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Jaap-Jan Willig

@jaapjanwillig.bsky.social

178 followers 334 following 6 posts

PostDoc at Nematology and Agrosystems Research Wageningen UR. Interested in nematodes, tolerance, resilience, root plasticity, damage-perception.

Posts Replies Media

Jaap-Jan Willig @jaapjanwillig.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Bottom line: #plant #tolerance to #nematodes is not simply sedentary vs. migratory. Each interaction triggers specific stress coping strategies. Lots to unpack for breeding!

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Jaap-Jan Willig @jaapjanwillig.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

And M. incognita? No extra roots either. Instead, we propose #gall formation itself may act as a tolerance mechanism — maintaining vascular connectivity around feeding sites.

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Jaap-Jan Willig @jaapjanwillig.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Key finding: #adventitious lateral root formation only occurs with cyst nematodes. P. penetrans causes similar tissue damage but does NOT trigger extra root branching. So it's not about damage — it's about WHERE nematodes feed.

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Jaap-Jan Willig @jaapjanwillig.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

We compared P. #penetrans (migratory, destroys cortex tissue), H. #schachtii (cyst nematode, feeds from vasculature), and M. #incognita (root-knot nematode, feeds near root tip). Same host, very different stress — very different plant responses.

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Jaap-Jan Willig @jaapjanwillig.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

🧵New preprint alert! How do #plants cope with fundamentally different types of belowground attack? We challenged #Arabidopsis with three #nematode species — one migratory, two sedentary — and the answers surprised us. t.co/yYvOcB2sVU

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Jaap-Jan Willig @jaapjanwillig.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

New paper out! 🌱 Plant defence isn’t a free upgrade. We show phloem proteins can boost resistance to one attacker but increase susceptibility to another (incl. cyst nematodes). Great collaboration 🙌 🔗 sciencedirect.com/science/articl… #plantscience #nematology

sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Jaap-Jan Willig

bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Stationary phloem proteins and their effects on viruses, aphids, and cyst nematodes in Arabidopsis www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202…

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Reposted by Jaap-Jan Willig

Young Nematologists Network @youngnemas.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

We are excited to announce our next Trends in Nematology Webinar on Nematode Genomics and Effectoromics! When: 18th September, 2025 Time: 16:00-17:15 CEST How can I join: Register using the QR code below 🪱 Looking forward to seeing you there!

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Reposted by Jaap-Jan Willig

Elly Lewerissa @ellylewerissa.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Thrilled to share our preprint on how CHD2 dosage controls the autolysosomal pathway ♻️, shaping the neurodevelopmental pace 🧠 that sets us 👩🏽‍🔬 apart from our extinct relatives and great apes🐒: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... See 🧵below:

biorxiv.org

CHD2 Dosage Ties Autolysosomal Pathway to Cortical Maturation in Disease and Evolution

The relatively slow pace of cortical development in humans has long been a topic of investigation. Studies seeking to understand the underlying mechanisms have mostly focused on neurogenetic compariso...

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Reposted by Jaap-Jan Willig

Nael Nadif Kasri @naelnadifkasri-lab.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Super excited to share this study.

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Reposted by Jaap-Jan Willig

Cedric Boeckx @cedricboeckx.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

New preprint 📣! Excited to share the result of several years of work, led by @ellylewerissa.bsky.social & @olivieroleonardi.bsky.social, in collaboration with friends @naelnadifkasri-lab.bsky.social & Giuseppe Testa. On CHD2, a chromatin remodeller, its role in evolution & development [🧵] 🧪🧠🧫🧬

Day 50 cortical organoid stained for KI67 (red), MAP2 (magenta), Hoechst (cyan); image credit: Oliviero Leonardi

DIV 28 iNeuron. Homer1 in green and Synapsin1 in purple showing co-localization of post- and pre-synapses, respectively; image credit: Elly Lewerissa

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