Nearly a year after our symposium on Repeat-Induced Point (RIP) mutations, I’m happy to share the fruit of some of our discussions. The fungal RIP hypermutator mechanism has deep eukaryotic roots www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... We hope to spark interest in this underappreciated mechanism.

Thrilled to share our paper now out in Nature Plants 🎉 We developed a genome-host association (GHA) approach to study pathogen adaptation directly from field metadata by using the originating host cultivar as phenotype. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Genome–host association mapping reveals wheat pathogen genes involved in host specialization - Nature Plants

This study introduces genome–host association (GHA), leveraging natural epidemics to map the genetic landscape of host adaptation in the pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Applied to 832 wheat fungal stra...

nature.com

🧬 Please repost 🧬 I was asked to organise a panel discussion for a SynBio Student Meetup in Hamburg in the middle of May and I'm still looking for panellist! If you know any researchers at the PhD/Postdoc who have expertise in metabolic/genome/multicellular organism engineering, please reach out!

Root tip excision-induced exodermis lignification impacts lateral root emergence in Brachypodium distachyon Bellande et al. @joopvermeer.bsky.social @tbadet.bsky.social @anneroulin.bsky.social @rootcap.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Discovery of globally rare CYP51 mutations associated with azole resistance in Iranian Zymoseptoria tritici isolates - BMC Plant Biology

Background Septoria tritici blotch, caused by Zymoseptoria tritici, is a major wheat disease worldwide. Demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides, which target the sterol 14α-demethylase enzyme encoded...

link.springer.com

A recent shift in centromere size and DNA content in Podospora pseudocomata co-occurs with the loss of a fungal genome defense system https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.02.690432v1

Finally out! A large European diversity panel reveals complex azole fungicide resistance gains of a major wheat pathogen journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... A big thanks to @danielcroll.bsky.social & @GabrielScalliet #azole #DMI #GWAS #fungicide #resistance #zymoseptoria #Europe

A large European diversity panel reveals complex azole fungicide resistance gains of a major wheat pathogen | mBio

Sustainable food production requires the management of disease agents attacking crops. Application of antifungal compounds is among the key elements of pathogen containment; however, resistance can ri...

journals.asm.org

Very excited to see the final version of our kingdom-scale fungal genome defense manuscript out in @plosbiology.org ! This work has been a major project of @tbadet.bsky.social during his time in our lab. We hope to stimulate much more exciting work on fungal TEs. journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Phylogenomic signatures of repeat-induced point mutations across the fungal kingdom

Fungal genome size variation is largely driven by transposable elements and shaped by lineage-specific genome defense mechanisms. This study shows that the presence or absence of repeat-induced point ...

journals.plos.org

PLOS Biology@plosbiology.org · 10mo ago

Fungal #GenomeSize variation is largely driven by TEs & lineage-specific genome defenses. @tbadet.bsky.social & @danielcroll.bsky.social show that presence/absence of RIP mutation systems influences #genome architecture, identifying a likely novel defense mechanism @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4hcC5tx

Fungal #GenomeSize variation is largely driven by TEs & lineage-specific genome defenses. @tbadet.bsky.social & @danielcroll.bsky.social show that presence/absence of RIP mutation systems influences #genome architecture, identifying a likely novel defense mechanism @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4hcC5tx

Our description of the transcriptomic changes during sexual development in #Podospora anserina is out in @genomics.peercommunityin.org ! peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.... @i2bcparissaclay.bsky.social @univparissaclay.bsky.social

The first paper of my PhD is now available as a preprint! 🎉 Transposable elements (TEs) don't just jump within fungal genomes, they also move extensively between species. In this study, we screened over 1,300 fungal genomes and found a conservative estimate of 5,500+ horizontal transfer events.

