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Michael Hothorn

@structplantbio.bsky.social
564 followers 466 following 151 posts

Structural biologist interested in all things green. Professor at University of Geneva, Switzerland. web.structplantbio.org

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Reposted by Michael Hothorn
Greg Vert @plantubiquitin.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Synthetic FLS2 receptor oligomer boosts plant innate immunity | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Synthetic FLS2 receptor oligomer boosts plant innate immunity
The gradual assembly and oligomerization of cell surface receptors are critical for regulating immune activation and turnover. Yet, how dynamic, spatiotemporally regulated assembly enables rapid and s...
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fbm-unil.bsky.social @fbm-unil.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🌿 Another recent article by @cellsensing.bsky.social @fbm-unil.bsky.social @unil.bsky.social published in @natplants.nature.com 👏 👏 👏 Congratulations to all the authors 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A disulfide bond sculpts the CTNIP4 phytocytokine fold for recognition by the receptor kinase HSL3 - Nature Plants
A disulfide bond sculpts a plant signalling peptide into a unique shape that enables selective receptor recognition and activation, revealing an unexpected mechanism by which plants achieve highly spe...
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Codfather #FBPE 🇫🇷🇪🇺 @codfather.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs share.google/jDB1yRhA3xuN...
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MadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is it. This is what everyone is enabling by humoring genAI: you spend months writing something that took you years to get at, for an opaque algorithm that a few control to spit a number and cut you off right there and then. This is what we're up against 🧪
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Noel Blanco-Touriñán @noelponte.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🧵 1/8 Have you ever wondered how information embedded within exons regulates gene expression in plants? 🌱🧬 Check out our latest work, where we explore how exonic enhancers (EEs) shape gene expression in plants! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Ulrich Hammes @uhammes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We’re looking for a new colleague in Würzburg! 🌱 W3 Professorship in Plant Metabolism 💊 Chair of Pharmaceutical Biology 🧪 Head of the Metabolomics Core Unit jobs.zeit.de/jobs/univers... Please spread the word! Questions? Feel free to contact me. www.biologie.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/about-the...
biologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
W3_Pflanzenmetabolismus - FACULTY OF BIOLOGY
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Dolf Weijers @dolfweijers.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... If you thought plant gene refulauwas simple… Cool work from Christian Hardtke, Noel Blanco and teams on exonic enhancers!
biorxiv.org
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Congratulations Martin!!!
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Martin Pacesa @martinpacesa.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
ʙɪɴᴅᴄʀᴀꜰᴛ2 is out, and we're not waiting for the paper. The full code drops today, free for academic and industry use. We're releasing it early so you can start designing right now, and bring its full power to the current Adaptyv competition. github.com/PacesaLab/Bi...
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Pedro Beltrao @pedrobeltrao.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Anthropic has used Claude to optimise structure prediction and design code to improve speed and memory efficiency. 2-3X speed improvements on AF3, 5X on OF3, 5X on BindCraft low memory modes to model large assemblies. All released as open source www.anthropic.com/research/cla...
anthropic.com
How Claude is uplifting biomolecular modeling
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
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paveltomancak.bsky.social @paveltomancak.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
21627 applications. Nothing to celebrate here. Impossible to evaluate fairly & safely. Neither the science (too diverse & possibly LLM generated) nor the soft criteria (likely LLM generated). Without an interview stage - a security risk! marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/whats-new/ne...
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 receives record number of applications
The 2026 call has attracted considerable interest from the research community with 21,627 applications submitted.
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
There is "thinking outside the box", and then there is "thinking outside the boxer". Nice work from @agroscope.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
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Nature Plants @natplants.nature.com · 18/09/2026
"How SCREW finds its NUT" rdcu.be/k8vBj18vix9a A News & Views on 3 complementary structural studies published together about SCREW/CTNIP–NUT/HSL3 signalling: rdcu.be/AY11kgcFgTia rdcu.be/S6g7YM6WPjTa rdcu.be/16bsh4fYzpna
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A PPNT-motif containing effector inactivates BIN2, with interesting phenotypic consequences. Nice study by @effectomics.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
A fungal effector hijacks conserved plant GSK3-like kinases to reprogram host cell identity
Stable developmental programs normally resist reprogramming, yet pathogens can override these constraints to induce profound tissue and cellular remodeling. How microbial pathogens access conserved de...
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Danve Castroverde @danvec.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Transcriptional activation of plant immunity by salicylic acid www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Transcriptional activation of plant immunity by salicylic acid - Nature
A mechanistic basis for how the hormone salicylic acid promotes transcriptional activation during plant immune responses is described.
