Reposted by Kai HeimelNationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina @leopoldina.org · 03/09/2026🦠 Die Leopoldina ehrt Mikrobiologin Regine Kahmann für ihr Lebenswerk mit der Cothenius-Medaille. Herzlichen Glückwunsch! ✨ 13914
Reposted by Kai HeimelRobert Arkowitz @robertarkowitz.bsky.social · 01/09/2026🔬🧪🦠 An exciting opportunity to work at the interface of Fungal Cell Biology & Biophysics in Nice, FR in a collaborative project on roles of cytoplasmic crowding in fungal pathogen morphogenesis, antifungal responses and host interaction. ibv.unice.fr/news/postdoc... Please share/retweet 2713
Reposted by Kai HeimelEdward Wallace @ewjwallace.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Postdoctoral position available! Help us to understand how fungi cause disease, by bringing data-driven engineering biology and cool fluorescent protein tools into fungal pathogens. Details: ewallace.github.io/news/postdoc... Please share!ewallace.github.ioPostdoctoral position in fungal engineering biology 11117
Reposted by Kai HeimelGulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Our study on giant transposons Starship 🚀🧬 in the genome of the lichen fungus Xanthoria is now out in @pnas.org! What did we find out about Starships in #lichen fungi? 👇Updated thread below 🖥️ 🧪 🦠 🧫 #SymbioSky 1/6 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 17145
Reposted by Kai HeimelJuan Carlos De la Concepcion @delaconcepcionjc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026PLEASE SHARE! New job openings in my lab @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social. We have a broad interest into the mechanistic basis of how molecular complexes are rewired during cellular development in plants and during invasion by pathogens. 🌱🍄🔬 See details below 👇 #PlantSciJobs 274105
Reposted by Kai HeimelThorsten Langner @thorstenlangner.bsky.social · 01/07/2026‼️Job altert🚨📢 please spread the word: We're looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join our new department "Phytopathology and Plant Protection" at @unihalle.bsky.social. www.verwaltung.uni-halle.de/DEZERN3/AUSS... 35067
Reposted by Kai HeimelMichael Feldbrügge @mfeldbruegge.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Just in time for the RNA localisation conference, we uploaded a manuscript describing the link between endosomal mRNA transport and local mitochondrial activity. Great collaboration during MibiNet www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... @mibinet.bsky.social #EMBOrnaLocalization 03511
Reposted by Kai HeimelAltegoerlab @faltegoer.bsky.social · 09/06/2026As promised: We have an open 2-year postdoc position in my lab at HHU Düsseldorf, starting September 2026. Come join us and help pioneering structural biology of fungal GPCRs! More about the lab: altegoerlab.de Apply here: karriere.hhu.de/index.php?ac... Please share with interested candidates!karriere.hhu.dePostdoc (m/f/d) structural biology of fungal G-Protein coupled receptors 02625
Reposted by Kai HeimelMPI for Evolutionary Biology @mpi-evolbio.bsky.social · 27/05/2026Congratulations to Prof. Eva Stukenbrock on her appointment to the Leopoldina. Her research on fungal pathogens helps us better understand evolution and protect crops. www.evolbio.mpg.de/3882989/eva-... #EvolutionaryBiology #Leopoldina 26926
Reposted by Kai HeimelJoris Sprakel @jorissprakel.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Chemical probes + imaging can reveal spatiotemporal patterns of a wide range of physico-chemical features in plants, without the need for genetic access. We reviewed what tools exist and how they can be used & engineered. Chemistry meets plant cell biology! www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...annualreviews.orgChemical Probes for Functional Plant ImagingThe advent of spatial and quantitative biology has led to immense advances in understanding the complex inner workings of plants, down to the molecular scale. Functional imaging of live plants, which ... 02111
Reposted by Kai HeimelDaniel Lüdke @danielluedke.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Some predictions are high-confidence. These go to eleven! Huge congrats to the whole team ❤️ Such a privilege to work with you all. 12312
Reposted by Kai HeimelEva Stukenbrock @estukenbrock.bsky.social · 13/04/2026So diverse and yet conserved. Check out opinion paper by Leonhard Pachinger @leopach.bsky.social on antimicrobial effectors produced by fungal pathogens: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.comAntimicrobial effectors of plant-associated fungi: multipurpose proteins with fast-evolving surfaces and structurally conserved coresPlants are exposed to a variety of devastating pathogens, causing significant yearly yield losses. In order to facilitate infections, plant pathogens … 02317
