Helen Brabham
@helenbrabs.bsky.social
(she/her) Working in the wonderful world of plant disease resistance. 🌾🏴 Team Leader at Gatsby, The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK.
Reposted by Helen Brabham
🚨New Publication Alert🚨
Authors: Asher Hudson, Maggie Wagner, and Peter Balint-Kurti
Maize Hybrids Exhibit Reduction in an Elicitor-Triggered Defense Response Compared to Their Inbred Parents | #MPMI apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...
Authors: Asher Hudson, Maggie Wagner, and Peter Balint-Kurti
Maize Hybrids Exhibit Reduction in an Elicitor-Triggered Defense Response Compared to Their Inbred Parents | #MPMI apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...
Maize Hybrids Exhibit Reduction in an Elicitor-Triggered Defense Response Compared to Their Inbred Parents | Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions®
Heterosis is the increased performance of hybrids relative to their parental genotypes. Heterosis for growth may be mediated by underlying traits, including traits affecting host-microbe interactions....
apsjournals.apsnet.org
February 4, 2026 at 9:17 PM
🚨New Publication Alert🚨
Authors: Asher Hudson, Maggie Wagner, and Peter Balint-Kurti
Maize Hybrids Exhibit Reduction in an Elicitor-Triggered Defense Response Compared to Their Inbred Parents | #MPMI apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...
Authors: Asher Hudson, Maggie Wagner, and Peter Balint-Kurti
Maize Hybrids Exhibit Reduction in an Elicitor-Triggered Defense Response Compared to Their Inbred Parents | #MPMI apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
⚙️🦠 REVIEW 🦠⚙️
Turley & Faulkner explore the function of plant heavy metal-associated domain-containing proteins and speculate about their functions at plasmodesmata by drawing from plant–pathogen interaction studies.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪 Christine Faulkner
Turley & Faulkner explore the function of plant heavy metal-associated domain-containing proteins and speculate about their functions at plasmodesmata by drawing from plant–pathogen interaction studies.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪 Christine Faulkner
February 3, 2026 at 10:29 AM
⚙️🦠 REVIEW 🦠⚙️
Turley & Faulkner explore the function of plant heavy metal-associated domain-containing proteins and speculate about their functions at plasmodesmata by drawing from plant–pathogen interaction studies.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪 Christine Faulkner
Turley & Faulkner explore the function of plant heavy metal-associated domain-containing proteins and speculate about their functions at plasmodesmata by drawing from plant–pathogen interaction studies.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
#PlantScience 🧪 Christine Faulkner
Genomes are fascinating!
Yet another reason why butterflies and moths are so interesting! Unlike other studied organisms that organise their DNA into two forms of chromatin, silkworms have a mysterious third form of chromatin folding..
How do compartmentalization & loop extrusion organize eukaryotic genomes beyond classical model organisms?
Hi-C analysis of silkworm chromosomes by Drinnenberg, Muller, Mirny et al reveals new combination of these mechanisms, and a new, secluded “S” compartment
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Hi-C analysis of silkworm chromosomes by Drinnenberg, Muller, Mirny et al reveals new combination of these mechanisms, and a new, secluded “S” compartment
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
February 4, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Genomes are fascinating!
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Please share!
PhD position (4 years) available in my group @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social. We look for candidates with solid aptitude in computer science to cross disciplines and use cutting edge imaging to understand host infection by destructive plant pathogens.
uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet...
PhD position (4 years) available in my group @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social. We look for candidates with solid aptitude in computer science to cross disciplines and use cutting edge imaging to understand host infection by destructive plant pathogens.
uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet...
January 30, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Please share!
PhD position (4 years) available in my group @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social. We look for candidates with solid aptitude in computer science to cross disciplines and use cutting edge imaging to understand host infection by destructive plant pathogens.
uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet...
PhD position (4 years) available in my group @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social. We look for candidates with solid aptitude in computer science to cross disciplines and use cutting edge imaging to understand host infection by destructive plant pathogens.
uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
1/12 I'm ecstatic to share my preprint on legume NLR tissue expression! We investigated the NLRomes of 28 legumes + 4 outgroups, examining tissue expression across 7 legume species. Paper thread below 🧵👇
@thesainsburylab.bsky.social @itqbnova.bsky.social
🔗https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.25.701577
@thesainsburylab.bsky.social @itqbnova.bsky.social
🔗https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.25.701577
January 29, 2026 at 11:06 AM
1/12 I'm ecstatic to share my preprint on legume NLR tissue expression! We investigated the NLRomes of 28 legumes + 4 outgroups, examining tissue expression across 7 legume species. Paper thread below 🧵👇
@thesainsburylab.bsky.social @itqbnova.bsky.social
🔗https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.25.701577
@thesainsburylab.bsky.social @itqbnova.bsky.social
🔗https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.25.701577
Reposted by Helen Brabham
This article is now published! academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...
