NEW!!! Can AI distinguish between sensor and helper NLRs? #NLRbiology 👇🏼
Please check our latest paper on using @deep-mind.bsky.social AlphaFold 3 to study NLR immune receptors. Here we use AI-guided structural modelling to distinguish between sensor and helper NLRs! 👇🧵 (1/10) #EvoMPMI #NLRbiology #PlantPath #PlantSci
doi.org/10.1101/2024...
doi.org/10.1101/2024...
December 2, 2024 at 1:12 PM
NEW!!! Can AI distinguish between sensor and helper NLRs? #NLRbiology 👇🏼
🧵 🥬 Lettuce begin! Super excited to share our new manuscript on contrasting patterns of evolution in sensor and helper NLRs in the NRC network! Tune in for some plant immunology and molecular evolution… 🌱🧬💻 (1/14)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A hierarchical immune receptor network in lettuce reveals contrasting patterns of evolution in sensor and helper NLRs
Nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat immune receptors (NLRs) are known for their rapid evolution, even at the intraspecific level, yet the rates of evolution differ significantly across v...
www.biorxiv.org
February 26, 2025 at 4:55 PM
🧵 🥬 Lettuce begin! Super excited to share our new manuscript on contrasting patterns of evolution in sensor and helper NLRs in the NRC network! Tune in for some plant immunology and molecular evolution… 🌱🧬💻 (1/14)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Super excited to see our work on the NLRseek program finally published 🥳 Here we identify new NLRs against major wheat pathogens and present a pipeline for NLR identification. Huge thank you to all of the co-authors for bringing this work together! @matthewmoscou.bsky.social rdcu.be/eIGvv
Discovery of functional NLRs using expression level, high-throughput transformation and large-scale phenotyping
Nature Plants - Rapid discovery of functional resistance genes is enabled by a high-expression signature and high-throughput transformation. This approach identified 31 new resistance genes for...
rdcu.be
September 29, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Super excited to see our work on the NLRseek program finally published 🥳 Here we identify new NLRs against major wheat pathogens and present a pipeline for NLR identification. Huge thank you to all of the co-authors for bringing this work together! @matthewmoscou.bsky.social rdcu.be/eIGvv
Out now!
Patterns of presence–absence variation of NLRs across populations of Solanum chilense are clade-dependent and mainly shaped by past demographic history!
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Patterns of presence–absence variation of NLRs across populations of Solanum chilense are clade-dependent and mainly shaped by past demographic history!
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
November 25, 2024 at 7:34 AM
Out now!
Patterns of presence–absence variation of NLRs across populations of Solanum chilense are clade-dependent and mainly shaped by past demographic history!
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Patterns of presence–absence variation of NLRs across populations of Solanum chilense are clade-dependent and mainly shaped by past demographic history!
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Thrilled to share that I’ve moved to the UK to join the brilliant Kamoun group!
Excited to dive deep into the world of NLRs and plant pathogens 🧬🦠—and of course, to keep breeding my collection of Arabidopsis roses 🌹✨
Excited to dive deep into the world of NLRs and plant pathogens 🧬🦠—and of course, to keep breeding my collection of Arabidopsis roses 🌹✨
It’s a great pleasure to welcome Nick @nickdesnoyer.bsky.social to the lab! Nick completed his PhD on plant sexual reproduction at Uni Zurich. You also know him for his creative synthetic biology project — engineering an Arabidopsis rose. kamounlab.tumblr.com/post/7867838...
Kamoun Lab @ TSL
It’s a great pleasure to welcome Nick Desnoyer to the lab! Nick recently completed his PhD at the University of Zurich in the lab of Ueli Grossniklaus, where he worked on cell wall signalling during.....
kamounlab.tumblr.com
June 19, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Thrilled to share that I’ve moved to the UK to join the brilliant Kamoun group!
Excited to dive deep into the world of NLRs and plant pathogens 🧬🦠—and of course, to keep breeding my collection of Arabidopsis roses 🌹✨
Excited to dive deep into the world of NLRs and plant pathogens 🧬🦠—and of course, to keep breeding my collection of Arabidopsis roses 🌹✨
NLRs kommen sowohl bei Pflanzen, als auch bei Tieren vor. Obwohl sich Pflanzen- und Tier-NLRs wohl unabhängig voneinander entwickelt haben, ähneln Pflanzen NLRs im Aufbau den NLRs von Tieren und übernehmen ebenfalls zentrale Aufgaben in der Immunabwehr.
