Happy to share our recent research in @plantphys.bsky.social @aspbofficial.bsky.social from PCDB Lab @sdatta7925.bsky.social at IISER Bhopal during my PhD. doi.org/10.1093/plph... We identified that BBX13 promotes photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis 🌱. Thanks to all who supported and helped 🙏.
Rahul Puthan Valappil
@rahulpvnewland.bsky.social
Postdoctoral Researcher (2025-, UPSC, SLU, Sweden) | PhD (2017-2024, PCDB Group, IISERBhopal) | BS-MS (2012-17, IISERB) | 🇮🇳🇸🇪 Plant Cell & Development 🌱🔬/ Light Signaling 💡/ Flowering 🌺 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JnVMydYAAAAJ&hl=en
Latest publication form the group and first paper on poplar! GWAS and discovery of a MYB TF involved in cell shape acquisition nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @siamsadoyle.bsky.social @umeaplantsciencecentre.se Thanks to @erc.europa.eu @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social Kempe fondation
A drought stress‐induced MYB transcription factor regulates pavement cell shape in leaves of European aspen (Populus tremula)
MYB305a promoter expression increases in pavement cells as they grow and acquire their complex shape.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Excited to share that my postdoctoral work on pavement cell shape acquisition has been accepted in JXB @jxbotany.bsky.social. Forever grateful to Stéphanie @srobertgroup.bsky.social for making me a part of the incredible research team at @umeaplantsciencecentre.se. doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
The primary beta-galactosidase BGAL10 modulates pavement cell shape acquisition in Arabidopsis
Abstract. Cell shape acquisition is a fundamental biological process that allows cells to establish and maintain morphologies adapted to their specialised
doi.org
The latest paper of the group on pavement cell shape acquisition! Work from @sandeep18887.bsky.social @sharmavinod.bsky.social @adrienheymans.bsky.social @petergrones.bsky.social in collaboration with @cellwalldynamics.com @umeaplantsciencecentre.se pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42381545/
The primary beta-galactosidase BGAL10 modulates pavement cell shape acquisition in Arabidopsis - PubMed
Cell shape acquisition is a fundamental biological process that allows cells to establish and maintain morphologies adapted to their specialised functions while preserving tissue integrity. In plants,...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Such an honor to have been elected as an EMBO member and I am looking forward to contribute to the EMBO community! I got spoiled by my fantastic group today! @embo.org
🧪🌾NEWS - Congratulations to @srobertgroup.bsky.social on being elected an EMBO Member!🎉 "I want to share this recognition with the many fantastic members of my research group at UPSC over the years," says Stéphanie Robert. Read more: www.upsc.se/about-upsc/n... #EMBOMembers2026 @embo.org
🧪🌾NEWS - Congratulations to @srobertgroup.bsky.social on being elected an EMBO Member!🎉 "I want to share this recognition with the many fantastic members of my research group at UPSC over the years," says Stéphanie Robert. Read more: www.upsc.se/about-upsc/n... #EMBOMembers2026 @embo.org
🧪🌾NEWS - Scientists identify the “point of no return” in dying leaves 🍃 A new study from Olivier Keech's group, published in @natplants.nature.com, shows that plants use arginine levels to determine when leaf cells reach the point of no return. 🔗Read the full story: www.upsc.se/about-upsc/n...
Celebration of paper acceptances!! Details will come later! @sandeep18887.bsky.social on the phone :-) @siamsadoyle.bsky.social @lorindaloi.bsky.social @sharmavinod.bsky.social @absolutemaverick.bsky.social @loupitgreg.bsky.social @rahulpvnewland.bsky.social @umeaplantsciencecentre.se
🧪🌾VACANCY: Postdoctoral scholarship in Seasonal Adaptation & Environmental Signalling🔬 Interested in how trees use environmental cues to time growth, dormancy & bud break? Join Rishikesh Bhalerao's group and study tree adaptation in a changing climate. Apply by July 1👇 www.upsc.se/jobs/6690-tw...
