Mark McMullan
@mcmullan0.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist -population genomics -wild-agricultural pathogen evolution, invasion and adaptation (Wheat & Beets)
Pinned
Mark McMullan
@mcmullan0.bsky.social
· Oct 13
Combatting wheat take-all disease with in-field and synthetic microbial communities
www.earlham.ac.uk
PhD studentship
Come help us understand the wheat rhizosphere at the Earlham Institute 🦠
Working at the interface of fungal antagonists & pathogens (@rowenahill.bsky.social @neilhall.bsky.social ), host genetic diversity (Simon Griffiths -JIC) and bacterial community diversity (Jacob Malone -JIC)
Come help us understand the wheat rhizosphere at the Earlham Institute 🦠
Working at the interface of fungal antagonists & pathogens (@rowenahill.bsky.social @neilhall.bsky.social ), host genetic diversity (Simon Griffiths -JIC) and bacterial community diversity (Jacob Malone -JIC)
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Big congratulations @tobybarilbio.bsky.social!
Please check out and share our final version of the transposon mobilization work in a fungal pathogen - out now in Nature Communications
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Please check out and share our final version of the transposon mobilization work in a fungal pathogen - out now in Nature Communications
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 12, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Big congratulations @tobybarilbio.bsky.social!
Please check out and share our final version of the transposon mobilization work in a fungal pathogen - out now in Nature Communications
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Please check out and share our final version of the transposon mobilization work in a fungal pathogen - out now in Nature Communications
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Mark McMullan
A quick tutorial blog on a method I haven't seen before to plot gene gain/loss from e.g. CAFE5 across a phylogeny - and clearly shows I always have fungi on the mind 🤓🍄
#rstats #ggplot2
rowena-h.github.io/data-visuali...
#rstats #ggplot2
rowena-h.github.io/data-visuali...
Mushroom plots to visualise gain and loss on a phylogenetic tree
A tutorial on how to visualise gene gain and loss on a phylogenetic tree
rowena-h.github.io
November 7, 2025 at 3:41 PM
A quick tutorial blog on a method I haven't seen before to plot gene gain/loss from e.g. CAFE5 across a phylogeny - and clearly shows I always have fungi on the mind 🤓🍄
#rstats #ggplot2
rowena-h.github.io/data-visuali...
#rstats #ggplot2
rowena-h.github.io/data-visuali...
Reposted by Mark McMullan
@tobybarilbio.bsky.social and I are very excited to release MycoMobilome! A very extensive effort to discover, QC and annotate TEs across the fungal kingdom.
👉 Ready-to-use for your own genome with a simple tutorial!
👉 Metadata about TEs discovered in your genome!
👉 Contribute and get recognition!
👉 Ready-to-use for your own genome with a simple tutorial!
👉 Metadata about TEs discovered in your genome!
👉 Contribute and get recognition!
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...
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 4:32 PM
@tobybarilbio.bsky.social and I are very excited to release MycoMobilome! A very extensive effort to discover, QC and annotate TEs across the fungal kingdom.
👉 Ready-to-use for your own genome with a simple tutorial!
👉 Metadata about TEs discovered in your genome!
👉 Contribute and get recognition!
👉 Ready-to-use for your own genome with a simple tutorial!
👉 Metadata about TEs discovered in your genome!
👉 Contribute and get recognition!
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Super excited to see our bioRxiv paper out! It furthers our understanding of an FHB resistance locus in timopheevii with some DON resistance too!
A segment of Triticum timopheevii chromosome 3G confers type II Fusarium head blight resistance and reduces DON accumulation in wheat. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.27.684833v1
October 28, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Super excited to see our bioRxiv paper out! It furthers our understanding of an FHB resistance locus in timopheevii with some DON resistance too!
Reposted by Mark McMullan
PHD: What does an ‘optimal’ community of #bacteria and #fungi look like for #pathogen suppression?
That's a key question to explore in this fully-funded #PhDproject with @neilhall.bsky.social, @mcmullan0.bsky.social and @rowenahill.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute.
That's a key question to explore in this fully-funded #PhDproject with @neilhall.bsky.social, @mcmullan0.bsky.social and @rowenahill.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute.
Combatting wheat take-all disease with in-field and synthetic microbial communities
4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NRPDTP) PhD
buff.ly
October 23, 2025 at 8:02 AM
PHD: What does an ‘optimal’ community of #bacteria and #fungi look like for #pathogen suppression?
