Team Thomma
@teamthomma.bsky.social
Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Evolutionary Microbiology
@UniCologne & @CEPLAS_1, studying how fungi interact with plants and their environment. He/him. 💛🖤
@UniCologne & @CEPLAS_1, studying how fungi interact with plants and their environment. He/him. 💛🖤
Pinned
Team Thomma
@teamthomma.bsky.social
· Oct 30
Undermining the cry for help: the phytopathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae secretes an antimicrobial effector protein to undermine host recruitment of antagonistic Pseudomonas bacteria
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...
doi.org
📣 Now announcing the journal publication 📄 of our work in @newphyt.bsky.social on how Verticillium undermines the plant's 🌱 "cry for help": terrific work by @antonkraege.bsky.social & @wolki95.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Reposted by Team Thomma
Our new publication in #ISMEJournal (@isme-microbes.bsky.social) describes how Bacillus and Trichoderma works together to fight against the plant pathogen Fusarium, a superb collaboration with Zhihui Xu at Nanjing Agricultural University, including the experiments by @jiyuxie.bsky.social at #IBL
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December 29, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Our new publication in #ISMEJournal (@isme-microbes.bsky.social) describes how Bacillus and Trichoderma works together to fight against the plant pathogen Fusarium, a superb collaboration with Zhihui Xu at Nanjing Agricultural University, including the experiments by @jiyuxie.bsky.social at #IBL
1/7
1/7
You were right @suaybuestuen.bsky.social ! Amazing….
December 24, 2025 at 8:15 AM
You were right @suaybuestuen.bsky.social ! Amazing….
Reposted by Team Thomma
New opportunity to join our #EvoMPMI group @johninnescentre.bsky.social as a Postdoctoral Researcher working on the mechanistic basis of immunity in diverse plants. Please spread the word, reach out by email, and/or apply if interested! More details here: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/po...
December 16, 2025 at 11:32 AM
New opportunity to join our #EvoMPMI group @johninnescentre.bsky.social as a Postdoctoral Researcher working on the mechanistic basis of immunity in diverse plants. Please spread the word, reach out by email, and/or apply if interested! More details here: www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/po...
Reposted by Team Thomma
New preprint on pop #genomics of #spittlebug—the main insect vector of Xylella, the bacterium that has ravaged olive groves in southern Italy 🇮🇹 🫒
Take-home: problematic insect vector may be less widespread than initially thought—important implications for disease control 💥
👇
Take-home: problematic insect vector may be less widespread than initially thought—important implications for disease control 💥
👇
We have a new preprint!
In this study, we use #genomic data to uncover population structure and adaptive potential in the meadow #spittlebug, the main European #vector of #Xylella fastidiosa.
In this study, we use #genomic data to uncover population structure and adaptive potential in the meadow #spittlebug, the main European #vector of #Xylella fastidiosa.
Whole-Genome Population Genomics Reveals Lineage Structure and Adaptive Potential of Philaenus spumarius, the Principal Vector of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.693891v1
December 16, 2025 at 2:49 PM
New preprint on pop #genomics of #spittlebug—the main insect vector of Xylella, the bacterium that has ravaged olive groves in southern Italy 🇮🇹 🫒
Take-home: problematic insect vector may be less widespread than initially thought—important implications for disease control 💥
👇
Take-home: problematic insect vector may be less widespread than initially thought—important implications for disease control 💥
👇
Reposted by Team Thomma
📣 VACANCY: Predoctoral Intern in the Nobori group @tatsuyanobori.bsky.social
Join the team to work on plant immunity research at single-cell and spatial resolution 🌱
Apply online, deadline 26 Jan 2026
www.tsl.ac.uk/working-at-t...
#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience #STEMJobs
Join the team to work on plant immunity research at single-cell and spatial resolution 🌱
Apply online, deadline 26 Jan 2026
www.tsl.ac.uk/working-at-t...
#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience #STEMJobs
December 15, 2025 at 9:45 AM
📣 VACANCY: Predoctoral Intern in the Nobori group @tatsuyanobori.bsky.social
Join the team to work on plant immunity research at single-cell and spatial resolution 🌱
Apply online, deadline 26 Jan 2026
www.tsl.ac.uk/working-at-t...
#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience #STEMJobs
Join the team to work on plant immunity research at single-cell and spatial resolution 🌱
Apply online, deadline 26 Jan 2026
www.tsl.ac.uk/working-at-t...
