Leo Castanedo
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leocastanedo.bsky.social
Leo Castanedo
@leocastanedo.bsky.social
Plant biologist | Proud and happy dad | Passionate about stress-resilient plants🌱, microbes🦠, and symbiotic nutrient interactions | From 🇲🇽 living in 🇪🇺

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🛑Exciting update from our work with @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social team on the ericoid mycorrhizal symbiosis❗❗

🔥New results support a conserved three-gene module and master regulator for nutrient-responsive intracellular accommodation of fungal symbionts🤯

Check the nice thread below👇🏼
#plantscience
1/ It is my pleasure to share the latest preprint of the team: "Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants"

doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Here, we identified and functionally validated a novel master regulator of intracellular symbioses!

A thread ...
#PlantScience
Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants
Symbioses have been fundamental to colonization of terrestrial ecosystems by plants and their evolution. Emergence of the ancient arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis was followed by the diversification o...
doi.org
Amazing stuff 👇🏼.
Cellular structure self-organizes through an interplay between internal mechanisms and external cues. The single-celled suctorian P. collini builds a trap structure to capture large prey using microtubule feeding tentacles, creating feedback between cell morphology and prey availability.
November 19, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Out today, our take on 6-methyladenine #6mA evolution in Eukaryotes @natgenet.nature.com. We asked a simple question, is really DNA 6mA common across the eukaryotes? The answer is "yes" if you're a unicellular eukaryote 🦠, not so if you're multicellular 🐝🌱🍄. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/9
Adenine DNA methylation associated with transcriptionally permissive chromatin is widespread across eukaryotes - Nature Genetics
Long-read sequencing in 18 unicellular eukaryotes reveals that 6mA is widespread across eukaryotes and is enriched at transcriptionally permissive regions, which are also marked by H3K4me3.
www.nature.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Still time to apply to work on #symbioses #mosses #cyanobacteria! Join us in #Copenhagen! @voltcenter.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Wow

'MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research'

www.gov.uk/government/n...

'Species identification varied from 63% to 100% accuracy across different methods, meaning that some laboratories failed to detect a third of the bacterial species present in the sample'
MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research
International collaboration establishes new quality standards to improve reliability of gut health studies – improving accuracy to provide better diagnosis and treatment.
www.gov.uk
November 16, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
New light on old stones: a fossil #fungus in #symbiosis with one of the oldest known land plants

@chistinesd.bsky.social, et al.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

@dromius.bsky.social @ffercoq.bsky.social #PlantScience

Summary also available in French and Spanish.
November 14, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
New paper led by @metalichen.bsky.social from our group presenting a chromosome-level assembly of the Trebouxia photobiont alga from the lichen Xanthoria parietina - a resource we hope will enable significant new insight into the symbiosis @newphyt.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/nph....
November 12, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
1. Postdoc in plant-fungal interactions: jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research...

2. Postdoc in molecular plant-microbe interactions: jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research...

3. Research technician: jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Technici...

(Pls share!)
Research Associate: Plant-fungal interactions
Research Associate: Plant-fungal interactions
jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk
November 8, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Looks like it is becoming a trend 😅!

@newphyt.bsky.social you may also want to edit that title 🔽

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
#Lichens form their complex thalli through a partnership involving at least a fungus and an alga. But can these living structures be rebuilt in vitro? For more than a century, people have tried. With @spribille.bsky.social we revisited 150 years of #lichen #resynthesis to ask: has anyone succeeded?
November 7, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
To all visionary microbe enthusiasts: @femsmicro.org is looking for an editor-in-chief for their flagship journal FEMS Microbiology Reviews! More details can be found here: fems-microbiology.org/opportunitie...
Editor-in-Chief for FEMS Microbiology Reviews - FEMS
The Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) is looking for an Editor-in-Chief to join its prestigious journal FEMS Microbiology Reviews for an initial period of three years, starting i...
fems-microbiology.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Sudden complexity just 65 million years ago discovered by team around @jandevries.bsky.social by analysis of the green alga Coleochaete, an ancestor and an intriguing group, which has evolved elaborate disc-shaped bodies. The team reports about it in Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Phylogenomics unveil a recent origin of morphological complexity in Coleochaetophyceae
Bierenbroodspot et al. use phylogenomic analyses to study Coleochaetophyceae, phragmoplastophytic streptophyte algae that are well-known for their complex bodies. They trace that the famous discoidal ...
www.cell.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
🚨 New in Developmental Cell @Dev_Cell
Our team uncovered how plants sense phosphorus deficiency and delay flowering — a molecular “switch” that links nutrient stress to development. A step toward breeding nutrient-smart crops! authors.elsevier.com/a/1m2id5Sx5g...
@MSU_PRI @MSUAgBio @MSU_PSM
November 4, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Outstanding preprint from @leocastanedo.bsky.social, @katharinamel1.bsky.social, @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social and coll. on an evolutionary conserved module for intracellular symbiosis. - > Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants | bioRxiv
Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants | bioRxiv
Symbioses have been fundamental to colonization of terrestrial ecosystems by plants and their evolution. Emergence of the ancient arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis was followed by the diversification of alternative intracellular symbioses, such as the ericoid mycorrhizae (ErM). We aimed at understanding how these diversifications occurred. We sequenced the genomes of ErM-forming liverworts, and reconstituted symbiosis under laboratory conditions. We demonstrated the existence of a nutrient-regulated symbiotic state that enables ErM and underlies intracellular colonization of plant tissues. Comparative transcriptomic analyses identified an ancestral gene module associated with intracellular symbiosis beyond ErM. Genetic manipulations in the liverwort Marchantia paleacea, phylogenetics and transactivation assays demonstrated its essential function for intracellular symbiosis. We conclude that plant have maintained, and convergently recruited, an ancestral gene module for intracellular symbioses.
sco.lt
November 4, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Sincere thanks to the chief and endosymbiosis expert, @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social, who drives exciting and innovative research directions.

