Björn Krenz
@bkrenz.bsky.social
Head of the DSMZ Plant Viruses Department, PI, dedicated in collection, diagnosis, management and research of plant viruses
📣New database resource📣 We are delighted to announce a new addition to #DSMZDigitalDiversity. Together with the #PlantVirology Department at @leibniz-dsmz.bsky.social, we have developed a new tool dedicated to plant viruses.🌱🦠 The 1st prototype of PVDive is now available online! 👉 pvdive.dsmz.de
A quick and efficient access to data related to plant viruses and their plant hosts: 👉 pvdive.dsmz.de #PlantVirology
www.nanogune.eu/nanogune/new... #nanoscience #nanomedicine #nanomaterials
Quantum nanoscience, nanomaterials, and nanomedicine feature in CIC nanoGUNE´s summer internship programme
In the framework of this program, the Basque nanoscience research center will be receiving this summer at least ten new students in their 3rd and 4th years of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Engineer...
nanogune.eu
Snowy Days in #Braunschweig ❄️ Quite a bit of snow in our area today — schools are closed, but the Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH Department Plant Viruses labs and greenhouses are not 😉
Virus… or stress? Diagnosis is one of the real challenges in plant health research. Sometimes, the hardest part isn’t finding the virus, it’s proving whether there is one at all. #PlantVirology #ScienceHumor
🍂 It's September – time to reveal our new Virus of the Month! This one has been grafted, as shown in the picture... but can you guess what it is? 👀 Stay tuned – more clues and facts coming soon! #PlantVirology
For plant viruses, assembling into particles is like getting dressed before leaving the "house". Most plant viruses know: no capsid, no infection. #PlantVirology
RNA viruses are famous for their fast and sloppy replication, using error-prone RNA polymerases that generate lots of mutations. But here’s the twist: many DNA viruses mutate just as much — even though they often rely on the host’s supposedly “accurate” DNA polymerases. But why? #PlantVirology
Great internal event @leibniz-dsmz.bsky.social today! Insightful presentations from our department heads gave a strong overview of ongoing work and strategic goals. At DSMZ, the Plant Viruses department provides virus inoculum, antibodies, HTS services and more: www.dsmz.de/collection/c...
With HTS, we can detect even the smallest traces of viral RNA or DNA in plant samples—but not everything detected actually infects the plant. Detection ≠ infection. HTS is just the start—validation is essential. #PlantVirology #HTS #VirusDiscovery #PlantPathology lnkd.in/eFG_rWcg
As global temperatures rise, insect vectors like whiteflies can increasingly shift their range. Regions once considered too cold may soon become suitable habitat—bringing plant viruses (and other pathogens) along for the ride. #PlantVirology #ClimateChange #InsectVectors #PlantHealth #Whiteflies
Repost appreciated: Open #PhDposition in structural virology in my group! Join us in Umeå, Sweden to uncover how arboviruses remodel infected cells. In situ #cryoET and #cryoEM combined with #virology, #cellbiology, and #biophysics. Deadline 7 September. More info: www.carlsonlab.se/join/
Today is back2school in Lower Saxony, Germany. I wish all students a great first day at school!
Plant Virus(es) of the Month – August: Rhabdoviruses! Welcome to the world of bullet-shaped troublemakers This month we’re exploring plant-infecting rhabdoviruses – fascinating, complex, and often overlooked members of the virosphere. #PlantVirology #Rhabdovirus
Bringing home seeds or plants from your holiday? 🌿✈️ You might also import something smaller ! 🦠 Some viruses travel light... but cause heavy damage. Don’t plant trouble. #PlantHealth #PlantVirology
Today we had the great opportunity to visit Sönke Strampe (www.soenkes-suesskartoffeln.de) and his farm to learn more about sweet potatoes – a big thank you for the warm welcome, the valuable insights, and the open exchange! 🌱🍠 #SweetPotato #PlantVirology
#HappyFriday, everyone! Not all plant viruses are hyperactive. Some, like Arabidopsis latent virus 1 (ArLV-1, DSMZ No.: PC-1445), can persist in their hosts without causing symptoms — quietly hanging out in sort of "latent state".
Apparently, #begomoviruses, like #TYLCV, can replicate in one nucleus...that might have some implications. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
#VirusoftheMonth – June 2025: Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) After PSSaV in May, we now turn to one of the most destructive viruses affecting tomato crops globally: TYLCV. #PlantVirology #TYLCV #Begomovirus
High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS): Spotting the unseen troublemakers!
Bedrohen Pflanzenviren unsere Ernährung? Den Einfluss der Viren auf unsere Ernährungssicherheit erklärt unser Experte @bkrenz.bsky.social bei #BookAScientist. Terminbuchung: www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/ueber-uns/neues/veranstaltungen/book-a-scientist #ernährung #pflanzengesundheit #pflanzenviren
Are you looking for an exciting postdoc on quantitative disease resistance in Quinoa in collaboration with @kjschmid.bsky.social and others?? Apply now. The project can start as soon as possible!
Plasmodesmata are normally too narrow for large molecules like viral RNA or proteins. Movement proteins can modify these channels to widen them — like giving the virus a VIP pass.
📢 We are #hiring a #PhD student to work on an interdisciplinary, collaborative project @dzne.science in Bonn, Germany! 🧠 If you’re interested in western diet-induced #neuroinflammation and innate immune signalling in #alzheimersdisease, check out our ad below 👇 jobs.dzne.de/en/jobs/1014...
PhD student (f/m/x) in the field of Neuroimmunology 1439/2025/5]
jobs.dzne.de
Plant viruses are typically transmitted in a few key ways — quite different from how animal viruses spread....
