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Kiran Raj 🌱

@kiranrajrki.bsky.social

Plants are speaking all the time. I'm learning how to listen and helping others do the same. 🌱

14 Posts56 Follower 54 Folgt

IPB Halle @ipbhalle.bsky.social · 6d ago

Our junior research group leader, Mariana Schuster, has been awarded the ERC Starting Grant, which comes with a grant of 1.5 million euros. Congratulations @marischuster.bsky.social! #ERCStg @erc.europa.eu More Information: www.ipb-halle.de/en/article/e...

ERC Starting Grant: 1.5 Million Euros for Excellent Research on Plant Immunity

IPB Press Release, September 3, 2026 A great success for plant research at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle: The independent junior research group leader Mariana Schuster has been awarded a highly funded ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council for her FRONTERA project. Over a period of five years and with funding of 1.5 million euros, she and her team will investigate how the targeted cleavage of membrane proteins regulates the immune defense of plants.

ipb-halle.de

Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 2w ago

YouTube video on plant nuclei isolation from a PhD student at my postdoc lab www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROqW... #PlantScience

Plant Nuclei Isolation Protocol

YouTube video by IPBGG

youtube.com

Chris Martine | Plant People FTW @martinebotany.bsky.social · last mo.

Now available everywhere for streaming/download! #PlantPeopleFTW, a song for everyone who loves plants, by Doc Martine and the Botaneers. Feat. appearances by plant people from all over the world. #botany2026 music.apple.com/us/album/pla...

Plant People FTW by Doc Martine and the Botaneers on Apple Music

music.apple.com

Kiran Raj 🌱@kiranrajrki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Yesterday, during a conversation about the challenges of funding basic research, the uncertainty surrounding academic careers, & the future of academia, a senior postdoc looked at the Western blots she was developing and simply said, "Well... I have my blots." Somehow, that sentence stayed with me❤️

An illustrated scientist wearing blue gloves smiles while holding a developed Western blot. Laboratory equipment, including a gel electrophoresis tank and reagents, sits on the bench in front of her. The image features the quote, "Well... I have my blots." with the attribution, "— a senior postdoc." It accompanies a reflection on finding joy and purpose in everyday scientific experiments despite the uncertainties of academic research.

Science Magazine @science.org · 2mo ago

Physicists say they have successfully demonstrated via high-resolution simulations that a DNA molecule can in principle behave like an Archimedes screw in nanoscale. Learn more: https://scim.ag/4wD1naB

Yasin Dagdas @plantophagy.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Took me a while, but we finally have a new lab website: ydagdas-lab.github.io/Lab-Website/ I will do my best to keep this one up to date.

Dagdas Lab — Evolutionary Cell Biology

How cells clean house across the eukaryotic tree of life. Autophagy & cellular quality control at Heidelberg University.

ydagdas-lab.github.io

Molly Edwards, PhD @science-irl.bsky.social · 2mo ago

3 days left to save science from fascist takeover! Public comments are how we fight back, submit yours here: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20... @standupforscience.net has an awesome guide to help you write one: www.standupforscience.foundation/policy-and-a... #science #savescience 🧪

Kiran Raj 🌱@kiranrajrki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Beautiful initiative. Doing good science is only one part of our responsibility; we must also communicate it where the next generation lives. Social media can make science visible, accessible, and alive; scientists shouldn't shy away! Congrats to the Nobori Lab. I hope many follow. Subscribed! ;-)

Tatsuya Nobori@tatsuyanobori.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Our research in a nutshell 🧬🌱🦠🔬 Visit our lab website to learn more: noborilab.org

Tatsuya Nobori @tatsuyanobori.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A little behind the scenes. Thanks @stephbornemann.bsky.social for the great setup and editing!

The Sainsbury Laboratory@thesainsburylab.bsky.social · 2mo ago

What happens when plants are attacked by microbes, and how do they defend themselves without specialised or mobile immune cells? Watch the video to learn more about how the @tatsuyanobori.bsky.social group is decoding plant immunity, cell by cell: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1wT...

