Zedler Lab

David has been interested in “green” microbes since his early university years. academic.oup.com/plphys/artic...

#WeAreASPB

Hiring a postdoc for an exciting collaborative project on drought, microbiomes, chemistry and herbivores IN TREES! In Jena we offer great living and scientific conditions and a strong system for postdoc support and training vai @jsmc-info.bsky.social. Details/apply: jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/7...

We have an open position for a bioinformatics/theoretical microbial ecology PhD student to study viral strategies in the global Microverse! Join us at the @microverse.bsky.social at @uni-jena.de, please apply through this link:
jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/9...

Researchers led by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julie Zedler at #UniJena have developed a sustainable alternative to synthetic food colourings: they have modified cyanobacteria so that they produce yellow natural colourings from light and carbon dioxide alone.

➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/386595/gel…

Nitroxysomes as a Potential Solution for Engineering Biological Nitrogen Fixation Nitrogenase catalyzes the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen gas to ammonia, forming the foundation of biological nitrogen fixation in diazotrophic microbes. While functional nitrogenase can be assembl...

Nitroxysomes as a Potential Solution for Engineering Biological Nitrogen Fixation | ACS Synthetic Biology pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Looking forward to @kedrov-lab.bsky.social visiting us here in Jena. He will also give a talk on January 27th (see details below). Everybody is welcome to join us for some great science and a chat with Alexej!

Poster announcing the 3rd Early Career Plant Researchers Network Meeting, held 20–21 April 2026 in Halle (Saale), Germany. The event targets experienced PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in plant science and features scientific talks, career development and grant-writing workshops, and networking. Travel and accommodation are covered, and participants are registered for the 11th Leibniz Plant Biochemistry Symposium (22–24 April 2026). Application deadline: 23 January 2026. Website: plant-ecr-networking.eu.

Are you an experienced PhD student or postdoc in plant science looking to connect, present your work, and discuss career paths?
Join us at the 3rd Early Career Plant Researchers Network Meeting, Halle (Saale), 20–21 April 2026
Deadline: 23 January 2026
plant-ecr-networking.eu

Our work on betaxanthin biosynthesis led by my PhD student Sayali with analytics by @bluegreendr.bsky.social and in collab. with @sibume.bsky.social is now out in Metabolic Engineering 🎉
We convinced cyanos to produce 🟡 water soluble 🫜 pigments - quite different from the classic 🔴🟠🟡carotenoid route!

Last week the second AG Zedler PhD defended her thesis. Sayali, we are proud of you and happy to keep you for the time being, congratulations! 🎓🎉 Also - so much of the yellow pigment theme! 🟨💚🫜

Our annual pumpkin carving has meanwhile turned into a cute little lab tradition. This year with extra support from genetics, plant physiology and 🍕. Already looking forward to the next one. Happy Halloween! 🎃

Postdoctoral Research Position on modulation of human steroid and drug metabolism by redox proteins like P450 oxidoreductase (POR), Ferredoxin reductase (FDXR), ferredoxin (FDX1). funded by @snsf.ch in @pandeylab.bsky.social at @unibe.ch @dbmr-unibe.bsky.social @medfacultyunibe.bsky.social

Library-free data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry enables comprehensive coverage of the cyanobacterial proteome Single-pot solid phase-enhanced sample preparation (SP3) and trifluoroacetic acid workflows open the door to high-throughput quantitative proteomics in cya

Library-free data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry enables comprehensive coverage of the cyanobacterial proteome (David A Russo, Felix R Schneidmadel, Julie A Z Zedler) doi.org/10.1093/plph... #PlantScience @bluegreendr.bsky.social @synbiojazz.bsky.social @uni-jena.de

In case you were wondering what we have been up to on the proteomicside of cyanos. Here we go!
Very happy this is out and hopefully useful to other labs!

Check out our recent manuscript on engineering ketocarotenoid production (Canthaxanthin, Astaxanthin) into Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and S. elongatus UTEX 2973. Pigment projects are always worth it for the pretty colours!

The 11th International Symposium on Inorganic Carbon Utilization by Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms (CCM11) Wed 20 Aug - Fri 22 [EDT]: 11th International Symposium on Inorganic Carbon Utilization by Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms (CCM11) will take place at the University of York on August 20-22 later…

📅New #PlantSciEvents Event Added: The 11th International Symposium on Inorganic Carbon Utilization by Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms (CCM11)

👉 buff.ly/jWqcD6B \

#PlantScience

One more week to apply for a postdoc in the Patron lab, Cambridge. This is a 3-year position to investigate regulatory sequences and engineer gene expression in plants with the aim of optimising yields from metabolic pathways.