We’ve added a few new analyses. First off, we show that, while gene presence absence variation (PAV) scales with evolutionary distance in both plants and animals, the base level and rate of accrual are both twice as high in plants.
We’ve added a few new analyses. First off, we show that, while gene presence absence variation (PAV) scales with evolutionary distance in both plants and animals, the base level and rate of accrual are both twice as high in plants.
January 30, 2026 at 12:41 PM
This article is now published! academic.oup.com/nargab/artic...
We’ve added a few new analyses. First off, we show that, while gene presence absence variation (PAV) scales with evolutionary distance in both plants and animals, the base level and rate of accrual are both twice as high in plants.
We’ve added a few new analyses. First off, we show that, while gene presence absence variation (PAV) scales with evolutionary distance in both plants and animals, the base level and rate of accrual are both twice as high in plants.
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Our first wheat stripe rust avirulence (?!) effector is published "Defence Recognition of a Stripe Rust Fungal Effector Is Uncoupled from Disease Outcomes in Wheat" apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/.... It is not what we expected but this is the most fun part about science. 1/n
Defence Recognition of a Stripe Rust Fungal Effector Is Uncoupled from Disease Outcomes in Wheat | Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions®
Plant resistance (R) and pathogen avirulence (Avr) gene interactions are central to pathogen recognition and disease resistance in crops. Functional characterisation of recognised Avr effectors of Puc...
apsjournals.apsnet.org
January 26, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Our first wheat stripe rust avirulence (?!) effector is published "Defence Recognition of a Stripe Rust Fungal Effector Is Uncoupled from Disease Outcomes in Wheat" apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/.... It is not what we expected but this is the most fun part about science. 1/n
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Congrats @marco-guerreiro.bsky.social. @estukenbrock.bsky.social and colleagues on this exciting study linking codon optimization and adaptive translation to lifestyle transitions in a group of fungi.
Emerging fungal pathogens have detrimental impacts on crops, animals, and humans. This study demonstrates that the fungal transition from saprotroph to opportunistic human pathogen is likely facilitated by adaptive translation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Genomic and physiological signatures of adaptation in pathogenic fungi - Nature Communications
Emerging fungal pathogens have detrimental impacts on crops, animals, and humans, however little is known about their transition to a pathogenic lifestyle. This study demonstrates that the transition ...
www.nature.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Congrats @marco-guerreiro.bsky.social. @estukenbrock.bsky.social and colleagues on this exciting study linking codon optimization and adaptive translation to lifestyle transitions in a group of fungi.
Looking forward to kicking off 2026 with the International Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG)!
Catch me Saturday 10th January at 8am in the New Approaches for Developing Disease Resistance in Cereals session organised by Dr. Nidhi Rawat. 🌱🌾
If you're around, I'd love to chat science! 👩🔬
Catch me Saturday 10th January at 8am in the New Approaches for Developing Disease Resistance in Cereals session organised by Dr. Nidhi Rawat. 🌱🌾
If you're around, I'd love to chat science! 👩🔬
January 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Looking forward to kicking off 2026 with the International Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG)!
Catch me Saturday 10th January at 8am in the New Approaches for Developing Disease Resistance in Cereals session organised by Dr. Nidhi Rawat. 🌱🌾
If you're around, I'd love to chat science! 👩🔬
Catch me Saturday 10th January at 8am in the New Approaches for Developing Disease Resistance in Cereals session organised by Dr. Nidhi Rawat. 🌱🌾
If you're around, I'd love to chat science! 👩🔬
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Towards a quantitative view of NLR evolution in genome space -- check out where we think the field of #NLR #evolution research is heading in this review led by Luzie Wingen and Aurélien Tellier.
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
#plantscience
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
#plantscience
January 6, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Towards a quantitative view of NLR evolution in genome space -- check out where we think the field of #NLR #evolution research is heading in this review led by Luzie Wingen and Aurélien Tellier.
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
#plantscience
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
#plantscience
Reposted by Helen Brabham
🧬 New preprint on fungal effector 🍄🍎
We identify AvrRvi6, the first AVR from Venturia inaequalis.
AvrRvi6 is a MAX effector with apoplastic activity, expanding the functional landscape of this major effector family.
📄 bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
We identify AvrRvi6, the first AVR from Venturia inaequalis.
AvrRvi6 is a MAX effector with apoplastic activity, expanding the functional landscape of this major effector family.