That's a key question to explore in this fully-funded #PhDproject with @neilhall.bsky.social, @mcmullan0.bsky.social and @rowenahill.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute.
That's a key question to explore in this fully-funded #PhDproject with @neilhall.bsky.social, @mcmullan0.bsky.social and @rowenahill.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute.
Reposted by Mark McMullan
PHD: Are you interested in gene regulation, #immune function, or tech development?
We have a fully-funded 4-year #PhDproject with @whatchamacaulay.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute and @tiagocluis.bsky.social at Imperial looking at niche cell–cell communication.
➡️ buff.ly/M7u6thJ
We have a fully-funded 4-year #PhDproject with @whatchamacaulay.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute and @tiagocluis.bsky.social at Imperial looking at niche cell–cell communication.
➡️ buff.ly/M7u6thJ
Exploring niche cell–cell communication through alternative splicing
4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NRPDTP) PhD
buff.ly
October 21, 2025 at 8:01 AM
PHD: Are you interested in gene regulation, #immune function, or tech development?
We have a fully-funded 4-year #PhDproject with @whatchamacaulay.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute and @tiagocluis.bsky.social at Imperial looking at niche cell–cell communication.
➡️ buff.ly/M7u6thJ
We have a fully-funded 4-year #PhDproject with @whatchamacaulay.bsky.social at the Earlham Institute and @tiagocluis.bsky.social at Imperial looking at niche cell–cell communication.
➡️ buff.ly/M7u6thJ
Reposted by Mark McMullan
📣 New @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social preprint, another joint-venture of @wolki95.bsky.social & @antonkraege.bsky.social, co-directed by @nicksnelders.bsky.social. Here’s a 🧵
Differential contributions of an antimicrobial effector from Verticillium dahliae to virulence and tomato microbiota assembly across natural soils https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.30.679524v1
October 14, 2025 at 8:05 PM
📣 New @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social preprint, another joint-venture of @wolki95.bsky.social & @antonkraege.bsky.social, co-directed by @nicksnelders.bsky.social. Here’s a 🧵
Reposted by Mark McMullan
We are advertising a PhD project investigating a cellular mechanism that ensures protein quality control during mRNA translation in plants. Please get in touch on here or via email if you are interested and I can provide further details!
Lab website: sites.google.com/site/danielg...
Lab website: sites.google.com/site/danielg...
Daniel Gibbs Lab
Welcome to the lab website of Professor Daniel Gibbs
@ University of Birmingham
sites.google.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
We are advertising a PhD project investigating a cellular mechanism that ensures protein quality control during mRNA translation in plants. Please get in touch on here or via email if you are interested and I can provide further details!
Lab website: sites.google.com/site/danielg...
Lab website: sites.google.com/site/danielg...
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Great new postdoc fellowship for foundational plant research.
If you’re into genetics and genomics of plant reproductive evolution or adaptive convergence (incl in the cool and charismatic nightshades!) I’d be happy to talk about possible projects!
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
If you’re into genetics and genomics of plant reproductive evolution or adaptive convergence (incl in the cool and charismatic nightshades!) I’d be happy to talk about possible projects!
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology
Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology on Simons Foundation
www.simonsfoundation.org
October 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Great new postdoc fellowship for foundational plant research.
If you’re into genetics and genomics of plant reproductive evolution or adaptive convergence (incl in the cool and charismatic nightshades!) I’d be happy to talk about possible projects!
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
If you’re into genetics and genomics of plant reproductive evolution or adaptive convergence (incl in the cool and charismatic nightshades!) I’d be happy to talk about possible projects!
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
PhD studentship
Come help us understand the wheat rhizosphere at the Earlham Institute 🦠
Working at the interface of fungal antagonists & pathogens (@rowenahill.bsky.social @neilhall.bsky.social ), host genetic diversity (Simon Griffiths -JIC) and bacterial community diversity (Jacob Malone -JIC)
Come help us understand the wheat rhizosphere at the Earlham Institute 🦠
Working at the interface of fungal antagonists & pathogens (@rowenahill.bsky.social @neilhall.bsky.social ), host genetic diversity (Simon Griffiths -JIC) and bacterial community diversity (Jacob Malone -JIC)
Combatting wheat take-all disease with in-field and synthetic microbial communities
www.earlham.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 10:09 AM
PhD studentship
Come help us understand the wheat rhizosphere at the Earlham Institute 🦠
Working at the interface of fungal antagonists & pathogens (@rowenahill.bsky.social @neilhall.bsky.social ), host genetic diversity (Simon Griffiths -JIC) and bacterial community diversity (Jacob Malone -JIC)
Come help us understand the wheat rhizosphere at the Earlham Institute 🦠
Working at the interface of fungal antagonists & pathogens (@rowenahill.bsky.social @neilhall.bsky.social ), host genetic diversity (Simon Griffiths -JIC) and bacterial community diversity (Jacob Malone -JIC)
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Professorship in plant genetics.