4/x
4/x
July 16, 2025 at 2:35 PM
NLRs kommen sowohl bei Pflanzen, als auch bei Tieren vor. Obwohl sich Pflanzen- und Tier-NLRs wohl unabhängig voneinander entwickelt haben, ähneln Pflanzen NLRs im Aufbau den NLRs von Tieren und übernehmen ebenfalls zentrale Aufgaben in der Immunabwehr.
4/x
4/x
NLRs aren't just for immunity. Inspired by our colleagues working on plant NLRs, postdoc @maxljordan.bsky.social from my lab asked: Do bacterial NLR-type regulators found in antibiotic-producing #Streptomyces share a similar autoactivation switch? Turns out, yes!
Read the full story and his 🧵👇
Read the full story and his 🧵👇
Really excited to share our new manuscript on how the #NLR protein #AfsR regulates #Streptomyces antibiotic production - and how we can use its similarity to plant NLR immune receptors to enhance this production! 📄🧵 (1/17) @johninnescentre.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
A conserved NLR activation switch governs global transcriptional control of antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces
Nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs) are conserved molecular switches that regulate innate immunity across diverse domains of life. While best known for their roles in i...
www.biorxiv.org
September 4, 2026 at 12:01 PM
NLRs aren't just for immunity. Inspired by our colleagues working on plant NLRs, postdoc @maxljordan.bsky.social from my lab asked: Do bacterial NLR-type regulators found in antibiotic-producing #Streptomyces share a similar autoactivation switch? Turns out, yes!
Read the full story and his 🧵👇
Read the full story and his 🧵👇
Excited to share the first preprint from my lab @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social in Potsdam! Huge thanks to @o-sulkowski.bsky.social and the whole team for their hard work and dedication.
📄 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
📄 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Diversification of the "EDVID" packing motif underpins structural and functional variation in plant NLR coiled-coil domains
· Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) are critical in plant immunity and display remarkable allelic diversity. Coiled-coiled NLRs (CC-NLRs) are the most widespread group of these r...
www.biorxiv.org
June 3, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Excited to share the first preprint from my lab @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social in Potsdam! Huge thanks to @o-sulkowski.bsky.social and the whole team for their hard work and dedication.
📄 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
📄 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Transfer of both sensor and helper NLRs enables broad taxonomic functionality - from Solanaceae to soybean/rice/Arabidopsis. #plantimmunity #plantbiology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Interfamily co-transfer of sensor and helper NLRs extends immune receptor functionality between angiosperms
Plant nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors recognize pathogen effectors and activate defense. NLR genes can be non-functional in distantly related plants (restricted taxonomi...
www.biorxiv.org
December 13, 2024 at 6:34 PM
Transfer of both sensor and helper NLRs enables broad taxonomic functionality - from Solanaceae to soybean/rice/Arabidopsis. #plantimmunity #plantbiology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Uneven and combined results from composting NLRs
March 20, 2026 at 9:44 AM
Uneven and combined results from composting NLRs
Thrilled to share our latest preprint! This work started during my PhD and was finished together with @jmadhuprakash.bsky.social. We found a Phytophthora infestans L-shaped effector that bridges a host TOL protein to activated NLRs to suppress immunity!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/15
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/15
July 9, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Thrilled to share our latest preprint! This work started during my PhD and was finished together with @jmadhuprakash.bsky.social. We found a Phytophthora infestans L-shaped effector that bridges a host TOL protein to activated NLRs to suppress immunity!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/15
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/15
We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs.
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Beyond Immunity: Uncovering the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs (SCHLIMPERT_J26DTP) | Doctoral Training Partnership
Join us in exploring the hidden functions of ancient immune proteins in bacteria. Bacteria, like plants and animals, have evolved sophisticated systems to detect and respond to threats.
biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM
We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs.