📄 bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Ancient MAX Effector Variants of a Fungal Pathogen Evade Apoplastic Immunity in Apple
Venturia inaequalis is an Ascomycota fungus responsible for apple scab, the main disease in apple orchards. During infection, the pathogen colonizes the subcuticular space and secretes hundreds of eff...
www.biorxiv.org
January 5, 2026 at 9:22 AM
🧬 New preprint on fungal effector 🍄🍎
We identify AvrRvi6, the first AVR from Venturia inaequalis.
AvrRvi6 is a MAX effector with apoplastic activity, expanding the functional landscape of this major effector family.
📄 bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
We identify AvrRvi6, the first AVR from Venturia inaequalis.
AvrRvi6 is a MAX effector with apoplastic activity, expanding the functional landscape of this major effector family.
📄 bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Alkemade, @timbarra.bsky.social et al. did temporal association analysis on three major fungal crop pathogens collected between 1956 and 2023, identifying genes linked to fungicide resistance and stress responses as frequent sites of adaptation.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf241
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf241
#genome #evolution
Genomic Insights into Historical Adaptation of Three Key Fungal Plant Pathogens
Abstract. Fungal culture collections hold a wealth of historical isolates that could be used to study fungal evolution over the past decades, an era that c
doi.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Alkemade, @timbarra.bsky.social et al. did temporal association analysis on three major fungal crop pathogens collected between 1956 and 2023, identifying genes linked to fungicide resistance and stress responses as frequent sites of adaptation.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf241
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf241
#genome #evolution
Reposted by Helen Brabham
We wrote a review on the mᴏdular properties of plant cell-surface receptors, and how this knowledge can be used to reprogram and engineer them:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A guide to designing cell-surface receptors in plants
Cell-surface receptors perceive environmental cues and trigger appropriate responses. In plants, these receptors comprise ectodomain, juxta-membrane, …
www.sciencedirect.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:24 AM
We wrote a review on the mᴏdular properties of plant cell-surface receptors, and how this knowledge can be used to reprogram and engineer them:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Rune Hansen et al. reported that the substomatal cavity is a crucial check point where the devastating Septoria blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) infection is stopped. Understanding this mechanism is key to future wheat immunity. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-11-24-0147-R
December 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Rune Hansen et al. reported that the substomatal cavity is a crucial check point where the devastating Septoria blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) infection is stopped. Understanding this mechanism is key to future wheat immunity. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-11-24-0147-R
Reposted by Helen Brabham
GetGenome is proud to partner with @johninnescentre.bsky.social , @cimmyt.bsky.social , @gatesfoundation.bsky.social and #DEWAS to advance a bottom-up, equitable approach to access genomics 🌾 🧬
“Battling crop diseases without borders” www.jic.ac.uk/blog/battlin...
“Battling crop diseases without borders” www.jic.ac.uk/blog/battlin...
Battling crop diseases without borders | John Innes Centre
DEWAS is one of the world’s largest crop pathogen surveillance and advisory systems, protecting wheat productivity in food vulnerable areas of East Africa and South Asia.
www.jic.ac.uk
December 12, 2025 at 10:34 AM
GetGenome is proud to partner with @johninnescentre.bsky.social , @cimmyt.bsky.social , @gatesfoundation.bsky.social and #DEWAS to advance a bottom-up, equitable approach to access genomics 🌾 🧬
“Battling crop diseases without borders” www.jic.ac.uk/blog/battlin...
“Battling crop diseases without borders” www.jic.ac.uk/blog/battlin...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
The scikit-bio paper in online in Nature Methods! Many thanks to our collaborators, community contributors and reviewers! We couldn’t have done it without you. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Bioinformatics #OpenSource
Scikit-bio: a fundamental Python library for biological omic data analysis - Nature Methods
Nature Methods - Scikit-bio: a fundamental Python library for biological omic data analysis
www.nature.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:57 PM
The scikit-bio paper in online in Nature Methods! Many thanks to our collaborators, community contributors and reviewers! We couldn’t have done it without you. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Bioinformatics #OpenSource
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Did you ever wonder how #Solanum plants evolved quantitative disease resistance/ #QDR?
I am really excited to share our recently published manuscript, where we tried to contribute to addressing this question!
🌱https://tinyurl.com/2vz23ck6
I am really excited to share our recently published manuscript, where we tried to contribute to addressing this question!