Umeå Plant Science Centre - Two-Year Postdoctoral scholarship in Seasonal Adaptation and Environmental Signaling
Umeå Plant Science Centre - A centre of excellence for experimental plant biology in Umeå Sweden. ©UPSC
upsc.se
Excited to see our #plantscience review published in @jxbotany.bsky.social! It really captures our lab’s perspective on how plants use spatiotemporal signaling under environmental contexts when floods occur, to coordinate acclimation responses and achieve stress tolerance. doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
Anticipate, acclimate, recuperate and remember: How spatiotemporal signal integration controls flooding stress resilience in plants
Abstract. Flooding is a major abiotic stress that restricts terrestrial plant growth and survival. A plant tissue’s ability to avoid or sustain critical ox
doi.org
Today we had the pleasure to listen to the lecture for King Carl XVI Gustaf professorship at SLU. The king visited Umea and we were ready! Ove Nilsson and @rootsofthenorth.bsky.social gave lectures in addition to James Kirchner. @umeaplantsciencecentre.se was well represented!
Our new berry boxes (v2) made by labstuce.com and @absolutemaverick.bsky.social !! Let's the fun begin!
Our latest review on pavement cell shape acquisition is on line! Work from @lorindaloi.bsky.social @sharmavinod.bsky.social @absolutemaverick.bsky.social @kawresearch.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu Kempe fondation Vetenskapsrådet (VR) MSCA www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The art of interdigitation: Current views on pavement cell shape acquisition
Cell shape acquisition is a central feature of morphogenesis, governing tissue organization, organ development, and organismal architecture. In vascul…
sciencedirect.com
Mechanical coordination of counter-gradient growth maintains organ curvature in the apical hook www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #plantscience
Spotted from the road! Umeå has some beautiful winter days right now. The reindeers just bring the magic! @umeaplantsciencecentre.se
Latest preprint from our group together with @stephanevrg.bsky.social @wabniklab.bsky.social @kleinevehnlab.bsky.social Our work supports the view that morphogenesis is not driven by growth alone, but by the integration of physical and biological regulation. www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
biorxiv.org
The latest biorxiv of the lab and first full poplar paper :-). Nice collaborative work with Nat Street and Kathryn Robinson @umeaplantsciencecentre.se @siamsadoyle.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
A drought stress-induced MYB transcription factor regulates pavement cell shape in leaves of European aspen (Populus tremula)
The leaf pavement cells of many plant species develop fascinating jigsaw puzzle-like shapes in which neighboring cells interdigitate with each other, providing an ideal model for the study of cell shape acquisition. We analyzed pavement cell shape complexity in a natural population of European aspen ( Populus tremula ) genotypes and then used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach to identify a new candidate gene in cell shape regulation, Potra2n8c18226, encoding the transcription factor MYB305a. We subsequently validated a role for MYB305a in regulating aspen leaf pavement cell shape. We then demonstrated that drought conditions strongly induced MYB305a promoter expression in these cells and provided evidence implying that MYB305a plays a role in simplification of the cell shape in response to drought stress. Finally, we demonstrated negative correlations of pavement cell shape complexity with water-use efficiency, as well as with average precipitation, latitude and longitude of the genotypes' original sampling sites in the natural European aspen population. Taken together, our results suggest that climatic variables affect the shape complexity of pavement cells in aspen leaf and provide a first step towards unravelling the molecular mechanisms controlling pavement cell shape acquisition in this species in response to environmental conditions, by implicating the involvement of the transcription factor MY305a. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Swedish Research Council, https://ror.org/03zttf063, VR-2020-03420 Kempe Foundation, https://ror.org/05cszw148, JCK-1732, JCK-1912 Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, https://ror.org/004hzzk67 VINNOVA, https://ror.org/01kd5m353 European Research Council, https://ror.org/0472cxd90, ERC-2024-SyG STARMORPH 101166880 Trees and Crops for the Future (TC4F)
biorxiv.org
biopatrika.com/academia/res...
How Membrane Lipids Shape BamA Folding and Antibiotic Targeting - BioPatrika
Researcher Spotlight - A researcher spotlight uncovering how outer membrane lipids regulate the folding, stability, and function of the essential bacterial chaperone BamA, revealing new antibiotic tar...
biopatrika.com
Entering 2026 with the latest group picture. @loupitgreg.bsky.social is missing. We had two great bachelor students for a few weeks Jule Braha and Mélio Dagnaud-Adam! @siamsadoyle.bsky.social @sharmavinod.bsky.social @lorindaloi.bsky.social @rahulpvnewland.bsky.social @absolutemaverick.bsky.social
Our work is now online! #biophysics #membraneprotein #proteinfolding #microsky Read here: pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/A...