#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience #STEMJobs
Reposted by Team Thomma
Reposted by Team Thomma
Happy to share our latest paper: The symbiosome space needs to be continuously cleared from demethylated pectins to keep rhizobia happy. Former PostDoc Chao Su took this story with him when moving back to China and finished it off.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantScience; @uni-freiburg.de
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantScience; @uni-freiburg.de
Symbiosome functionality in Medicago truncatula nodules requires continuous clearing of pectins from the symbiosome space - Nature Communications
Here a mechanism for nitrogen fixation maintenance is identified in Medicago truncatula where two polygalacturoneases are expressed in nodules and secreted into the symbiosome space for clearing of ex...
www.nature.com
December 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Happy to share our latest paper: The symbiosome space needs to be continuously cleared from demethylated pectins to keep rhizobia happy. Former PostDoc Chao Su took this story with him when moving back to China and finished it off.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantScience; @uni-freiburg.de
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantScience; @uni-freiburg.de
Reposted by Team Thomma
Friends and foes in the obligate plant pathobiome
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Friends and foes in the obligate plant pathobiome
journals.plos.org
December 14, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Friends and foes in the obligate plant pathobiome
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Reposted by Team Thomma
New preprint by Judith Fliegmann and Lisha Zhang on an additional regulatory layer of #plantimmunity:
the TIR-domain production of small molecules (typical during ETI) is required for PTI responses downstream of RLPs PRRs
#MPMI #ZMBP
the TIR-domain production of small molecules (typical during ETI) is required for PTI responses downstream of RLPs PRRs
#MPMI #ZMBP
Small Molecule Binding to EDS1/PAD4 in LRR-RP-Mediated Pattern-Triggered Immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.10.692544v1
December 13, 2025 at 9:16 AM
New preprint by Judith Fliegmann and Lisha Zhang on an additional regulatory layer of #plantimmunity:
the TIR-domain production of small molecules (typical during ETI) is required for PTI responses downstream of RLPs PRRs
#MPMI #ZMBP
the TIR-domain production of small molecules (typical during ETI) is required for PTI responses downstream of RLPs PRRs
#MPMI #ZMBP
📣 Major milestone achieved! First @teamthomma.bsky.social @unicologne.bsky.social PhD student graduated 🎉! Congratulations to @wolki95.bsky.social for a stellar defence of a thesis on antimicrobial effectors of Verticillium dahliae that drive niche adaptation #proudPI #PhDone
December 12, 2025 at 12:39 PM
📣 Major milestone achieved! First @teamthomma.bsky.social @unicologne.bsky.social PhD student graduated 🎉! Congratulations to @wolki95.bsky.social for a stellar defence of a thesis on antimicrobial effectors of Verticillium dahliae that drive niche adaptation #proudPI #PhDone
Reposted by Team Thomma
‼️Please RT: The CEPLAS Graduate School call for 2026 is now open! Detailed info on our website: bit.ly/4q19JWk
@hhu.de @unicologne.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social @fz-juelich.de @leibnizipk.bsky.social @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social
@hhu.de @unicologne.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social @fz-juelich.de @leibnizipk.bsky.social @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social
December 9, 2025 at 2:42 PM
‼️Please RT: The CEPLAS Graduate School call for 2026 is now open! Detailed info on our website: bit.ly/4q19JWk
@hhu.de @unicologne.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social @fz-juelich.de @leibnizipk.bsky.social @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social
@hhu.de @unicologne.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social @fz-juelich.de @leibnizipk.bsky.social @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social
Reposted by Team Thomma
📣Interested in doing your PhD in Plant Sciences 🌱, Microbial Sciences 🦠 or Computational Biology 👩💻? @ceplas.bsky.social offers 10 fully funded PhD 🎓fellowships. Pls repost and forward to interested candidates holding BSc degree.
‼️Please RT: The CEPLAS Graduate School call for 2026 is now open! Detailed info on our website: bit.ly/4q19JWk
@hhu.de @unicologne.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social @fz-juelich.de @leibnizipk.bsky.social @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social
@hhu.de @unicologne.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social @fz-juelich.de @leibnizipk.bsky.social @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social
December 11, 2025 at 8:34 AM
📣Interested in doing your PhD in Plant Sciences 🌱, Microbial Sciences 🦠 or Computational Biology 👩💻? @ceplas.bsky.social offers 10 fully funded PhD 🎓fellowships. Pls repost and forward to interested candidates holding BSc degree.
