Microbial communities inhabiting plants have emerged as crucial factors in regulating plant health and defense against disease-causing pathogens. T...

Research Associate: Plant-fungal interactions

Abstract. Plants and microbes use many strategies to acquire soil amino acids. Recent findings suggest that genes related to amino acid metabolism and tran

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Receptor signalling determines cellular responses and is crucial for defining specific biological outcomes. In legume root cells, highly similar and structurally conserved chitin and Nod factor receptor kinases activate immune or symbiotic pathways, respectively, when chitinous ligands are perceived1. Here we show that specific amino acid residues in the intracellular part of the Nod factor receptor NFR1 control signalling specificity and enable the distinction of immune and symbiotic responses. Functional investigation of CERK6, NFR1 and receptor variants thereof revealed a conserved motif that we term Symbiosis Determinant 1 in the juxtamembrane region of the kinase domain, which is key for symbiotic signalling. We show that two residues in Symbiosis Determinant 1 are indispensable hallmarks of NFR1-type receptors and are sufficient to convert Lotus CERK6 and barley RLK4 kinase outputs to enable symbiotic signalling in Lotus japonicus.

The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Salt and Water Stress in Plants will be held in Les Diablerets, Vaud (fr) Switzerland. Apply today to reserve your spot.

Tartary buckwheat holds significant nutritional and health value; however, its hard seed hull limits production and economic potential. This study ide…

Plants are colonized by a diverse microbiome, with microorganisms residing inside and outside of plant tissues. Plants can harness the protective traits of their microbial inhabitants to ward off inse...

Hydathodes are tiny plant organs that form an interface between the leaf surface and xylem vasculature. They facilitate excretion of xylem fluid under…

Primary Work Address: 2500 Speedway, Austin, TX, 78712 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. About the Lab We are currently seeking a proactive Research Technician to s...

Primary Work Address: 2500 Speedway, Austin, TX, 78712 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. About the Lab We are currently seeking a proactive Research Specialist to s...

The evolutionary diversification of an exocyst subunit was enabled by electrostatic shifts leading to its dissociation from the ancestral complex.

During pathogen attack, plants recruit beneficial microbes in a ‘cry for help’ to mitigate disease development. Simultaneously, pathogens secrete effectors to promote host colonisation through vario...

Background High-throughput sequencing technologies have greatly advanced our understanding of microbiomes, but resolving microbial communities at species and strain levels remains challenging. Results...