Reposted by Kai HeimelThe EMBO Journal @embojournal.org · 10/04/2026Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes @hittingerlab.bsky.social , @linder-surprise.bsky.social et al show how distinct genetic routes can converge on the same genetic outcome link.springer.com/article/10.1... 068
Reposted by Kai HeimelNick Talbot @talbotlabtsl.bsky.social · 07/04/2026A new study from our group, led by Iris Eisermann, of the septin interactome during appressorium development, revealing many new interactors and significantly widening the biological function of septins in fungal pathogenesis. 👇 @thesainsburylab.bsky.social 03721
Reposted by Kai HeimelSlavica Janevska @slavi-jan.bsky.social · 03/04/2026📣 Check out this excellent #Postdoc opportunity @leibniz-hki.de which is part of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions #MSCA #COFUND. Consider applying to join my lab if you’re interested in opportunistic infections caused by #Fusarium (research area 5). Call ends 26 May 2026 www.fellows4fungi.eufellows4fungi.euFellows4FungiMSCA Postdoctoral Network - Leibniz-HKI 01818
Reposted by Kai HeimeleLife @elife.bsky.social · 01/04/2026A surprising observation of hundreds of nuclei in a single cell led researcher Norio Takeshita to investigate the remarkable powers of a fungus renowned across Japan. Read the latest interview from Inside Discovery: buff.ly/0i4KBTi @fungalcell.bsky.social 0128
Reposted by Kai HeimelMichael Feldbrügge @mfeldbruegge.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Breakthrough article 😊 Joint effort of teams Zarnack & König & Feldbrügge clarifies how multiple RNA-binding domains cooperate to identify functional important binding sites in vivo doi.org/10.1093/nar/... @zarnack-group.bsky.social @könig-lab.bsky.social @mibinet.bsky.social #EMBOrnaLocalizationdoi.orgDissecting the RNA-binding capacity of the multi-RRM protein Rrm4 essential for endosomal mRNA transportAbstract. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) utilize multiple RNA-binding domains (RBDs) to engage with extensive messenger RNA (mRNA) networks. Understanding the 12516
Reposted by Kai HeimelMichael Habig @michaelhabig.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Now out! We show that TEs can be horizontally transferred between fungal species via Starships. Once transferred, these TEs can become active, changing the genome organization and affecting the lifestyle of the recipient fungus. www.nature.com/articles/s41... @oggenfussursula.bsky.social #TEskynature.comTransposable elements hitchhike on Starships across fungal genomes - Nature CommunicationsLarge mobile genetic elements known as Starships act as vehicles for transferring transposable elements (TEs) between fungi. Here, Griem-Krey et al. show that these ‘hitchhiking’ TEs can drive rapid e... 09256
Reposted by Kai HeimelMAdLand @watertoland.bsky.social · 26/03/2026📣 Job opportunity: ERC-funded position as a Five-Year Postdoctoral Researcher (all genders welcome) in @jandevries.bsky.social lab in Göttingen, Germany. Find more info here: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/644546.ht... #plantsciuni-goettingen.deStellenanzeigen - Georg-August-Universität GöttingenWebseiten der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen 02123
Reposted by Kai HeimelClémence Marchal @clemmar.bsky.social · 02/03/2026There is a week left to apply for two available positions in my lab @ipbhalle.bsky.social - PhD: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/12-phd-posit... - Postdoc: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/13-postdocto... Earliest start date: 01/05/2026. We are interested in plant immune receptor biochemistry and evolution. Please share! 03639
Reposted by Kai HeimelThomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · 12/02/2026Big news from our lab: we can now stably edit the genome of a parasitic plant! Transgene-free, genome-edited P. japonicum in one generation! This will transform how we study #parasiticplants and other hard-to-transform plants. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 35721
Reposted by Kai HeimelNew Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · 10/02/2026✨ Paper spotlight ✨ (🧵 1/6) CLE peptides in plant biotic interactions nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 1119
Reposted by Kai HeimelClémence Marchal @clemmar.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Please share! We are looking for a postdoctoral scientist (2 years, extension possible) starting from 01/05/2026 at @ipbhalle.bsky.social! The project focuses on plant immune receptor biochemistry and structural biology. Deadline 09/03/2026. Apply at: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/11-postdocto...ipb-halle.mhm.jobsPostdoctoral position in biology (m/f/d) (2/2026)Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (Halle) offers a Postdoctoral position in Biology 04856