Reposted by Team Thomma
Now officially published in Current Biology 🥳🥳 @mfseidl.bsky.social @binfutrecht.bsky.social
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
December 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Now officially published in Current Biology 🥳🥳 @mfseidl.bsky.social @binfutrecht.bsky.social
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Team Thomma
New call for PhD students to join CEPLAS
December 9, 2025 at 1:25 PM
New call for PhD students to join CEPLAS
Reposted by Team Thomma
Our paper on Zymoseptoria tritici 3D genome organization is officially out! @iglavincheska.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Three-dimensional genome architecture connects chromatin structure and function in a major wheat pathogen - BMC Biology
Background Genome spatial organization plays a fundamental role in biological function across all domains of life. While the principles of nuclear architecture have been well-characterized in animals ...
link.springer.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Our paper on Zymoseptoria tritici 3D genome organization is officially out! @iglavincheska.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Team Thomma
Extensive horizontal transfer of transposable elements shapes fungal mobilomes
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @jromeijn.bsky.social et al from @mfseidl.bsky.social
www.cell.com/current-biol...
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @jromeijn.bsky.social et al from @mfseidl.bsky.social
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Extensive horizontal transfer of transposable elements shapes fungal mobilomes
Romeijn et al. reveal that horizontal transposon transfer is widespread in fungi,
contributing up to 70% of transposon content in some taxa. The authors uncover thousands
of events across diverse line...
www.cell.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Extensive horizontal transfer of transposable elements shapes fungal mobilomes
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @jromeijn.bsky.social et al from @mfseidl.bsky.social
www.cell.com/current-biol...
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @jromeijn.bsky.social et al from @mfseidl.bsky.social
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Team Thomma
Now out in @currentbiology.bsky.social !
Screening over a thousand fungal genomes, @jromeijn.bsky.social, Iñigo Bañales Belaunde and @mfseidl.bsky.social find that horizontal transfer shapes the fungal mobilome
🍄🔄✈️🧬
@ubc-uu.bsky.social
Don't miss Josje's thread for a summary of the findings! 👇
Screening over a thousand fungal genomes, @jromeijn.bsky.social, Iñigo Bañales Belaunde and @mfseidl.bsky.social find that horizontal transfer shapes the fungal mobilome
🍄🔄✈️🧬
@ubc-uu.bsky.social
Don't miss Josje's thread for a summary of the findings! 👇
The first paper of my PhD is now available as a preprint! 🎉
Transposable elements (TEs) don't just jump within fungal genomes, they also move extensively between species. In this study, we screened over 1,300 fungal genomes and found a conservative estimate of 5,500+ horizontal transfer events.
Transposable elements (TEs) don't just jump within fungal genomes, they also move extensively between species. In this study, we screened over 1,300 fungal genomes and found a conservative estimate of 5,500+ horizontal transfer events.
www.biorxiv.org
December 9, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Now out in @currentbiology.bsky.social !
Screening over a thousand fungal genomes, @jromeijn.bsky.social, Iñigo Bañales Belaunde and @mfseidl.bsky.social find that horizontal transfer shapes the fungal mobilome
🍄🔄✈️🧬
@ubc-uu.bsky.social
Don't miss Josje's thread for a summary of the findings! 👇
Screening over a thousand fungal genomes, @jromeijn.bsky.social, Iñigo Bañales Belaunde and @mfseidl.bsky.social find that horizontal transfer shapes the fungal mobilome
🍄🔄✈️🧬
@ubc-uu.bsky.social
Don't miss Josje's thread for a summary of the findings! 👇
Reposted by Team Thomma
📣👇
University of Birmingham, UK, are advertising a permanant position (Assistant or Associate Professor) in *Forests under Global Change*. A wide net has been cast - ecology, physiology, modelling, remote sensing, functioning, biodiversity, management... 🌲🌱🌳🌳🦌🌳🛰️🐿️🌲🔬🌳
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPS459/a...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPS459/a...
December 5, 2025 at 8:25 AM
📣👇
Reposted by Team Thomma
European Council and Parliament agree on relaxing rules for bringing genome-edited plants to the market - a central step for facilitating a science-based management of our current plant systems.
www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...
www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...
New genomic techniques: Council and Parliament strike deal to boost the competitiveness and sustainability of our food systems
Council and Parliament reach provisional deal on a set of rules for new genomic techniques, aiming to improve the competitiveness of European agriculture and support the sustainability of our food sys...
www.consilium.europa.eu
December 4, 2025 at 8:21 AM
European Council and Parliament agree on relaxing rules for bringing genome-edited plants to the market - a central step for facilitating a science-based management of our current plant systems.
www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...
www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...
Reposted by Team Thomma
📢Postdoc position available!🧪🧫🧬
Our group is seeking a motivated researcher to investigate the molecular mechanisms driving host–endosymbiont interactions.
