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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

🍀We have an open phd position in our new Plant-PATH center. You will be doing biophysics and structural biology on plant hormone transporters in a great and international team.🌟 See details below👇👇

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

9/ Together with our recent work on PIN-based cellular EXPORT of herbicides (www.nature.com/articles/s41...), we now have a much improved understanding of how these molecules are distributed in plant tissues. A new next step towards more sustainable agriculture.

nature.com

Transport of phenoxyacetic acid herbicides by PIN-FORMED auxin transporters - Nature Plants

PIN transporters are key players in distributing phenoxyacetic acid herbicides. Mutagenesis and cryo-EM structures elucidate substrate specificity and transport mechanisms, paving the way for improved...

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

8/ We also show that AUX/LAX proteins transport auxin-like herbicides. These compounds account for 20% of worldwide herbicide usage in agriculture🌽🌾🍞.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

7/ After that we worked tirelessly to get all the data needed to support this initial structural breakthrough. LAX3 turns out to be a very high affinity importer with a Km in the nanomolar range, as compared to the PIN exporters that have a Km in the micromolar range.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

6/ AND this is also a cautionary tale to follow-up on experiments. Running 100's of processing jobs🖥️ we missed the solution. It was sitting on the cluster for ~2 months unnoticed before a routine check by Lam before deleting old jobs caught the solution. This was around Xmas 2023🎄. A perfect gift🎁.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

5/ Notably LAX3 is a monomeric 47 kDa membrane protein totally embedded in detergent micelles on the EM grids, and Lam managed, by very careful computational analysis🤖 to extract high resolution structures from this, pushing our ability to solve structures of small membrane proteins using cryo-EM.🤯

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

4/ LAX3 and AUX/LAX proteins belong to the APC super family (think LeuT-fold for you structure aficionados out there🤓). We managed to get 4 structures in 3 different conformational states with 3 different substrates and inhibitors.😅🤩

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

3/ PAT is defined by cellular export🔼 by the PIN family, and by cellular auxin IMPORT⏬ by the AUX/LAX family. This paper target how AUX/LAX proteins recognize auxin and drive import. We use the protein LAX3 for this purpose, central for development of lateral roots (nutrients and water).

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

2/ Auxin is the central growth regulating hormone in plants. We have over the years worked on the molecular foundation of “Polar Auxin Transport”. PAT is a central mechanism for auxin distribution in vascular plants. Key to regulate growth in response to environmental and developmental cues🌱☀️🌧️.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

1/ A real tour de force by ⭐@unglam.bsky.social (now starting a group at IPBS-Toulouse) with a lot of support from a whole range of people from our newly started DNRF Center of Excellence Plant-PATH (plant-path.au.dk). Especially our close collaborator and center partner @uhammes.bsky.social.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Best thing is to come back from ⛰️vacation☀️ to find a manuscript has metamorphosed into a published paper, so.. 🚀 Check out our paper on hormone import⏬ into plant cells in @natplants.nature.com 🌱👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Plantae.org @plantaeofficial.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Plant Science Research Weekly -- PIN auxin transporters facilitate polar transport of synthetic phenoxyacetic acid herbicides (Nature Plants) @lukas-schulz.bsky.social‬ @uhammes.bsky.social‬ @bjornppedersen.bsky.social‬ (Summary by Jerry González Cantoral @phytojerry.bsky.social)

buff.ly

PIN auxin transporters facilitate polar transport of synthetic phenoxyacetic acid herbicides | Plantae

Synthetic herbicides are widely used in agriculture to control weeds, often by targeting the physiological pathways regulated by auxins, plant hormones that induce root growth and development.

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Naomi Pollock @naomilpollock.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

A beautiful time of year to visit Denmark, and always a pleasure to be at @au.dk looking very closely at proteins in the Physics Dept basement, and meeting @bjornppedersen.bsky.social and his group.

View over central Aarhus from a rooftop garden.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Just had our 2025 Lab Retreat 🥳. Great science🌱 and interactions 🐛🐝 at Aarhus Harbour🏊‍♀️🛥️ in the nice weather🌞.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

6/ 🔬We now understand more about sugar transport and Sugar Transport Proteins, and the results are a next step towards improved pathogen resistance🐛🐜 and energy utilization in agriculture.🌱🌽🌾

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

5/ Ultimately we show that we can swap the affinity of fructose and glucose by moving a single methyl group!🤓 This highlights that very minute structural differences that manifest during transport are sufficient to modify transport selectivity.🤯

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

4/ 👀 relevant for transporter aficionados, we have tested 3 different methodologies to derive apparent affinities (Km) and show that biophysical parameters are highly dependent on protein environment and methodology.. If you compare transport between protein isoforms and methodologies ⚠️BEWARE⚠️

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

3/ this is relevant because the main sugar derived from photosynthesis is sucrose🍭 which is equal parts glucose🍬 and fructose 🍡.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

2/ 🍬 bite-sized breakdown: 🧑‍🔬 We looked into the mechanics of sugar transport proteins STP6 and STP10. Turns out that despite having a virtually identical binding site, STP6 can transport fructose and glucose, while STP10 remain highly selective for glucose.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

1/ 💎💎💎💎 💎💎💎💎 sitting drop membrane protein CRYSTALS 💓 Look at that packing..💖

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

🚀 Check out our latest paper on the selectivity of sugar transport in plants👇 Amazing work initiated by ⭐Laust Bavnhøj and spearheaded by 💫Camilla Andersen: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Also 💎💎💎💎 CRYSTALS💎💎💎💎

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Arne Möller @arnemoeller.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Dear all, I am very excited about the upcoming 842 WE-Heraeus-Seminar #Cryo-EM on the Move. @djanuliene.bsky.social and I are looking forward to a great conference with many exciting speakers!