🌱https://tinyurl.com/2vz23ck6
Co-option of transcription factors drives evolution of quantitative disease resistance against a necrotrophic pathogen
Quantitative disease resistance in a wild tomato genotype evolved through species-specific regulatory network rewiring, with an ancient transcription facto
tinyurl.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by Helen Brabham
A wheat NLR conferring broad-spectrum resistance against powdery mildew by recognizing two structurally diverse AVR effectors. Interested? Check out our newest preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Dual recognition of structurally unrelated mildew effectors underlies the broad-spectrum resistance of Pm3e in wheat
Broad-spectrum resistance genes are highly valuable for sustainable crop protection, yet the molecular basis of their activity is often unknown. The Pm3 allelic series in wheat encodes NLR receptors t...
www.biorxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 1:29 PM
A wheat NLR conferring broad-spectrum resistance against powdery mildew by recognizing two structurally diverse AVR effectors. Interested? Check out our newest preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
My main work as postdoc @plantophagy.bsky.social lab in @gmivienna.bsky.social is out in @natplants.nature.com 🌱🎉
We asked how can protein complexes diversify without compromising their function and explored this question using the plant #exocyst complex.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We asked how can protein complexes diversify without compromising their function and explored this question using the plant #exocyst complex.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Electrostatic changes enabled the diversification of an exocyst subunit via protein complex escape - Nature Plants
The evolutionary diversification of an exocyst subunit was enabled by electrostatic shifts leading to its dissociation from the ancestral complex.
www.nature.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:57 PM
My main work as postdoc @plantophagy.bsky.social lab in @gmivienna.bsky.social is out in @natplants.nature.com 🌱🎉
We asked how can protein complexes diversify without compromising their function and explored this question using the plant #exocyst complex.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We asked how can protein complexes diversify without compromising their function and explored this question using the plant #exocyst complex.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
'Identifying the safe operating space for food systems'
Highly relevant new paper by Sofie te Wierik et al. in Nature Food www.nature.com/articles/s43...
The paper shows: i) food systems are the single-largest pressure across Earth system processes, ii) all food system boundaries are transgressed
Highly relevant new paper by Sofie te Wierik et al. in Nature Food www.nature.com/articles/s43...
The paper shows: i) food systems are the single-largest pressure across Earth system processes, ii) all food system boundaries are transgressed
November 2, 2025 at 9:20 AM
'Identifying the safe operating space for food systems'
Highly relevant new paper by Sofie te Wierik et al. in Nature Food www.nature.com/articles/s43...
The paper shows: i) food systems are the single-largest pressure across Earth system processes, ii) all food system boundaries are transgressed
Highly relevant new paper by Sofie te Wierik et al. in Nature Food www.nature.com/articles/s43...
The paper shows: i) food systems are the single-largest pressure across Earth system processes, ii) all food system boundaries are transgressed
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Postdoc position in my lab in Cologne starting early next year or latest in spring to get this exciting project started.
jobportal.uni-koeln.de/ausschreibun...
jobportal.uni-koeln.de/ausschreibun...
jobportal.uni-koeln.de
November 2, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Postdoc position in my lab in Cologne starting early next year or latest in spring to get this exciting project started.
jobportal.uni-koeln.de/ausschreibun...
jobportal.uni-koeln.de/ausschreibun...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Interlocus gene conversion causes mosaic divergence in tandem paralogues - simulating HMA4 evolution in Arabidopsis halleri https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685298v1
October 31, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Interlocus gene conversion causes mosaic divergence in tandem paralogues - simulating HMA4 evolution in Arabidopsis halleri https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685298v1
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Good read. #AcademicSky
Colleges' AI policies appear to be part of a broader effort to snatch away decision-making power over teaching, learning, and research from subject matter and pedagogy experts and give it to donors and administrators. defector.com/higher-eds-r...
Higher Ed’s Rush To Adopt AI Is About So Much More Than AI | Defector
If you don’t work at a university or have college-age kids, you may have missed the flurry of news stories and social media banter about AI adoption in higher ed, stories which have snowballed into…
defector.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Good read. #AcademicSky
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Very excited to see the final version of our kingdom-scale fungal genome defense manuscript out in @plosbiology.org !
This work has been a major project of @tbadet.bsky.social during his time in our lab.
We hope to stimulate much more exciting work on fungal TEs.
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
This work has been a major project of @tbadet.bsky.social during his time in our lab.
We hope to stimulate much more exciting work on fungal TEs.
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
October 16, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Very excited to see the final version of our kingdom-scale fungal genome defense manuscript out in @plosbiology.org !
This work has been a major project of @tbadet.bsky.social during his time in our lab.
We hope to stimulate much more exciting work on fungal TEs.
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
This work has been a major project of @tbadet.bsky.social during his time in our lab.
We hope to stimulate much more exciting work on fungal TEs.
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Reposted by Helen Brabham
Rewriting the code of plant immunity go.nature.com/475WgV7
October 14, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Rewriting the code of plant immunity go.nature.com/475WgV7