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
www.nature.com/articles/s41... Remodelling autoactive NLRs for broad-spectrum immunity in plants
Remodelling autoactive NLRs for broad-spectrum immunity in plants - Nature
Cleavage by pathogen-derived proteases of an engineered chimeric protein activates its plant immune receptor component, enabling broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens in plants.
www.nature.com
July 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
www.nature.com/articles/s41... Remodelling autoactive NLRs for broad-spectrum immunity in plants
My PhD thesis has been submitted and reviewed, and my PhD defence is on the horizon!
But today I start my next chapter as a postdoc in the Molecular Plant Immunity lab led by @clemmar.bsky.social at @ipbhalle.bsky.social! Here I will continue to dive into the form & function of plant NLRs 🌱
But today I start my next chapter as a postdoc in the Molecular Plant Immunity lab led by @clemmar.bsky.social at @ipbhalle.bsky.social! Here I will continue to dive into the form & function of plant NLRs 🌱
July 1, 2026 at 5:23 PM
My PhD thesis has been submitted and reviewed, and my PhD defence is on the horizon!
But today I start my next chapter as a postdoc in the Molecular Plant Immunity lab led by @clemmar.bsky.social at @ipbhalle.bsky.social! Here I will continue to dive into the form & function of plant NLRs 🌱
But today I start my next chapter as a postdoc in the Molecular Plant Immunity lab led by @clemmar.bsky.social at @ipbhalle.bsky.social! Here I will continue to dive into the form & function of plant NLRs 🌱
Please check our latest paper on using @deep-mind.bsky.social AlphaFold 3 to study NLR immune receptors. Here we use AI-guided structural modelling to distinguish between sensor and helper NLRs! 👇🧵 (1/10) #EvoMPMI #NLRbiology #PlantPath #PlantSci
doi.org/10.1101/2024...
doi.org/10.1101/2024...
December 2, 2024 at 11:47 AM
Please check our latest paper on using @deep-mind.bsky.social AlphaFold 3 to study NLR immune receptors. Here we use AI-guided structural modelling to distinguish between sensor and helper NLRs! 👇🧵 (1/10) #EvoMPMI #NLRbiology #PlantPath #PlantSci
doi.org/10.1101/2024...
doi.org/10.1101/2024...
Pathogen-inducible expression of autoactive NLRs confers multi-pathogen resistance in tomato
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
April 16, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Pathogen-inducible expression of autoactive NLRs confers multi-pathogen resistance in tomato
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#Plant NLRs help combat #pathogens. In the latest #OpenAccess JIPB commentary, Wang et al. discuss expanding functionalities of #immune receptors through simultaneous transfer of sensor and helper NLRs.
🔓 ➡️ doi.org/10.1111/jipb...
#PlantScience #agriculture
🔓 ➡️ doi.org/10.1111/jipb...
#PlantScience #agriculture
Expanding functionalities of immune receptors through simultaneous transfer of sensor and helper NLRs
Transferring nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptor (NLR) genes between distantly related genes often fails. Du et al. solved this by pairing sensor and helper NLRs and showed that rice expr....
doi.org
October 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM
#Plant NLRs help combat #pathogens. In the latest #OpenAccess JIPB commentary, Wang et al. discuss expanding functionalities of #immune receptors through simultaneous transfer of sensor and helper NLRs.
🔓 ➡️ doi.org/10.1111/jipb...
#PlantScience #agriculture
🔓 ➡️ doi.org/10.1111/jipb...
#PlantScience #agriculture
@angusb.bsky.social wants to engineer plant resistance proteins (NLRs) from scratch.
Can we create protein domains to integrate into NLRs to catch pathogen effectors? New tech makes this possible now.
Chose Magnaporthe and Fusarium effectors as targets - many steps later, it worked!
#2025ISMPMI
Can we create protein domains to integrate into NLRs to catch pathogen effectors? New tech makes this possible now.
Chose Magnaporthe and Fusarium effectors as targets - many steps later, it worked!
#2025ISMPMI
July 17, 2025 at 9:04 AM
@angusb.bsky.social wants to engineer plant resistance proteins (NLRs) from scratch.
Can we create protein domains to integrate into NLRs to catch pathogen effectors? New tech makes this possible now.
Chose Magnaporthe and Fusarium effectors as targets - many steps later, it worked!