Read more & apply: tinyurl.com/yvk6dhr9

#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience 🧪

Substrate-induced assembly and functional mechanism of the bacterial membrane protein insertase SecYEG-YidC The universally conserved Sec translocon and the YidC/Oxa1-type insertases mediate biogenesis of alpha-helical membrane proteins, but the molecular basis of their cooperation has remained disputed over decades. A recent discovery of a multi-subunit insertase in eukaryotes has raised the question about the architecture of the putative bacterial ortholog SecYEG-YidC and its functional mechanism. Here, we combine cryogenic electron microscopy with cell-free protein synthesis in nanodiscs to visualize biogenesis of the polytopic membrane protein NuoK, the subunit K of NADH-quinone oxidoreductase, that requires both SecYEG and YidC for insertion. We demonstrate that YidC is recruited to the back of the translocon at the late stage of the substrate insertion, in resemblance to the eukaryotic system, and in vivo experiments indicate that the complex assembly is vital for the cells. The nascent chain does not utilize the lateral gate of SecYEG, but enters the lipid membrane at the SecYE-YidC interface, with YidC being the primary insertase. SecYEG-YidC complex promotes folding of the nascent helices at the interface prior their insertion, so the examined cellular pathway follows the fundamental thermodynamic principles of membrane protein folding. Our data provide the first detailed insight on the elusive insertase machinery in the physiologically relevant environment, highlight the importance of the nascent chain for its assembly, and prove the evolutionary conservation of the gate-independent insertion route. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, https://ror.org/018mejw64, Ke1879/3, 267205415 (CRC 1208) European Research Council, https://ror.org/0472cxd90, CRYOTRANSLATION

Very special feelings to announce this one... A project that started like 10 years ago is reaching the finish line, ready to shine. In a dream-team with @beckmannlab.bsky.social we solved the long-chased structure of the active membrane protein insertase SecYEG-YidC
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

YouTube video by Universität Jena Dance Your PhD 2025: „Plant Vaccination“ by Priya Reddy

the original entry can be found here: youtu.be/nhZEDbWqfAU

Priya is a PhD student with our friends and colleagues in Plant Physiology – amazing that she managed to win the Biology Category of the Dance your PhD competition 2025! Congratulations Priya, very well deserved! 🤩
P.S. *hint hint* Priya is looking for her next career step at the moment.

Just three days left for the deadline for oral abstract submissions for the 15th Workshop on Cyanobacteria at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN, USA) - don't miss out!
Workshop dates: 4-7th June 2025. More information: web.cvent.com/event/3d0bd3.... Please share widely!

Postdoc in microfluidics

📢We are hiring :
Are you skilled in microfluidics and fluorescence microscopy in biological contexts? We're seeking a postdoctoral researcher to delve into the spatio-temporal dynamics of carboxysomes . Join us in advancing the frontiers of microbial biology through innovative research!

Happy to be part of this study from the Dittmann lab. Cyanobacteria still hold many secrets – this is a cool one regarding their interactions with heterotrophic bacteria. Opportunistic while putting their (fair?) share in!

Thylakoid Targeting Improves Stability of a Cytochrome P450 in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Plants produce a large array of natural products of biotechnological interest. In many cases, these compounds are naturally produced at low titers and involve complex biosynthetic pathways, which often include cytochrome P450 enzymes. P450s are known to be difficult to express in traditional heterotrophic chassis. However, cyanobacteria have shown promise as a sustainable alternative for the heterologous expression of P450s and light-driven product biosynthesis. In this study, we explore strategies for improving plant P450 stability and membrane insertion in cyanobacteria. The widely used model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was chosen as the host, and the well-studied P450 CYP79A1 from the dhurrin pathway of Sorghum bicolor was chosen as the model enzyme. Combinations of the P450 fused with individual elements (e.g., signal peptide, transmembrane domain) or the full length cyanobacterial, thylakoid-localized, protein PetC1 were designed. All generated CYP79A1 variants led to oxime production. Our data show that strains producing CYP79A1 variants with elements of PetC1 improved thylakoid targeting. In addition, chlorophyll-normalized oxime levels increased, on average, up to 18 times compared to the unmodified CYP79A1. These findings offer promising strategies to improve heterologous P450 expression in cyanobacteria and can ultimately contribute to advancing light-driven biocatalysis in cyanobacterial chassis.

Happy to join BlueSky with new work on improving heterologous P450s in Synechocystis. Efficient thylakoid targeting makes a big difference: higher protein amounts and up to 18x more product using a fusion protein engineering approach. #lightdrivencatalysis #teamgreen
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...