Reposted by Kai HeimelThomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · 22/01/2026New #preprint from the lab: When one plant parasitizes another, the impact goes beyond nutrient loss. We show that parasitism weakens the host plant’s immunity, leaving it highly susceptible to microbial infections. Find out why: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #PlantImmunity #ParasiticPlantsbiorxiv.org 0106
Reposted by Kai HeimelVAAM e.V. @vaam-microbes.bsky.social · 16/12/2025From life-saving medicine to gourmet cheese – our microbe of the year 2026 is Penicillium 🌟 This brush mold 🧫gave us penicillin & launched the antibiotic era 💊, and is a common workhorse in biotech labs🧪. And it makes your cheese delicious 🧀🐭 #VAAM #MikrobeDesJahres #MicrobeOfTheYear #Penicillium 193
Reposted by Kai Heimelscheuring-lab.bsky.social @scheuring-lab.bsky.social · 03/12/2025New preprint from our lab: Salicylic acid- induced alkalinization of the apoplast requires TMK1 and results in growth attenuation www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... Big thanks to all who contributed @guidogrossmann.bsky.social @julien-gronnier.bsky.social @kaltraxhelilaj.bsky.social 11911
Reposted by Kai HeimelMarion Perrier @marionperrier.bsky.social · 04/12/2025Anyone looking for roommates for #Fungal26 in Asilomar? I will participate and I am looking for someone to share a room for the week! I'm a female PhD student, looking to share a room with another female. Please DM me if you'd like to team up with me 😄 Reposts appreciated! 1610
Reposted by Kai Heimelirtgprotect.bsky.social @irtgprotect.bsky.social · 03/12/2025What a start to the final month of our IRTG! Congratulations to Anja Sieven from the @kaiheimel.bsky.social lab on her defence! 151
Reposted by Kai HeimelMike Csukai @mcsukai.bsky.social · 30/10/2025Want good Bioinformatics resources for Phytopathogens? Plant pathology community at @bspp.bsky.social and @britmycolsoc.org.uk please take the time to complete the Phytopathogen Genomics Resources Survey:- 🔗 zurl.co/gKjC1 Your input is important for FungiDB/@veupathdb.org & Ensembl @ebi.embl.org. 01111
Reposted by Kai HeimelJulia Frunzke @frunzkelab.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Please RT: We have an opening for a junior group leader position in „Phage Biology & Biotechnology“. www.fz-juelich.de/de/karriere/... Interested candidates are encouraged to contact me via email for further details. @spp2330.bsky.social; @mibinet.bsky.socialfz-juelich.deJunior Group Leader - Phage Biology & BiotechnologyAs a leading research institution for microbial biotechnology the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences - Biotechnology (IBG-1, https://www.fz-juelich.de/de/ibg/ibg-1 ) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich foc... 03857
Reposted by Kai HeimelVolker Lipka @volkerlipka.bsky.social · 22/09/2025We proudly present a new preprint by Leon Pierdzig et al: Wall teichoic acids, glycopolymers specific to Gram-positive bacteria, trigger defense and cell death in Arabidopsis. Cysteine-rich RLKs act as key components in their perception. doi.org/10.1101/2025... 32814
Reposted by Kai HeimelTiffany Lowe-Power stands with Minnesota @tlowepower.bsky.social · 22/09/2025Please repost -- The Univ. California Davis dept of Plant Pathology is hiring a Fungal biologist / Mycologist Applications due Dec 1 Application portal: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339 Screenshot shows part of the job posting (with alt-text of the same text) 257101
Reposted by Kai HeimelAaron Vogan @fungage-lab.bsky.social · 07/03/2025We 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... 3256136
Reposted by Kai HeimelCharissa de Bekker PhD (she/her) @zombieantdoc.bsky.social · 29/07/2025Only a couple of weeks till the @eseb2025.bsky.social conference! I’m so honored to be one of the keynote speakers, and incredibly excited about the amazing scientific program and the opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones! #eseb2025 02810
Reposted by Kai HeimelArmin Djamei @effectomics.bsky.social · 15/07/2025#2025ISMPMI Corinna Thurow reveals their exiting findings that transdifferentiation induced by Verticillium dahliae is achieved by the TRADE effector targeting Varicose host scaffold protein. 013
Reposted by Kai HeimelMorgan Carter @morgancarterphd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025Corinna Thurow is the last talk today before the free afternoon. Verticillium effector (TRADE) interacts with host varicose protein (VCS). Used a forward screen to figure out insensitive mutants and identified a WIND1 transcription factor. #2025ISMPMI 154
