchers unveil how potatoes and microbes outsmart the potato cyst #nematode
www.potatonewstoday.com/2025/06/04/t...

“Distribution of haploid chromosomes into separate nuclei in two pathogenic fungi”🍄🧬 a plot twist in the story of multinucleate filamentous fungi! Really cool and bizarre new work from the lab of Xin Li! @science.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social @science.org

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

Congratulations Rosa, Man Gao, Emmi, et al. So happy to see this wonderful work finally out!

Really enjoyed writing this spotlight highlighting recent works from @keunwooryu.bsky.social at al in the Thompson lab along with @lyssiotislab.bsky.social and Yatrik Shah! Mitochondria heterogeneity FTW!
---
Link below to the spotlight and the original @nature.com articles in the reference👇

Hacking the immune system: plant immune protease engineering for crop protection Immune proteases are promising targets for protein engineering to boost disease resistance in plants.

📜 Hacking the immune system: plant immune protease engineering for crop protection

🧑‍🔬 @marischuster.bsky.social, Alexander L. Ciattoni, Renier A. L. van der Hoorn

📔 @jxbotany.bsky.social

🔗 academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...

#️⃣ #PlantScience #PlantImmunity #PlantProteases

The role and structure of molecular glues in plant signalling networks - Nature Reviews Chemistry In this Review we discuss the fascinating molecular details of the small molecules and peptides promoting plant protein–protein interactions, and their relevance for plant development and environmenta...

📜 The role and structure of molecular glues in plant signalling networks

🧑‍🔬 Fidel Lozano-Elena & Sebastian Wendeborn

📔 @natrevchem.nature.com

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#️⃣ #PlantScience #PlantSignaling #PlantStructuralBiology #PlantReceptors #StructuralBiology #MolecularGlue

A Chromosome-scale Reference Genome of Meloidogyne hapla reveals localized recombination hotspots enriched with Effector Proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.21.654606v1

#ASPBPlantCellTuesday #InBrief #ICYMI

#ASPBPlantCellTuesday #InBrief #ICYMI

#ASPBPlantCellTuesday #ICYMI

Wow

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

A cellular entity retaining only its replicative core: Hidden archaeal lineage with an ultra-reduced genome

ER-PM tether Syt1 limits cell-to-cell connectivity via plasmodesmata during innate immune responses in Arabidopsis Li et al. identify the ER-PM tether Syt1 as a key regulator of MAMP-induced PD closure. Syt1 senses PI(4,5)P2 levels and interacts with ANN4 to induce PD-associated calcium signaling, which triggers callose deposition at PDs to restrict molecular flux between cells upon pathogen perception.

📜 ER-PM tether Syt1 limits cell-to-cell connectivity via plasmodesmata during innate immune responses in Arabidopsis

🧑‍🔬 Jiajing Li, Jiejie Li, et al.

📔 @cp-cellreports.bsky.social

🔗 www.cell.com/cell-reports...

#️⃣ #PlantScience #PlantImmunity #Plasmodesmata

#ASPBPlantPhysMonday #NewsandViews #ICYMI

There is a reason why millions of workers want to join unions.

There is a reason why greedy corporations oppose unions.

Union membership means higher wages and better benefits.

Let’s grow the trade union movement.

🌿 Postdoc Opportunity in Plant Redox Biology – RPTU Kaiserslautern, Germany Join the Molecular Botany Lab at RPTU Kaiserslautern to explore redox biology and oxidative stress in plants. Apply for this 3-year postdoc by May 11, 2025.

🌿 Postdoc Opportunity in Plant Redox Biology – RPTU Kaiserslautern, Germany

Join the Molecular Botany Lab at RPTU Kaiserslautern to explore redox biology and oxidative stress in plants. Apply for this 3-year postdoc by May 11, 2025.

Viral delivery of an RNA-guided genome editor for transgene-free germline editing in Arabidopsis - Nature Plants Weiss et al. engineered the tobacco rattle virus to express the RNA-guided TnpB enzyme ISYmu1 and guide RNA for transgene-free germline editing in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Our paper is just out www.nature.com/articles/s41... from the Jacobsen, Doudna, and Banfield labs on viral delivery of a tiny CRISPR system for transgene free germline editing in plants, tinyurl.com/3k223r3x. Looking for postdocs to join the team for the next phase of this work!

A fungal effector hijacks a plastid protein to dampen plant immunity; PR1 is here for rescue - Stress Biology Plants are engaged in a constant battle for survival against pathogens, which triggers a multifaceted immune response characterized by pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity ...

📜 A fungal effector hijacks a plastid protein to dampen plant immunity; PR1 is here for rescue

🧑‍🔬 Muhammad Saad Shoaib Khan, Faisal Islam, Huan Chen, Jian Chen

📔 @stressbiology.bsky.social

🔗 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#️⃣ #PlantScience #PlantImmunity #PlantStress

Stopping citrus greening with peptide therapy | Plantae Citrus greening disease (also known as Huanglongbing) has had a huge impact on citrus fruit production worldwide, with Florida particularly hard hit. The disease is caused by insect-vector-spread…

Plant Science Research Weekly -- Stopping citrus greening with peptide therapy (Science) (Summary by Mary Williams @PlantTeaching.bsky.social ) buff.ly/BR0cAtS

#PlantaePSRW