The Botanical Institute at Kiel University is advertising a W2 professorship. Great opportunity to do plant research in the north of Germany. See:
www.berufungen.uni-kiel.de/de/dateien/o...
The Botanical Institute at Kiel University is advertising a W2 professorship. Great opportunity to do plant research in the north of Germany. See:
www.berufungen.uni-kiel.de/de/dateien/o...
www.berufungen.uni-kiel.de
October 12, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Professorship in plant genetics.
The Botanical Institute at Kiel University is advertising a W2 professorship. Great opportunity to do plant research in the north of Germany. See:
www.berufungen.uni-kiel.de/de/dateien/o...
The Botanical Institute at Kiel University is advertising a W2 professorship. Great opportunity to do plant research in the north of Germany. See:
www.berufungen.uni-kiel.de/de/dateien/o...
Reposted by Mark McMullan
A genetic map of human metabolism across the allele frequency spectrum
https://www.europesays.com/uk/474140/
Study design The UKB is a prospective cohort study from the UK that contains more than 500,000 volunteers…#uk #news #uknews
https://www.europesays.com/uk/474140/
Study design The UKB is a prospective cohort study from the UK that contains more than 500,000 volunteers…#uk #news #uknews
A genetic map of human metabolism across the allele frequency spectrum - United Kingdom
Study design
www.europesays.com
October 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM
A genetic map of human metabolism across the allele frequency spectrum
https://www.europesays.com/uk/474140/
Study design The UKB is a prospective cohort study from the UK that contains more than 500,000 volunteers…#uk #news #uknews
https://www.europesays.com/uk/474140/
Study design The UKB is a prospective cohort study from the UK that contains more than 500,000 volunteers…#uk #news #uknews
Reposted by Mark McMullan
🍄 Today marks #UKFungusDay where we get to celebrate the weird and wonderful kingdom of Fungi.
As well as being fundamental to a healthy ecosystem, and often fascinating to spot, #Fungi can be devastating to plant and animal populations.
As well as being fundamental to a healthy ecosystem, and often fascinating to spot, #Fungi can be devastating to plant and animal populations.
October 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM
🍄 Today marks #UKFungusDay where we get to celebrate the weird and wonderful kingdom of Fungi.
As well as being fundamental to a healthy ecosystem, and often fascinating to spot, #Fungi can be devastating to plant and animal populations.
As well as being fundamental to a healthy ecosystem, and often fascinating to spot, #Fungi can be devastating to plant and animal populations.
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Was a pleasure to contribute a small part to this massive WGS effort of Kew's fungarium! @estergaya.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social
Check out the paper @newphyt.bsky.social 👉 doi.org/10.1111/nph.70472
Check out the paper @newphyt.bsky.social 👉 doi.org/10.1111/nph.70472
September 16, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Was a pleasure to contribute a small part to this massive WGS effort of Kew's fungarium! @estergaya.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social
Check out the paper @newphyt.bsky.social 👉 doi.org/10.1111/nph.70472
Check out the paper @newphyt.bsky.social 👉 doi.org/10.1111/nph.70472
Reposted by Mark McMullan
New OA Article: "Enhancing local meiotic crossovers in Arabidopsis and maize through juxtaposition of heterozygous and homozygous regions" rdcu.be/eDWJI
With News & Views: "Diversity favoured: heterozygosity attracts crossovers" rdcu.be/eDWKQ
With News & Views: "Diversity favoured: heterozygosity attracts crossovers" rdcu.be/eDWKQ
September 3, 2025 at 3:46 PM
New OA Article: "Enhancing local meiotic crossovers in Arabidopsis and maize through juxtaposition of heterozygous and homozygous regions" rdcu.be/eDWJI
With News & Views: "Diversity favoured: heterozygosity attracts crossovers" rdcu.be/eDWKQ
With News & Views: "Diversity favoured: heterozygosity attracts crossovers" rdcu.be/eDWKQ
Reposted by Mark McMullan
It was a delight to have Guillaume Delhaye and Torda Varga (@rbgkew.bsky.social) at @earlhaminst.bsky.social last week, talking to a packed Norwich Research Park audience about mushroom-forming and mycorrhizal fungi from molecule to ecosystem! 🍄🧬🌳
@neilhall.bsky.social @norwichmicro.bsky.social
@neilhall.bsky.social @norwichmicro.bsky.social
August 27, 2025 at 11:49 AM
It was a delight to have Guillaume Delhaye and Torda Varga (@rbgkew.bsky.social) at @earlhaminst.bsky.social last week, talking to a packed Norwich Research Park audience about mushroom-forming and mycorrhizal fungi from molecule to ecosystem! 🍄🧬🌳