Kiran Raj 🌱@kiranrajrki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

KRSU-003: The Courier Who Knew the Address Inspired by a recent study @natbiotech.nature.com Based on the work from @kimuchenje03.bsky.social @prof-gozde.bsky.social @caltech.edu The science is real. The story is fiction 🌱 :-)

Illustrated science card titled “KRSU Card #003: The Courier Who Knew the Address.” Inside a plant nucleus archive, three genome-delivery strategies are shown as cartoon characters. On the left, Aggie represents Agrobacterium and random DNA integration, while the worried genome manager Nucleo asks, “Where did you put that gene?!” In the centre, Casy represents Cas9–HDR and holds molecular scissors, saying, “I can cut a door open.” On the right, Rito, the engineered R2Tg editor, carries Ruby, a large mCherry DNA payload, toward a glowing 25S rDNA safe-harbor delivery dock and says, “No guessing. I know the address.” The central message reads: “The genome did not need another random delivery. It needed a safe address.” The lower panel explains that Agrobacterium can carry large DNA but integrates it unpredictably, while CRISPR–HDR targets defined loci but is inefficient for large insertions and depends on double-strand-break repair. R2Tg instead recognizes repeated 25S rDNA sites and reverse-transcribes an RNA-encoded payload directly into the genome, suggesting the beginnings of an addressable large-DNA installation system.

Kiran Raj 🌱@kiranrajrki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

KRSU-002: The Look-Alike Stations Inspired by the recent study @natcomms.nature.com "Rooty enters the AM Trade Market" Based on the work from @jenmcgaley.bsky.social @paszkowskilab.bsky.social @cropscicentre.bsky.social @camplantsci.bsky.social The science is real. The story is fiction 🌱 :-)

KRSU Card #002, titled “The Look-Alike Stations,” is a cartoon science card about arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in rice roots. Rooty, a worried root character wearing blue overalls, inspects three arbuscule exchange stations with a magnifying glass. Myca, a purple mycorrhizal network character with hypha-like arms, explains that the stations may look alike but do not all work the same.

The central image shows three arbuscule “stations.” Station 1 is labelled high performance: it is bright green, crowded with many PT11 transporter gatekeepers, and shows smooth phosphate flow. A speech bubble says “Full throttle!” Station 2 is labelled moderate activity: it has fewer PT11 gatekeepers, slower phosphate movement, and a buffering state. Station 3 is labelled collapsing: the arbuscule is red and fading, PT11 is leaving, and the station is offline.

On the left, Pho, the phosphate supply character, carries phosphate boxes and notes that some doors move more phosphate than others. At the bottom, the main message reads: “Arbuscule presence ≠ arbuscule function.” The explanatory text says that not every arbuscule is equally open for trade; PT11 marks where phosphate uptake happens, mainly at the fine branches of arbuscules; and live imaging showed that arbuscules grow, function, decline, and collapse. The take-home message is that simply seeing an arbuscule does not automatically mean strong phosphate exchange.

Jen McGaley @jenmcgaley.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Very happy this is now published in full! Symbiotic phosphate transporter dynamics in rice expose functional plasticity of the arbuscules www.nature.com/articles/s41... A thread of some of our findings (and timelapses) below 🧵🔬🎥

Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)@slcuplants.bsky.social · 3mo ago

New insights into cell fates of the Arabidopsis inflorescence meristem @sebamorenor.bsky.social generated the most detailed map to date of this critical stem cell niche, identifying 18 distinct cell type clusters, including precursors to cortex & vascular tissues www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/new-ins...