Highly recommended as a mentor and collaborator!
Sooo happy to see this preprint out 🍄☘️!

Congratulations @leocastanedo.bsky.social @katharinamel1.bsky.social et al. !

It has been a long journey, from developing ericoid-mycorrhizae in the lab (Leo) to the genetics in Marchantia (Katharina), and many other details (#teamwork)
1/ It is my pleasure to share the latest preprint of the team: "Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants"

doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Here, we identified and functionally validated a novel master regulator of intracellular symbioses!

A thread ...
#PlantScience
November 4, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Grateful to the whole team @lrsv-toulouse.bsky.social who made this work possible!

Our results fill a major knowledge gap in how endosymbiotic interactions diversify in plants and reveal molecular basis of nutrient-dependent regulation 🦠🌱!
10/ A huge THANK YOU to all co-authors for the amazing team effort! We are grateful for our funders @erc.europa.eu MSCA @dfg.de @agencerecherche.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 12:37 PM
🛑Exciting update from our work with @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social team on the ericoid mycorrhizal symbiosis❗❗

🔥New results support a conserved three-gene module and master regulator for nutrient-responsive intracellular accommodation of fungal symbionts🤯

Check the nice thread below👇🏼
#plantscience
1/ It is my pleasure to share the latest preprint of the team: "Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants"

doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Here, we identified and functionally validated a novel master regulator of intracellular symbioses!

A thread ...
#PlantScience
Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants
Symbioses have been fundamental to colonization of terrestrial ecosystems by plants and their evolution. Emergence of the ancient arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis was followed by the diversification o...
doi.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Sooo happy to see this preprint out 🍄☘️!

Congratulations @leocastanedo.bsky.social @katharinamel1.bsky.social et al. !

It has been a long journey, from developing ericoid-mycorrhizae in the lab (Leo) to the genetics in Marchantia (Katharina), and many other details (#teamwork)
1/ It is my pleasure to share the latest preprint of the team: "Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants"

doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Here, we identified and functionally validated a novel master regulator of intracellular symbioses!

A thread ...
#PlantScience
Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants
Symbioses have been fundamental to colonization of terrestrial ecosystems by plants and their evolution. Emergence of the ancient arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis was followed by the diversification o...
doi.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
My new Emmy Noether Group is recruiting!

🔬 Two PhD positions in plant pathogen evolution

🧬 Start: April 2026 (flexible)

📍 Dept. of Phytopathology & Plant Protection @rstam.bsky.social @uni-kiel.de

⏰ Apply by 15 Dec 2025

🔗 More info: www.uni-kiel.de/personal/de/...

Do get in touch or share 😊
Aktuelle Ausschreibungen
Aktuelle Ausschreibungen
www.uni-kiel.de
November 3, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Research funds are scarce & competition is fierce. A recent paper by @andreasdeblock.bsky.social & colleagues explores how this competition shapes science—its practices, risks & ethics—and proposes ways to make funding fairer & more effective👇 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... #AcademicSky #HPS #scipol 🧪
November 2, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
Still using 16S/ITS profiling? You might want to reconsider👀

Our new paper presents pangenome-informed amplicons that provide up to 10× higher phylogenetic resolution than full-length ribosomal markers- while remaining cost effective and scalable!
microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
High-resolution profiling of bacterial and fungal communities using pangenome-informed taxon-specific long-read amplicons - Microbiome
Background High-throughput sequencing technologies have greatly advanced our understanding of microbiomes, but resolving microbial communities at species and strain levels remains challenging. Results...
microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
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...
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
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
📣 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....
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
October 30, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
1/ Ever needed to annotate TEs in a fungal genome, but didn't know where to start?

We have released #MycoMobilome, a community-focused non-redundant database of transposable element consensus sequences for the fungal kingdom, constructed from >4,000 fungal genomes!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 29, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Leo Castanedo
The only thing more scientifically dispiriting than reading a potentially exciting paper that turns out to be a ton of hype and little else is seeing your colleagues uncritically holding it up as a breakthrough
October 28, 2025 at 1:04 AM