Can CRISPR edits enable precise tuning of plant gene expression? We think: yes. In our newest manuscript, we measured the effects of >30,000 CRISPR-like promoter mutations in sorghum protoplasts.

DNA demethylation suppresses a state of enhanced cellular pluripotency and regeneration competence in Arabidopsis. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.27.714943v1

We have been cooking up this story for a while and we are excited to finally be able to share! Read on if you're interested in whole plant regeneration WITHOUT the application of hormones!

Absolutely delighted that our paper on epigenetic dynamics during plant aging is out today in Science! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Aging drives a program of DNA methylation decay in plant organs

Plants display a wide range of life spans and aging rates. Although dynamic changes to DNA methylation are a hallmark of aging in mammals, it is unclear whether similar molecular signatures reflect ra...

science.org

Vegetables, 1952

Tough day for small grains research in the Twin Cities. Myself and four scientist colleagues have all been let go from the USDA because we haven't completed our 3 year probationary period - effectively gutting the Cereal Disease Lab. Taking a few days to be sad before I think about what comes next.

Update: This ***NSF-funded*** study is now published in MBE. Today more than ever, I'm appreciative of what all the people at NSF do to support our science. Let's fight to support them. doi.org/10.1093/molb...

Dan Sloan@sloanevolab.bsky.social · 2y ago

Did you know that orchids have a big chunk of fungal mtDNA stuck in their own mitochondrial genomes?? In this new preprint, we found that fungal-derived tRNAs are functional in the orchid mitochondria. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/4