Inflorescence meristem cell identities: (A) Force-directed graph layout of clusters associated with inner cell layers such as early primordia (EP), undifferentiated cells, procambium, xylem parenchyma and cortex. Clusters are represented by different colours. (B) Schematic illustration of selected cell identities in the primary stem and inflorescence meristem. Procambial strands arise in developing primordia and give rise to vascular bundles, which subsequently differentiate into phloem, cambium and xylem within the primary stem. The exact locations of cell identities in the primary stem are schematically represented rather than accurately portrayed. Illustration by first author first author Dr Sebastián Moreno-Ramírez. Source: Fig 6 in Moreno-Ramirez et al Science Advances 2026.

Kiran Raj 🌱@kiranrajrki.bsky.social · 3mo ago

KKRSU-001: The Missing Inventory Manager Inspired by the recent study @science.org Meet Rooty, Chef Chloro, Inspy, and Vivi, the first residents of the KRSU universe. Based on the work from @martinaried.bsky.social and @gabrielschaaf.bsky.social The science is real. The story is fiction🌱:-)

KRSU-001: The Missing Inventory Manager. Cartoon-style scientific illustration explaining phosphate signalling in plants. Rooty, a worried root character wearing blue overalls, frantically searches the soil for phosphate. Chef Chloro, a leaf chef, works in a kitchen above ground and asks whether phosphate is running out. Inspy, a small messenger character representing InsP8, reports that no inventory updates have been received. The office of Vivi (VIH2), the inventory manager responsible for phosphate-status communication, is empty and marked "Out of Office." The card illustrates the concept that loss of VIH2 disrupts InsP8 signalling, causing the plant to behave as though phosphate is scarce even when phosphate is available. The image combines fictional characters and storytelling with real plant biology inspired by a Science Advances study.

Kiran Raj 🌱@kiranrajrki.bsky.social · 3mo ago

What if Roots could talk? What if Organelles had personalities? What if every Biological process was part of a larger story? Welcome to the KRSU (Kiran Raj Sci-Fi Universe). The science is real. The stories are fiction. 🌱 #PlantScience #PlantBiology #SciComm

Launch card for the KRSU (Kiran Raj Scientific Universe). The card asks a series of questions: "What if roots could talk?", "What if organelles had personalities?", "What if leaves had jobs, worries, and responsibilities?", and "What if every biological process was part of a larger story?". The card introduces KRSU as a science communication project that uses stories, characters, and scientific illustrations to explain real plant biology. The card concludes with the statement: "Welcome to the hidden world beneath our feet."

Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)@slcuplants.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Salicylic acid biosensor, SalicS1, tracks the plant immune hormone salicylic acid in real time - revealing propagation of hormone surge during plant pathogen advance Latest biosensor from @xanderjones.bsky.social team In Science doi.org/10.1126/scie... Summary www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/new-bio...

Cris Argueso @cargueso.bsky.social · 12mo ago

I attended a really inspiring talk by Jose Dinneny today as the Thornton-Massa speaker at Colorado State University. His vision for the future of agriculture with synthetic biology was really thought-provoking. It’s great to learn AND get inspired! @josedinneny.bsky.social @csuagbio.bsky.social

Ari Pekka Mähönen @apmahonen.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Webinar on Quantitative Approaches to Cellular Aspects of Plant Ion Homeostasis on Thursday October 16th: 3-4pm BST www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · 11mo ago

✨ Paper spotlight ✨ #Lithium in plants nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... (🧵 1/6) This #TansleyReview presents emerging insights into lithium’s role in #plants. Once thought to mimic sodium, lithium is now known to use distinct transport mechanisms and uniquely affect enzymes and DNA.

Fig. 8 Lithium in plants: Summary. (a) Li+ uptake occurs through nonselective cation channels (NSCCs).

Nature Biotechnology @natbiotech.nature.com · 12mo ago

A tiny white-petalled weed beloved of plant biologists has received a CRISPR-fueled makeover, turning it into a supersized ruby-colored bloom www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Blooms supersized - Nature Biotechnology

Nature Biotechnology - Blooms supersized

nature.com

Marc Somssich @somssich.bsky.social · 11mo ago

I really like the series of profiles @newphyt.bsky.social is currently publishing. The new one is on @stanfordstomata.bsky.social: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #PlantScience #PlantLuminaries

Dominique Bergmann

Dominique Bergmann, Stanford University (USA) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (USA).