Lipid-regulated assembly mechanisms and functional energetics of the essential bacterial chaperone BamA
BamA is a highly conserved essential outer membrane chaperone of all Gram-negative bacteria. Our understanding of the BamA machinery remains incomplete, delaying knowledge-based antibacterial design. ...
pubs.rsc.org
We are delighted to announce that the registration for YRSPP 2026 is now open! ✨ Visit yrspp.github.io/register to register and for more info. Looking forward to seeing everyone in April! ☀️🌱
Excited to share that our work on the Barrel Assembly Machinery protein BamA is now accepted in Chemical Science!
Excited to share acceptance of our research in Chemical Science @chemicalscience.rsc.org! We meticulously map the folding mechanisms and lipid-regulated functional dynamics of the Barrel Assembly Machinery protein BamA. Congratulations Anjana @anjanageorge.bsky.social, Anusree, Akanksha, and Varsha!
Blue light promotes and dark inhibits aluminum resistance in Arabidopsis
Blue light promotes and dark inhibits aluminum resistance in Arabidopsis
Aluminum (Al) toxicity in acid soils inhibits primary root elongation. Kar et al. demonstrate that light plays an important role in modulating plant resistance against aluminum. Blue light via cryptochromes activates an HY5-STOP1 module to positively regulate ALMT1 and MATE expression to promote carboxylate exudation. This prevents Al entry into the root and promotes Al exclusion. In the dark, COP1 interacts with and degrades STOP1 and HY5 to inhibit root growth under Al. In conclusion, blue light promotes, whereas dark inhibits, Al resistance in Arabidopsis.
dlvr.it
True Nordic spirit! Looks like a fantastic outing - though some of you seem a little frozen in that outdoor photo.❄️ ☀️
Ice bath before Julbord, enjoying the sun when it is still out! Perfect end of the week with this fantastic group! @siamsadoyle.bsky.social @sharmavinod.bsky.social @rahulpvnewland.bsky.social @absolutemaverick.bsky.social @lorindaloi.bsky.social @loupitgreg.bsky.social
Ice bath before Julbord, enjoying the sun when it is still out! Perfect end of the week with this fantastic group! @siamsadoyle.bsky.social @sharmavinod.bsky.social @rahulpvnewland.bsky.social @absolutemaverick.bsky.social @lorindaloi.bsky.social @loupitgreg.bsky.social
Great news!
Historic day! 🌾 The #EU agrees on new rules for genomic techniques, paving the way for crops that better resist climate change and pests, deliver higher yields, and need fewer fertilisers & pesticides. A big step towards a more sustainable food system. www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...
📣 Finishing your PhD or recently graduated? Looking to shape your own postdoc project?🧪🌾 Join us for the UPSC Symposium for Early Career Plant Scientists on 28–29 Apr 2026, Umeå, Sweden, and network with the UPSC community! Learn more and apply: www.upsc.se/early-career... 📅 Apply by 11 Jan 2026
Looking for a fantastic place for your next career step? Come to speak about your science and meet us @umeaplantsciencecentre.se Have a look at the research groups www.upsc.se/research/res... and build up your next project
Umeå Plant Science Centre - Research Groups at UPSC
Umeå Plant Science Centre - A centre of excellence for experimental plant biology in Umeå Sweden. ©UPSC
upsc.se
📣 Finishing your PhD or recently graduated? Looking to shape your own postdoc project?🧪🌾 Join us for the UPSC Symposium for Early Career Plant Scientists on 28–29 Apr 2026, Umeå, Sweden, and network with the UPSC community! Learn more and apply: www.upsc.se/early-career... 📅 Apply by 11 Jan 2026
@marhava.bsky.social and myself have edited a special issue on Auxin for Physiologia plantarum! Have a look at the nice contributions! @umeaplantsciencecentre.se onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1...
The A to Z of Auxin in Plant Development: Physiologia Plantarum
Click on the title to browse this issue
onlinelibrary.wiley.com