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Milot Mirdita @milot.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
ColabFold 1.6.3 is out! 2.5x faster, pip-installable, ipSAE+pDockQ2 scores. Thanks Choonghwan Lee, Marielle Russo, Gyuri Kim 🐍pip install colabfold[alphafold] CF2 Sneak Peak with AF3/Boltz/Protenix/ESMFold2… 🐍pip install "colabfold[alphafold3]@git+https://github.com/sokrypton/ColabFold@af3-preview"
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Janani Durairaj (Jay) @ninjani.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The PhD and Postdoc application links are now live! Come join me at UNIL to work on deep learning for protein structure, interactions & design. pickybinders.org#open-positions
career5.successfactors.eu
Career Opportunities: PhD student position in deep learning for enzyme structure & catalysis (22980)
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Very nice PPRM2026 ( Plant Peptide Receptor Meeting) closes in Freising. Organised by @julien-gronnier.bsky.social , @isabelmonte.bsky.social and @kpkinase.bsky.social
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Roman Ulm @romanulm.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A redox-regulated RCC1-like protein controls catalase activity in Arabidopsis 🌱 by Zhoubo Hu et al. @zhoubo1234.bsky.social, @biology-unige.bsky.social - published final version now available, open access @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41... rdcu.be/fQjnjegEfrua
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Structural Biology @actacrystd.iucr.org · 15/09/2026
The LRR crystallization screen described here enabled structure determination of the Arabidopsis receptor kinase SRF6 ectodomain #CrystallizationScreens #LeucineRichRepeats #Ectodomains doi.org/10.1107/S205...
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Ora Hazak @hazaklab.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
PPRM2026 ( Plant Peptide Receptor Meeting) starts tomorrow : this time in Freising, Germany 🇩🇪 with an excellent scientific program! Looking forward!
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Nature Plants @natplants.nature.com · 14/09/2026
At Peptide Receptor Meeting #PPRM2026. A theme that came back twice is re-evaluation of old published results. We know about ABP1 and the systemin receptor, but there were two other examples today: WAK1 perception of OGs, and BSU1 Tyr dephosphorylation of BIN2 in BR signalling. #PlantScience
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Mariana Schuster @marischuster.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Next on @structplantbio.bsky.social invites us to re think brassinosteroid signaling #PPRM2026
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Nice work by @cellsensing.bsky.social Glycan recognition by a plant damage-sensing immune receptor www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Glycan recognition by a plant damage-sensing immune receptor
Pathogens target and degrade the extracellular matrix surrounding plant cells. A central question is how cell wall-derived damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are recognized and integrated to...
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Very interesting perspective piece from @christianhardtke.bsky.social on plant cell axis formation and on a time period when basic research was not consumed with plastic forks and spoons. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
A genetic access to plant cell axis formation - Planta
Planta -
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
If you're looking for a REALLY active protein kinase, they found one. Crazy stuff www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Pervasive phosphorylation by phage T7 kinase disarms bacterial defences - Nature
The T7 bacteriophage deactivates bacterial defence systems through T7K phosphorylation of nearly all host and phage proteins during infection.
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Alex Guseman @alexguseman.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Come be my colleague! We are hiring a structural biologist. I have thoroughly enjoyed starting my career here and both department(s) are full of exceptional scientists. apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04589
apol-recruit.ucsd.edu
Assistant Professor in Structural Biochemistry
University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!
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Roman Ulm @romanulm.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
A redox-regulated RCC1-like protein controls catalase activity in Arabidopsis 🌱 - accepted manuscript by Zhoubo Hu @zhoubo1234.bsky.social et al now online @natcomms.nature.com, with @vanbreusegemlab.bsky.social @amnamhamdi.bsky.social @grandpahiro.bsky.social @sara-stolze.bsky.social
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Basler Lab @basler-lab.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Interested in the Function and Regulation of #T6SS? Do you have relevant experience from your Master's project? Apply to this PhD position in our lab: www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/open-positio...
biozentrum.unibas.ch
PhD Student – Function and Regulation of Type 6 Secretion System
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
A major advice I try to pass on: science is only worth it if you can delight in the discoveries of others. It’s great to make your own discoveries but they are too few to sustain you over the long haul.
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Structural Biology @actacrystd.iucr.org · 06/08/2026
August issue is out! journals.iucr.org/d/issues/202... The cover highlights SURFER, a lightweight GPU-accelerated extension for UCSF ChimeraX that enables rapid semantic differentiation of membrane or membrane-mimic density from macromolecular signal in cryo-EM maps. More at doi.org/10.1107/S205...
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Thorsten Langner @thorstenlangner.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
🚨safe the date🚨 our SNP2Prot SFB @snp2prot.bsky.social @unihalle.bsky.social will host an international conference next summer (June 21st-23rd 2027) with a fantastic line-up of international experts. Registration opens October 17th.
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Nitzan Shabek @shabeklab.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
check out our latest review. Beyond prediction: Why experimental structural biology remains essential in plants. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Beyond prediction: Why experimental structural biology remains essential in plants
Structural biology is undergoing a transformative era driven by advances in artificial intelligence (AI)-based protein structure prediction and cryo-e…
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It seems to me that the focus of this study is on drivers rather than pedestrians?