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Marc Somssich@somssich.bsky.social · last yr.

The new issue of @newphyt.bsky.social features a profile of Caroline Dean: 👉 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #PlantScience #PlantEpigenetics #PlantLuminaries

Caroline Dean sitting on a bench in front of some greenery.

Plantae.org @plantaeofficial.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Plant Science Research Weekly -- Review: Plant receptor-like kinases sense extrinsic and host-derived signals and shape the microbiome (Cell Host Microbe) @carahaney.bsky.social @jumpy-botanist.bsky.social (Summary by Mary Williams @PlantTeaching.bsky.social) buff.ly/0uZR93w #PlantaePSRW

Review: Plant receptor-like kinases sense extrinsic and host-derived signals and shape the microbiome | Plantae

Plant genomes contain hundreds of genes encoding receptor-like kinases (RLKs), which are membrane-spanning proteins with an extracellular perception domain and an intracellular signaling domain.

buff.ly

@rootdevelopment.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Looking for some clarity in the labyrinth of terms regarding lateral root initiation (priming, founder cell specification, pre-branch sites, oscillation zone, root clock,...)? Here is our new paper hopefully bringing some light in the darkness: track.smtpsendmail.com/9032119/c?p=...

Marker-assisted in vivo imaging reveals pre-patterning events prior to lateral root organogenesis

The branching pattern of the Arabidopsis root is established as early as in the distal tip of the primary root.

track.smtpsendmail.com

The Sainsbury Laboratory @thesainsburylab.bsky.social · 12mo ago

We are pleased to announce that @talbotlabtsl.bsky.social has been awarded the RKS Wood Prize 2026 by the @bspp.bsky.social. “I am humbled to have been awarded the RKS Wood Prize 2026. I’d like to thank my research group and my TSL colleagues for their inspiration and support.” buff.ly/VvoR27Q

Nick Talbot, Executive Director and senior group leader at TSL, is pictured in a glasshouse surrounded by rice plants.

Maria Spezzati @maryspezz.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share some data from my PhD project at #ENFC2025 Join me to discuss about Lotus and Tomato SymRK 🌱

Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · last yr.

Complete transport cycle of human XPR1, regulated by InsP8 and KIDINS220 @cp-molcell.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.mo...

Maizel lab @maizel-lab.org · last yr.

New preprint from the lab. We mapped the dynamics of phospholipids during lateral root formation and show that PI(4,5)P₂ plays a key role: targeted reduction in pericycle promotes LR development. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Mariana Schuster @marischuster.bsky.social · last yr.

Jie Huang ( #PlantChemetics lab) and I wrote a dispatch on Zhang et al.'s work (www.nature.com/articles/s41...) describing a #protease effector that cleaves the extracellular domain of a plant receptor-like kinase, and it's none other than BAK1! Enjoy! authors.elsevier.com/a/1ldGk3QW8S...

authors.elsevier.com

IPB Halle @ipbhalle.bsky.social · last yr.

📣We offer a #PhDposition @dfg.de-funded #RTG2670 BEAM: "Beyond Amphiphilicity - Self-Organization of Soft Matter via Multiple Noncovalent Interactions" with @marischuster.bsky.social. 🔗More: www.ipb-halle.de/en/career/jo... 📅Apply now! #MolecularModelling #Proteases #SciJobs #PhDjobs

John Innes Centre @johninnescentre.bsky.social · last yr.

VACANCY - We’re recruiting for a visionary group leader to lead fundamental research on Discovery Plant Science as part of our vibrant research community Successful candidate will be offered a six-year tenure-track position with the opportunity to apply for tenure: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...