Our new preprint is out! Using AI-guided design (RFdiffusion + ProteinMPNN), we engineered a plant immune receptor to recognise non-cognate pathogen effectors. Huge thanks to our amazing co-authors for making this possible! doi.org/10.64898/202...

Computational design of de novo integrated domains enables rational control of pathogen effector recognition in plant NLR immune receptors.

The rapid evolution of plant pathogens poses a persistent threat to global agricultural sustainability, often outpacing the discovery and deployment of natural disease resistance genes. While bioengin...

doi.org

Hello bluesky

Tandem Kinases containing HMA domains can be engineered to sense additional effectors. Parallels with NLR HMA engineering and highlights the versatility of this interesting integrated domain. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Engineering plant tandem kinase immune receptors expands effector recognition profiles

Plant intracellular immune receptors are widely deployed in breeding to protect crops from disease. In addition to nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs), tandem kinase proteins (TKPs...

biorxiv.org

Another exciting preprint! Two additional HMA-TKP sensors from wheat and barley, swapping HMAs can confer recognition specificity. Evo analyses supporting HMA-TKP has differentiated to recognize different effectors through HMA diversification. other links below. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Evolution of HMA-integrated tandem kinases accompanied by expansion of target pathogens

Tandem kinase proteins (TKPs) are an emerging family of plant intracellular immune receptors that offer potential for developing novel disease resistance. We cloned Rmo2 and Rwt7, genes for resistance...

biorxiv.org

Super-happy sharing my Lab's new work on engineering plant HMA-containing tandem kinase immune receptors. Congrats to all authors (@danielsyu.bsky.social and @njw33.bsky.social on here). Work only possible in collaboration with Soichiro Asuke. See linked paper to follow! bsky.app/profile/bior...

bioRxiv Plant Bio@biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Engineering plant tandem kinase immune receptors expands effector recognition profiles https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.15.694194v1

Excited to share our #plantimmunity preprint on engineering cereal TKPs www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... A short thread below 👇

Engineering plant tandem kinase immune receptors expands effector recognition profiles

Plant intracellular immune receptors are widely deployed in breeding to protect crops from disease. In addition to nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs), tandem kinase proteins (TKPs...

biorxiv.org

Excited to share our review on structure-based engineering of NLRs in plant immunity. We also have some cool plant immunity engineering stories coming out this month so watch this space! #plantimmunity #nlr www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Architects of plant immunity: Structure-informed strategies for engineering plant nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors

Diseases caused by plant pathogens are a major factor decreasing crop yields that lead to food insecurity. To protect against pathogen threats, plants…

sciencedirect.com

Registrations are rolling in for the 2025 Stromlo Plant Pathology meeting in Canberra (Nov 27–28)! Secure your spot! Speakers: @yasukadota.bsky.social, Cecille Segonzac, @thamlab.bsky.social, @yichangsung.bsky.social, Tek Tay & @danielsyu.bsky.social. Register at tinyurl.com/3e3tx9j2 #strompath25

Super excited to be giving a talk at #2025ISMPMI today in the Synthetic biology concurrent session from 15:15 - 15:35! Come along if you’re interested in engineering Tandem Kinase Proteins

GROUP LEADER VACANCY JIC is recruiting a Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences. If you think your research would synergise and thrive at JIC, please apply. www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...

Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences | John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre (JIC) seeks a visionary Group Leader to lead research on Discovery Plant Science.

jic.ac.uk

Our Research Briefing on the tandem kinase proteins paper is online now! Curious about the story behind our TKP paper? 📄 Research Briefing: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 📄 Research article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A plant dual-kinase protein traps a pathogen effector to trigger immunity - Nature Genetics

Tandem kinase proteins (TKPs) are key regulators of plant immunity. We found that RWT4, a wheat TKP, confers resistance to the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae by directly recognizing the effector A...

nature.com

Its out.... Plant pathogenic fungi hijack phosphate signaling with conserved enzymatic effectors | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... A wonderful collaboration with the Schaffrath @rwth.bsky.social and Oliveira-Garcia groups! Huge credit to Carl Mcombe and Alex Wegner.

Plant pathogenic fungi hijack phosphate signaling with conserved enzymatic effectors

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is essential for life, and plant cells monitor Pi availability by sensing inositol pyrophosphate (PP-InsP) levels. In this work, we describe the hijacking of plant phosphate s...

science.org

HI old friends! Finally took the leap here to say I have several open positions going in my lab at the moment (and more to come). 1) PhD studentship in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society (genomics) 2) Biochemistry Postdoc to understand how Starships move Check out the links below!

If you're from the UK and are looking for a PhD, don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity! Amazing lab and amazing project!

Jiorgos Kourelis@jiorgoskourelis.bsky.social · 2y ago

📢 PhD Opportunity in my lab on Plant Immune Receptor Bioengineering at @imperiallifesci.bsky.social 🌱 Start: October 2025 📅 Deadline: 12th January 2025 🇬🇧 Open to UK students 💰 Fully funded ℹ️ More info: tinyurl.com/w6ap9v9f ❗ #PlantImmunity #PlantPathology 🙏 Please share with interested candidates!

Excited for more #sciart! Here is a #blender render of a small #fusarium effector I solved during my PhD

In case you missed it, here is the TSL Autumn Symposium 2024 in full 🍿

📣 PhD opportunity at @thesainsburylab.bsky.social Norwich, UK. "Investigating host penetration by the rice blast fungus" with Dr Frank Menke and Nick Talbot @FrankMenke.bsky.social @talbotlabtsl.bsky.social Apply before 25 Nov 2024! ⬇️ biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/inv...

So many keen peeps interested in structural biology.. we have a new unit cell. 🧶🧬 go.bsky.app/HByHiW6

I created this Starter Pack for PhDs and Postdocs in Structural Biology to help connect with colleagues who share similar interests and concerns in the field. Feel free to recommend people or yourself! I'll be adding people 💪🏼😁 bsky.app/starter-pack...

Hello new Plant Scientists, To get you started, the two #PlantScience Research #StarterPacks will connect you to other Scientists & relevant feeds: 1) go.bsky.app/8Zfmwf7 2) go.bsky.app/3NcqRCE You can find more relevant Plant Science feeds here: bsky.app/profile/soms... Further... 1/2

First post on bluesky! Sharing some photogenic protein crystals I got a few months back 💎. Shame they didn’t diffract as well as they look

Hi everyone, I created a starter pack for all fungal biologists. Tell me who I should add or if you want to be part of it! #fungi go.bsky.app/12PCCjU