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Out in @natplants.nature.com, mapping of brassinosteroid chemical features required for (1) receptor binding, (2) ligand positioning and (3) co-receptor recruitment. Fantastic work by Alberto Caregnato & @hmchen93.bsky.social and our friends in Olomouc. Funding:@snf-fns.ch -> doi.org/10.1038/s414...
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cryoEM papers @cryoempapers.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Privateer for UCSF ChimeraX: Carbohydrate structure validation and visualization pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42427255/ #cryoEM
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Gabriel Schaaf @gabrielschaaf.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Please share! 🌱🤖 Permanent W2 Professorship in crop & plant sciences @ PhenoRob, University of Bonn. Especially encouraged: crop genome engineering, sustainable pest control, or sustainable disease control. Expertise in one area is enough. Apply by Sept. 30, 2026. www.uni-bonn.de/en/universit...
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Sadaf Shadan @sshadan.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Nature Communications is looking for a plant biology editor: springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/SpringerNatu...
springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com
Associate/ Senior Editor
Job Title: Associate or Senior Editor Locations: Pune, Shanghai, Beijing Application Deadline: 15th July'26 About Springer Nature Springer Nature is one of the leading publishers of research in the wo...
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Claudia Köhler @claudiakohler11.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Our lab @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social is hiring two postdoctoral researchers to join our ERC-funded GRAFT project on mobile small RNAs in plants. 🔗 Details: jobs.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/jobposting/b... 📅 Deadline: July 31, 2026 Please share!
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
That’s settled then 😂
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
I had a look at the "The 1%" ranking of preprints by @qedscience.bsky.social and at our recent preprints and published papers with regard to their QED score: 1. I find it absolutely legit to use open-access preprints to develop and obtain such scores, or to use them to train LLMs.
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Marcin J. Suskiewicz @msuskiewicz.eurosky.social · 25/06/2026
I'm old enough to remember QED's authors said it's just providing an author with internal feedback, and emphatically isn't trying to mimic human review. Now it's compared to human review or journal selectivity and used to rank (other people's) work. The authors seem to ignore the black box aspect1/3
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Es ist schade, dass ihr Studenten den Überfluss und den Luxus nicht so recht kennet, in dem ihr lebet. Aber es ist auch mir so gegangen, als ich noch Student war.
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The R Foundation @r-foundation.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
The 2026 Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics has been awarded to the R Project. #RStats www.rousseeuwprize.org/2026
rousseeuwprize.org
The Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics
The Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics is a biennial prize to celebrate outstanding contributions to statistics research.
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Very happy with today’s PhD defence by Alberto Caregnato. Amazing quantitative biochemistry, crystallography and cryoEM. Well done Alberto, it was a pleasure working with you. Big thanks to @hillerlab.bsky.social, Andreas Boland and @romanulm.bsky.social
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Fantastic last seminar before his well deserved retirement by Philippe Reymond @unil.bsky.social on the signaling immune responses following insect cell deposition on plant leaves. A technical tour de force & exciting findings.
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Sascha Laubinger @saschalaubinger.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
We are recruiting a Junior PI to join CRC 1664 @snp2prot.bsky.social, funded through the FEM POWER programme supporting women in STEM. own budget, a funded PhD position, outstanding infrastructure + supportive colleagues. More information: snp2prot.uni-halle.de/2026/06/05/j...
Text of the job addRecruitment poster for a Junior Group Leader (f) position in Protein Science at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. The position is associated with CRC 1664 “Plant Proteoform Diversity (SNP2Prot)” and funded through the FEM POWER programme. The poster highlights opportunities for an independent research programme, own budget, funded PhD position, and access to advanced research infrastructure. Research areas include protein biochemistry, structural biology, computational protein science, and RNA biology. Application deadline: 7 July 2026. Contact information and a QR code linking to further details are provided. All information: https://snp2prot.uni-halle.de/2026/06/05/job-opportunity-junior-group-leader-in-protein-science/
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Michael Hothorn @structplantbio.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
This work nicely quantifies a major issue in our universities: "In higher education, administrative costs have risen much faster than instruction and research costs (4). MIT Faculty grew by only 9.2% between 1985 and 2023, while administrative staff grew by 189%." www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Faculty of Science | UNIGE @sciencesunige.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
In a new study, our Biology Section reveals how plants evolved molecular systems to detect UV-B and trigger protective responses—building their own "biological sunscreen". Read more: ow.ly/Zx6r50Z688O #Science #Plants #UV
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Biology-UNIGE @biology-unige.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Congratulations @romanulm.bsky.social group for your latest publication in @plantphys.bsky.social: Conservation and divergence of #UVR8 photoreceptor-mediated UV-B signaling in #Marchantia polymorpha @sciencesunige.bsky.social www.unige.ch/medias/en/20...
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