Excited to share the first PhD preprint of @iglavincheska.bsky.social — now on bioRxiv! We explored the 3D genome of Zymo and found: 🧬 Rabl-like conformation 🧩 Accessory chr tethered to core centromeres 🏰 Self-interacting domains and boundaries with insulator motifs www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Very happy to see our paper online: "Population genomics and molecular epidemiology of wheat powdery mildew in Europe". Congrats to @jigisha1.bsky.social and all coauthors! doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Population genomics and molecular epidemiology of wheat powdery mildew in Europe

Agricultural diseases are a major threat to sustainable food production. This study of wheat powdery mildew, a disease caused by the fungus Blumeria graminis, shows that the population structure can b...

doi.org

🚨 Don't forget to register! 🚨 ℹ️ Deadline is set to May 23rd. 🔥 Many slots are still available.

Thomas Badet@tbadet.bsky.social · last yr.

🔥 Exciting news! The first Symposium on Repeat-Induced Point mutations is happening June 30 – July 1 at the University of Neuchâtel🇨🇭! 🔹 Want to join? Register here > forms.gle/XWTd4gJAXZSx... 🚨 Limited spots available! So first come, first served! 🔹 More info > crolllab.github.io/ripm2025/

🔥 Exciting news! The first Symposium on Repeat-Induced Point mutations is happening June 30 – July 1 at the University of Neuchâtel🇨🇭! 🔹 Want to join? Register here > forms.gle/XWTd4gJAXZSx... 🚨 Limited spots available! So first come, first served! 🔹 More info > crolllab.github.io/ripm2025/

@guidopuccetti.bsky.social, Gabriel Scalliet and I are excited to share our latest work. Resistance in agriculture emerges fast, but we fail to grasp how the myriad mutations in pathogen populations contribute to this. Please check out and share our latest preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

We did it! We caught Starship #transposons moving between #fungal species in the lab, including between species separated by ~100my. We think Starships are a mediator of HGT in fungi, akin to conjugative elements in bacteria. Check out the preprint. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Great talk @iglavincheska.bsky.social, exploring the impact of DNA methylation variation on the 3D genome structure of Zymoseptoria tritici! #ecfg17

Do you want to annotate your #pangenome graph and its embedded genome ? Then GrAnnoT is for you ! 🖥️🧬 🧪 In the present paper, our PhD student Nina Marthe developed a Python tool, a user friendly one, that allows to 1/5 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Interested in #fungal accessory chromosomes or toxin/antidote genes? Check out our new preprint! We show that the Spok gene family in Fusarium include active toxin/antidote genes. We present a model for how these genes influence the evolution of fungal genomes. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

An inversion polymorphism under balancing selection, involving giant mobile elements, in the invasive fungal pathogen responsable for the chesnut blight disease! doi.org/10.1093/molb...

An inversion polymorphism under balancing selection, involving giant mobile elements, in an invasive fungal pathogen

Abstract. Recombination suppression can evolve in sex or mating-type chromosomes, or in autosomal supergenes, with different haplotypes being maintained by

doi.org

This looks a fascinating read!

Daniel Croll@danielcroll.bsky.social · 2y ago

@tbadet.bsky.social and I have a preprint out on transposon silencing in fungi! Genome size evolution is fascinating and showcases the dynamic nature of transposon activation. What we understand less are the dynamics of transposon defense systems encoded by the genomes. doi.org/10.1101/2025...

TEs at work. Very interesting results.

Daniel Croll@danielcroll.bsky.social · 2y ago

@tbadet.bsky.social and I have a preprint out on transposon silencing in fungi! Genome size evolution is fascinating and showcases the dynamic nature of transposon activation. What we understand less are the dynamics of transposon defense systems encoded by the genomes. doi.org/10.1101/2025...

@tbadet.bsky.social and I have a preprint out on transposon silencing in fungi! Genome size evolution is fascinating and showcases the dynamic nature of transposon activation. What we understand less are the dynamics of transposon defense systems encoded by the genomes. doi.org/10.1101/2025...

A systematic screen for genetic factors underpinning transposon defense systems across the fungal kingdom https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.10.632494v1