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Dear al, check out our latest paper with @uhammes.bsky.social . A great collaborative effort by Lukas and Lam!!

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

detergent/lipid/protein samples sometimes give us circular crystals. Generally worse than 20 Å diffraction, and impossible to optimize. normally 6-fold symmetry in the diffraction pattern.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

DLS safety training. At least I'll get this one right..😂

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

⭐8 days left to apply for 👇 postdoc position ⭐ and join an international group of great people😊

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Congratulations to @iriskalen.bsky.social. It was a great defense!⭐ A pleasure to participate.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Another 👇opening for a postdoc🚨. Focus: Structural biology, membrane proteins, biophysics, sugar and hormone transport in plants☘️🔬👩‍🔬🧪 We are recruiting: - Deadline 28. Feb 2025. - 2(+2) year position. - Details and application link: tinyurl.com/yc43bhzs - PM for questions Please repost 💚

tinyurl.com

Postdoctoral position in biophysical and structural characterization of sugar and hormone transport, Denmark - Vacancy at Aarhus University

Vacancy at Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics - Protein Science, Aarhus University

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

A great but also sad day.😁 Kien Lam Ung; My ⭐️amazing ⭐️postdoc for the last 4 years, now starting up his own research group in Toulouse. I am sure they will do very well. ⭐️🏅 Best of Luck.💜

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Magnus Kjærgaard @proteinmagnus.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

PhD opportunities (yes, plural!) We will launch a center of excellence “Plat-PATH” with @bjornppedersen.bsky.social this summer. We have an opening for some PhD students to work on plant hormone transporter mechanism. - Details and application link: tinyurl.com/44hf9zkd Please repost 💚

tinyurl.com

Structural and biophysical analysis of plant hormone transmembrane transport

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Interested in membrane proteins, biophysics, structures and hormone transport in plants?☘️🔬👩‍🔬🧪 Our new Plant-PATH center is launching soon, and we are looking for 1-2 PhD students to join from day 1.⭐ - Deadline 1. Feb 2025. - Details and application link: tinyurl.com/44hf9zkd Please repost 💚

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Welp.. I guess that's it then😂. I'll be back in the office Jan 6th.🎄

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Bluetorial: Light and Life: The incredible life of Lubert Stryer I described my involvement with Lubert Stryer and how it led to one of the great opportunities of my life, taking over his textbook. Today, I detail his truly incredible life story.

media.tenor.com

a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on

ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Four days left for our open position for a postdoc in beautiful Aarhus/Denmark👇👇. If you are interested in structural biology and membrane protein transport⭐ I hope you apply. A fantastic group. Here seen in the wild at our last lab retreat😊😊

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Interested in structural biology, membrane proteins, biophysics and working onto understand hormone transport in plants?☘️🔬👩‍🔬🧪 We are recruiting a postdoc: - Deadline 20. Dec 2024. - 2(+2) year position. - Details and application link: tinyurl.com/y7vnewen - PM for questions Please repost 💚

tinyurl.com

Postdoctoral position in biophysical and structural characterization of auxin transport, Aarhus University, Denmark - Vacancy at Aarhus University

Vacancy at Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics - Protein Science, Aarhus University

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Great news🥳. We just got a 1-year SARU fellowship to support a postdoc in the group. 🙏Thanks to Scholars at Risk - Denmark Section.🇩🇰🇺🇦 the SARU fellowship is also supported by Novo Nordisk Fonden, Villum Fonden, and @carlsbergfondet.dk

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Magnus Kjærgaard @proteinmagnus.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Do you need a starting pack of researcher working on intrinsically disordered proteins? Well, you might head over to @idpseminars.bsky.social and hit followers. Tw***** was important for the birth of IDPseminars and for spreading the word. It would be cool to re-kindle that community here.

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

tinyurl.com

Postdoctoral position in biophysical and structural characterization of auxin transport, Aarhus University, Denmark - Vacancy at Aarhus University

Vacancy at Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics - Protein Science, Aarhus University

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research, the Carlsberg foundation, the ERC and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. 💰 8/

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

We find that both NPC2 and the NTD interact with a wide range of structurally diverse lipids. Supporting that, besides sterols, the yeast NPC system seems capable of trafficking various lipids to the limiting membrane of vacuoles. 😍🤓 7/

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

And we use biophysical methods to determine the affinity of binding. A non-trivial task given the extremely hydrophobic nature of the substrates. 🤬 6/

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

We show that the NTD has specificity of a range of lipids and sterols that overlap with NCR2. 5/

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

We solve crystal structures🔮 of the N-terminal Domain (NTD) of NCR1 in complex with different substrates. This is the domain that recognizes substrates, delivered by the protein NPC2, and 'load' the membrane protein for lipid/sterol integration. 4/

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Bjørn Panyella Pedersen @bjornppedersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

It's about lipids, and sterols, and the vacuolar/lysosomal protein Niemann-Pick Type C protein, that integrates sterols into the limiting membrane. Key for sterol homeostasis in all eukaryotic cells, plants☘️, fungi🍄 and animals🐱 alike. 3/

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