Kai Heimel @kaiheimel.bsky.social · 16/05/2025Wonderful new story from our friends and collaborators @UBC Vancouver @ubcbotany.bsky.social @irtgprotect.bsky.social, bringing unanticipated insights into the biology of highly researched fungal pathogens (Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgDistribution of haploid chromosomes into separate nuclei in two pathogenic fungiNuclei define eukaryotes, enabling macromolecular compartmentalization and cellular regulation. Each nucleus is believed to contain one or more haploid sets of chromosomes (1N). However, we discovered... 170
Reposted by Kai HeimelRita Strack @ritastrack.bsky.social · 01/05/2025I had some absolutely incredible papers come online this week, and I need to take a minute to post about each of them. First, let me tell you about the CarboTag probes for imaging plant cell walls! From the Sprakel lab (a short thread) www.nature.com/articles/s41... 310623
Reposted by Kai HeimelEva Stukenbrock @estukenbrock.bsky.social · 11/04/2025New post doc opportunity in our team at Kiel University in the north of Germany. We are looking for a motivated molecular biologists to unravel plant-microbe interactions in grasses. Please see: www.uni-kiel.de/personal/de/... More to our research and group here: www.environmental-genomics.deuni-kiel.deAktuelle AusschreibungenAktuelle Ausschreibungen 03740
Reposted by Kai HeimelThomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · 18/03/2025Please check out our Commentary on the recent PNAS paper from the @charlesmelnyk.bsky.social lab about systemic signals in Phtheirospermum japonicum: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgPNASProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans... 152
Reposted by Kai HeimelNick Talbot @talbotlabtsl.bsky.social · 05/03/2025Michael Feldbrugge introducing Rrm4-endosome-mediated transport of mRNA for spatial regulation of translation, vital for morphogenetic proteins such as septins for deployment in specific sub-cellular domains #ECFG17 0102
Reposted by Kai HeimelGulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 04/03/2025Next, @kaiheimel.bsky.social on pathogenicity of Ustilago. MAT-locus signalling and the pheromone pathway is involved in orchestrating appressoria formation and effector production. Very cool! #ecfg17 141
Reposted by Kai HeimelEduardo Eyras @edueyras.bsky.social · 02/03/2025Great opportunity! PhD position in @mfeldbruegge.bsky.social lab #PhD #RNA 155
Reposted by Kai HeimelMichael Feldbrügge @mfeldbruegge.bsky.social · 01/03/2025Why do RBPs need multiple RNA-binding domains? We show transcriptome-wide that the endosomal mRNA transporter Rrm4 uses its three RRMs to differentiate functional binding sites from accessory ones. Great collaboration with @koenig-lab.bsky.social and Zarnack lab www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...biorxiv.orgDissecting the RNA binding capacity of the multi-RRM protein Rrm4 essential for endosomal mRNA transportRNA-binding proteins (RBPs) utilize multiple RNA-binding domains (RBDs) to engage with extensive mRNA networks. Understanding the intricate interplay of modular RBDs is essential for uncovering RBP fu... 01810
Reposted by Kai HeimelMichael Feldbrügge @mfeldbruegge.bsky.social · 28/02/2025Hello Bluesky Community, I am new to bluesky and trying out my first steps. Looking forward for nice interactions 5263
Reposted by Kai HeimelCharissa de Bekker PhD (she/her) @zombieantdoc.bsky.social · 26/02/2025Such a great opportunity to present our research at #CMINorwich2025 in front of a room filled with microbiologists with such diverse and exciting research interests. 0143
Reposted by Kai HeimelJulia Frunzke @frunzkelab.bsky.social · 10/02/2025Very excited to be part of this great work spearheaded by Nick Wierckx and his team @fz-juelich.de, @hhu.de enabling microbial upcycling of nylon published in Nature Microbiology! www.nature.com/articles/s41... @mibinet.bsky.social 1188
Reposted by Kai HeimelUni Göttingen @uni-goettingen.de · 05/02/2025Unser Senat hat sich heute dafür ausgesprochen, dass Axel Schölmerich übergangsweise mit der Wahrnehmung der Aufgaben eines Präsidenten beauftragt werden soll. Der ehemalige Rektor der @ruhr-uni-bochum.de war in verschiedenen Rollen in der akademischen Selbstverwaltung tätig. Mehr: s.gwdg.de/ZnoURD 051
Reposted by Kai HeimelSonja Billerbeck @billerbecks.bsky.social · 03/02/2025In the original article, we explored how #KillerYeast protect themselves from self-intoxication. For the ionophore toxin #K2, Rianne found that its immunity is encoded within its secretion signal peptide. doi.org/10.1016/j.celr… 131
Reposted by Kai Heimelscheuring-lab.bsky.social @scheuring-lab.bsky.social · 31/01/2025Had a great trip to @irtgprotect.bsky.social Göttingen. Heard about exciting science and was amazed by the amount of plant pathologists there! Thanks Daniela Nordzieke for the invitation and @volkerlipka.bsky.social @kaiheimel.bsky.social @thomas-spallek.bsky.social @ifeussner.bsky.social 051