Ziv Spiegelman
@zivirus.bsky.social
Plant virologist, ARO, Volcani Institute, Israel. Plant-virus interaction, viral movement, resistance-breaking viruses
🔬Big news🥳 We’re excited to welcome Prof. Dr. Rosa Lozano-Durán as new Director and head of the Department of Plant Virology @mpipz.bsky.social Her research focuses on how plant viruses interact with their hosts. 🎉Welcome to MPIPZ, Rosa 🌿🌱 www.mpipz.mpg.de/5842514/loza...
The Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research welcomes Prof. Dr. Rosa Lozano-Durán as new director
mpipz.mpg.de
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How does a geminivirus replicate its genome using a pick&mix strategy with host proteins? 🦠🦠🌱🧬 Our new preprint identifies plant proteins repurposed by geminiviruses to carry out rolling-circle replication. Congrats @chaonan123.bsky.social , who spearheaded this work! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
One of our recent papers describing techniques to identify root barriers to parasitic plant infection. Plus we show that lignin in the cortex can block branched broomrape infection of tomato.
Plant & Cell Physiology@plantcellphysiol.bsky.social · 2mo agoHairy link... Gouran et al. @bradylabs.bsky.social @plantdevo.bsky.social provide an integrated experimental framework that enables holistic analysis of broomrape parasitism, which may be applied at scale to accelerate resistance gene discovery in #tomato & other hosts 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/pcp/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Programmable design of synthetic plant immune receptors for pathogen protein recognition
The limited diversity and recognition scope of natural plant immune receptors impede resistance breeding against rapidly evolving pathogens. Here we report programmable design of synthetic plant immun...
science.org
A #MustRead by @thevirusmc.bsky.social on #autophagy & #viruses Going viral – Plant selective autophagy swiping left and right on viral infections www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Going viral – Plant selective autophagy swiping left and right on viral infections
Selective autophagy has emerged as a central interface in plant–virus interactions, acting at once as an antiviral defense, a proviral vulnerability, …
sciencedirect.com
Excited to preprint this collaborative study led by @adamrbentham.bsky.social in which computationally-designed protein binders were generated that recognise pathogen effectors leading to a plant immune response when deployed within NLR immune receptors. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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...
biorxiv.org
Job alert 🚨 Two (!!) postdoc positions in plant-virus interactions at University of Amsterdam! werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies...
Cat's Plant Shenanigans
ALT: Cat's Plant Shenanigans
static.klipy.com
🍅🌱 RESEARCH 🌱🍅 The tomato drought-induced DREB transcription factor TINY1 suppressed embryonic and early seedling growth by inhibiting gibberellin activity, but it had no significant effect on drought response mechanisms - Azriel et al. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... #PlantScience 🧪
“move from preprint to peer-reviewed publication leaves the central claims of most abstracts intact, indicating preprints are a reliable source…papers that were never posted as preprints were retracted at roughly twice the rate of those that were…” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Tracking claim changes from preprint to publication across 72,644 biomedical studies using large language models
Preprints now disseminate a large share of biomedical research before peer review. Because they have not yet passed peer review, some scientists regard preprint claims as unverified or potentially unr...
biorxiv.org
Surface immune signaling unlocks NLR activation through mRNA alternative splicing www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Surface immune signaling unlocks NLR activation through mRNA alternative splicing
Plants activate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) to combat pathogens. However, how these systems coordinate immune activation while preventing autoimmunity remain...
science.org
The molecular architecture of the Arabidopsis callose synthase complex https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.05.722910v1
@zeineradam.bsky.social et al. proposed CYSTEINE-RICH RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE2 as negative regulator of CALS1 and CALS3 regulating source to sink transport, which impacts plant growth and development. @charlesmelnyk.bsky.social @rople.bsky.social @mwrzaczek.bsky.social #CSEBR
CYSTEINE-RICH RLK2 regulates development via callose synthase-dependent symplastic transport in Arabidopsis
Abstract. CYSTEINE-RICH RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASEs (CRKs) play an important role in plant development and stress responses. One of the best described me
doi.org
🌱🧬Geminiviruses use multifunctional proteins to hijack host defenses & create a permissive environment. Plants counter with RNA silencing & hypersensitive response Engineering new resistance strategies is key to win the race #plantsci @annualreviews.bsky.social www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Geminivirus-Induced Reprogramming of Plant Defense Mechanisms: Molecular Insights and Research Frontiers
Geminiviruses employ multifunctional protein ammunition to evade robust plant defense pathways. Key viral proteins effectively manipulate host signaling mechanisms to create a permissive environment f...