#2025ISMPMI
Can we create protein domains to integrate into NLRs to catch pathogen effectors? New tech makes this possible now.
Chose Magnaporthe and Fusarium effectors as targets - many steps later, it worked!
#2025ISMPMI
Our latest work on immune receptor engineering for enhanced pathogen recognition is out in @theplantcell.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...
#NLRs #Effectors #Exo70
academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...
#NLRs #Effectors #Exo70
Engineering an Exo70 integrated domain of a barley NLR for improved blast resistance
Engineering the barley NLR RGH2 enhances recognition of blast pathogen effectors from rice and wheat, leading to improved disease resistance.
academic.oup.com
June 24, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Our latest work on immune receptor engineering for enhanced pathogen recognition is out in @theplantcell.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...
#NLRs #Effectors #Exo70
academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...
#NLRs #Effectors #Exo70
A really cool #PlantImmunity paper showing that the ubiquitin-binding protein RH3 recruits PTI & ETI receptors into one large complex via ubiquitin chains, linking these pathways.
Also goes well with this paper showing a link between BIK1 & NLRs via phosphorylation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Also goes well with this paper showing a link between BIK1 & NLRs via phosphorylation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Plants use cell-surface and intracellular receptors that collaborate to detect pathogens🦠. We discovered that a key #ubiquitin recognition event recruits both receptor types into an unexpected dual receptor complex that boost the translation of defence proteins and establishes robust #PlantImmunity👇🏾
February 12, 2026 at 9:49 AM
A really cool #PlantImmunity paper showing that the ubiquitin-binding protein RH3 recruits PTI & ETI receptors into one large complex via ubiquitin chains, linking these pathways.
Also goes well with this paper showing a link between BIK1 & NLRs via phosphorylation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Also goes well with this paper showing a link between BIK1 & NLRs via phosphorylation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Using AlphaFold, we found that their N-terminal domain is disordered
🌀 we referred them as disorder N-terminal NLRs (disN-NLRs)
🧬 They are ancestral in land plants and lost in angiosperms. [7/9]
🌀 we referred them as disorder N-terminal NLRs (disN-NLRs)
🧬 They are ancestral in land plants and lost in angiosperms. [7/9]
March 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Using AlphaFold, we found that their N-terminal domain is disordered
🌀 we referred them as disorder N-terminal NLRs (disN-NLRs)
🧬 They are ancestral in land plants and lost in angiosperms. [7/9]
🌀 we referred them as disorder N-terminal NLRs (disN-NLRs)
🧬 They are ancestral in land plants and lost in angiosperms. [7/9]
Central Eukaryotic defense components, including plant NLRs, might have been domesticated after HGT from bacteria!
Bacterial immune proteins have repeatedly evolved to become parts of eukaryotic immunity. But how?
Our new preprint uncovers a recent horizontal transfer event & shows how eukaryotes co-opted a toxic bacterial immune protein 🦠🧪🧵 1/
Our new preprint uncovers a recent horizontal transfer event & shows how eukaryotes co-opted a toxic bacterial immune protein 🦠🧪🧵 1/
May 2, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Central Eukaryotic defense components, including plant NLRs, might have been domesticated after HGT from bacteria!
It's out!! Using population and comparative genomics of Podospora fungi, we show that a class of genes called #NLRs display evolutionary signatures that are consistent with an immune function, much like in plants and animals! 1/n 🍄
#popgen #balancingselection #introgression
doi.org/10.1093/gbe/...
#popgen #balancingselection #introgression
doi.org/10.1093/gbe/...
NOD-Like Receptor Genes Undergo Diversity-Enhancing Evolution in a Fungal Species Complex
Abstract. Fungi harbor diverse arrays of genes encoding NOD-like receptors (NLRs), key intracellular immune proteins found in plants, animals, and bacteria
doi.org
August 7, 2026 at 9:49 PM
It's out!! Using population and comparative genomics of Podospora fungi, we show that a class of genes called #NLRs display evolutionary signatures that are consistent with an immune function, much like in plants and animals! 1/n 🍄
#popgen #balancingselection #introgression
doi.org/10.1093/gbe/...
#popgen #balancingselection #introgression
doi.org/10.1093/gbe/...