Full details & application: karriere.hhu.de//index.php?a....
Please help us get the word out!
Our group is seeking a motivated researcher to investigate the molecular mechanisms driving host–endosymbiont interactions.
Full details & application: karriere.hhu.de//index.php?a....
Please help us get the word out!
Postdoc (m/f/d) in Endosymbiosis Research
karriere.hhu.de
November 25, 2025 at 11:21 AM
📢Postdoc position available!🧪🧫🧬
Our group is seeking a motivated researcher to investigate the molecular mechanisms driving host–endosymbiont interactions.
Full details & application: karriere.hhu.de//index.php?a....
Please help us get the word out!
Our group is seeking a motivated researcher to investigate the molecular mechanisms driving host–endosymbiont interactions.
Full details & application: karriere.hhu.de//index.php?a....
Please help us get the word out!
Reposted by Team Thomma
GreenRobust PI Jan Lohmann (@meristemania.bsky.social) receives the Lautenschläger award, the most prestigous price of Heidelberg University acknowledging his scientific achievements. Congratulations!
Jan Lohmann erhält Lautenschläger-Forschungspreis: Auszeichnung ist mit 250.000 Euro dotiert – Preis für den wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs geht an Lukas Bunse www.uni-heidelberg.de/de/newsroom/...
#universität #heidelberg #uniheidelberg #forschung #preis #biologie #medizin #theologie
#universität #heidelberg #uniheidelberg #forschung #preis #biologie #medizin #theologie
November 28, 2025 at 12:17 PM
GreenRobust PI Jan Lohmann (@meristemania.bsky.social) receives the Lautenschläger award, the most prestigous price of Heidelberg University acknowledging his scientific achievements. Congratulations!
Reposted by Team Thomma
TWO positions open in our group. 1 postdoc and 1 PhD position. Join us for some exciting evolutionary plant biology! #PlantSciJobs #PlantSciJob
November 28, 2025 at 8:41 AM
TWO positions open in our group. 1 postdoc and 1 PhD position. Join us for some exciting evolutionary plant biology! #PlantSciJobs #PlantSciJob
Reposted by Team Thomma
Huge thanks to Prof. Dr. Nick Talbot! We were fascinated by his MibiNet talk, exploring how the appressorium uses turgor pressure to infect rice & how the transpressorium spreads the fungus. Brilliant insights!
@talbotlabtsl.bsky.social
#MibiNet
@talbotlabtsl.bsky.social
#MibiNet
November 25, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Huge thanks to Prof. Dr. Nick Talbot! We were fascinated by his MibiNet talk, exploring how the appressorium uses turgor pressure to infect rice & how the transpressorium spreads the fungus. Brilliant insights!
@talbotlabtsl.bsky.social
#MibiNet
@talbotlabtsl.bsky.social
#MibiNet
Reposted by Team Thomma
My former colleague Patricia Zecua, me and the Zuccaro group published a new story about how autophagy restricts cell death and regulates root colonization by beneficial fungi:
academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...
academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...
Autophagy restricts symbiosis-associated cell death and regulates colonization by Serendipita indica in Arabidopsis
Autophagy acts as a pro-survival mechanism in plant roots during beneficial fungal colonization by restricting fungal proliferation and immunometabolic cel
academic.oup.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:29 AM
My former colleague Patricia Zecua, me and the Zuccaro group published a new story about how autophagy restricts cell death and regulates root colonization by beneficial fungi:
academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...
academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...
Reposted by Team Thomma
Some news 🎉
After five incredible years in Tübingen, it’s time to say goodbye.
Starting February, the Mutualisms Lab will relocate to the John Innes Centre, right next door to @berasymbionts.bsky.social and her group at The Sainsbury Laboratory 🪲🦠
After five incredible years in Tübingen, it’s time to say goodbye.
Starting February, the Mutualisms Lab will relocate to the John Innes Centre, right next door to @berasymbionts.bsky.social and her group at The Sainsbury Laboratory 🪲🦠
November 24, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Some news 🎉
After five incredible years in Tübingen, it’s time to say goodbye.
Starting February, the Mutualisms Lab will relocate to the John Innes Centre, right next door to @berasymbionts.bsky.social and her group at The Sainsbury Laboratory 🪲🦠
After five incredible years in Tübingen, it’s time to say goodbye.
Starting February, the Mutualisms Lab will relocate to the John Innes Centre, right next door to @berasymbionts.bsky.social and her group at The Sainsbury Laboratory 🪲🦠