annualreviews.org
Targeted DNA insertion remains a major bottleneck in plant engineering. We developed an avian R2 retrotransposon as an efficient plant genome editor to precisely insert large DNA payloads at targeted sites: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Congratulations to @kimuchenje03.bsky.social and the team! 🧵👇
How do pathogens disarm plant immunity? We discovered a widespread strategy used by plant bacterial pathogens: they directly cleave a conserved immune signaling molecule produced by plant immune receptors. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Second face: AVRcap1b blocks the stepwise assembly of a helper NLR resistosome. Same effector, different trick. Very sneaky potato blight business. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A plant pathogen effector blocks stepwise assembly of a helper NLR resistosome
An RXLR-LWY effector from Phytophthora infestans interferes with helper NLR resistosome assembly to suppress plant immunity.
science.org
Molecular mimicry of a pathogen virulence target by a plant immune receptor | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Molecular mimicry of a pathogen virulence target by a plant immune receptor
Plants and animals respond to pathogen attack by mounting innate immune responses that require intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins. These immune receptors detect pathog...
science.org
Making Connections...🖇️ Koh Aoki & Ayako Tsushima offer a compelling insight into interspecific secondary #plasmodesmata and their importance in establishing symplastic connections between #ParasiticPlants and their hosts #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1093/pcp/... #PlantScience
Interspecific secondary plasmodesmata at the parasitic interface
Abstract. Obligate parasitic plants often establish symplastic connections with their hosts. This symplastic continuity is mediated by plasma membrane-line
doi.org
Our work is out now! (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...). We discover a selective autophagy pathway that protects plants from the mess caused by RNA viruses. Intrigued? Follow the spaghetti trail for a summary of our findings🧵-->
Selective autophagy fine-tunes plant immunity to promote cell survival during viral infection
RNA viruses co-opt host endomembranes to form replication complexes, often triggering cellular stress and immune responses. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana activates selective autophagy to res...
science.org
📢 Inviting submissions for the MPMI Focus Issue on Plant Receptors and Signaling in Plant-Microbe Interactions! Research & reviews across all areas of immune receptor biology. If you have an idea, please reach out (via link below). Pls repost 🔗 apsjournals.apsnet.org/mpmireceptors
Plant Immune Receptors in the Spotlight
apsjournals.apsnet.org
🌱🧬 Root phloem defects stay in the root. But those defective roots send feedback that restricts shoot growth too. Sink phloem integrity shapes source activity. A systemic loop that controls whole plant growth. #plantscience @jxbotany.bsky.social academic.oup.com/jxb/article/...
Grafting reveals organ-autonomous and feedback roles of root phloem development in source–sink dynamics
Proper root phloem differentiation is essential for carbon partitioning and systemic growth coordination. Even mild root phloem defects impair root and sho
academic.oup.com
It's out! 🥳 In situ architecture of #plasmodesmata - plant cytoplasmic bridges - by #cryoET. 📝 Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵 Thread: bsky.app/profile/madi... #teamtomo #proteomics #AlphaFold
In situ architecture of plasmodesmata in Physcomitrium patens resolved by cryo-electron tomography - Nature Plants
Using cryo-electron tomography, the authors reveal how plasmodesmata (plant cytoplasmic bridges) are gated by cell wall remodelling and how helical protein assemblies scaffold internal membranes, with...
nature.com
Marcel Dickmanns | 🌿❄️🔬@madic.bsky.social · last yr.New preprint: In situ Architecture of #Plasmodesmata. Using #cryoET, #AlphaFold & proteomics, we uncover the native organization of plant intercellular nanopores. 🔗 doi.org/10.1101/2025... 🧪🧵1/n #teamtomo #PlantScience #Physcomitrium #Arabidopsis #cryoEM
Plasmodesmal closure triggers stress responses! Turns out cells are generally better off with connections to their neighbours. This manuscript represents a decade-long team collaboration, with heroic effort from Estee Tee to lead it over the line! #PlantScience link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Plasmodesmal closure elicits stress responses - EMBO Reports
Plant cells are connected to their neighbors via plasmodesmata facilitating the exchange of nutrients and signaling molecules. During immune responses, plasmodesmata close, but how this contributes to...
link.springer.com
A helper NLR channels organellar calcium to trigger plant immunity | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A helper NLR channels organellar calcium to trigger plant immunity
Upon activation, plant nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors are known to assemble into oligomeric resistosomes that insert into the plasma membrane, forming calcium (Ca2+)–per...
science.org
🌱 From The Plant Cell: Identifying an aberrant RNA trigger reveals why some engineered genes shut down, guiding design of more stable traits in crops. (Richard Michelmore , Blake C Meyers) ▶️ academic.oup.com/plcell/artic... #PlantScience #PlantBiology
Identification of a cleaved aberrant RNA associated with the initiation of transgene silencing
Target capture enriched long-read RNA-sequencing uncovers a cleaved aberrant RNA from a ribosome stalling event that is associated with transgene silencing
academic.oup.com
🌱🧩 RESEARCH 🧩🌱 The BIRD protein NUTCRACKER is a component of the core regulatory network that controls the stem cell niche and cell division the rice root meristem - Kirschner et al. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... #PlantScience 🧪