@neilhall.bsky.social @norwichmicro.bsky.social
@neilhall.bsky.social @norwichmicro.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Our editors write:
- Wheat immunity: "Unlocking yellow rust resistance" rdcu.be/eBbSJ about rdcu.be/eBbT0
- Auxin signalling: "A rack for the hook" rdcu.be/eBbTg about www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
- Wheat immunity: "Unlocking yellow rust resistance" rdcu.be/eBbSJ about rdcu.be/eBbT0
- Auxin signalling: "A rack for the hook" rdcu.be/eBbTg about www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
August 18, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Our editors write:
- Wheat immunity: "Unlocking yellow rust resistance" rdcu.be/eBbSJ about rdcu.be/eBbT0
- Auxin signalling: "A rack for the hook" rdcu.be/eBbTg about www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
- Wheat immunity: "Unlocking yellow rust resistance" rdcu.be/eBbSJ about rdcu.be/eBbT0
- Auxin signalling: "A rack for the hook" rdcu.be/eBbTg about www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Mark McMullan
How predictably does complex trait adaptation proceed over space and time in wild populations?
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by @skylerberardi.bsky.social, @paulrschmidt.bsky.social et al.
📷: Dr. Rush Dhillon
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by @skylerberardi.bsky.social, @paulrschmidt.bsky.social et al.
📷: Dr. Rush Dhillon
July 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
How predictably does complex trait adaptation proceed over space and time in wild populations?
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by @skylerberardi.bsky.social, @paulrschmidt.bsky.social et al.
📷: Dr. Rush Dhillon
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by @skylerberardi.bsky.social, @paulrschmidt.bsky.social et al.
📷: Dr. Rush Dhillon
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Advances in computational methods for inferring networks from #genome-scale data and guidelines for deriving biological insights from #phylogenetic networks www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Phylogenetic networks empower biodiversity research | PNAS
Reticulate evolution has long been recognized as a key mechanism that contributes
to genetic and trait diversity. With the widespread availability ...
www.pnas.org
July 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Advances in computational methods for inferring networks from #genome-scale data and guidelines for deriving biological insights from #phylogenetic networks www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Really nice. Especially nice RIP result linked to ancestral sex hypotheses. Which then links nicely to plastic genomic regions and adaptation in the face of asexual reproduction.
Really nice. Especially nice RIP result linked to ancestral sex hypotheses. Which then links nicely to plastic genomic regions and adaptation in the face of asexual reproduction.
Starship giant transposons dominate plastic genomic regions in a fungal plant pathogen and drive virulence evolution - Nature Communications
Giant transposons, known as ‘Starships’, mediate horizontal gene transfer between fungal genomes. Here, Sato et al. show that Starships occupy genome regions crucial for infection in a plant pathogeni...
www.nature.com
July 26, 2025 at 12:26 AM
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Really nice. Especially nice RIP result linked to ancestral sex hypotheses. Which then links nicely to plastic genomic regions and adaptation in the face of asexual reproduction.
Really nice. Especially nice RIP result linked to ancestral sex hypotheses. Which then links nicely to plastic genomic regions and adaptation in the face of asexual reproduction.
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Hey, Miles' @milesroberts.bsky.social beautiful paper showing that sequence diversity missed by standard methods contributes to Lewontin's paradox is officially published in @evolletters.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
k-mer-based diversity scales with population size proxies more than nucleotide diversity in a meta-analysis of 98 plant species
Abstract. A key prediction of neutral theory is that the level of genetic diversity in a population should scale with population size. However, as was note
academic.oup.com
June 12, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Hey, Miles' @milesroberts.bsky.social beautiful paper showing that sequence diversity missed by standard methods contributes to Lewontin's paradox is officially published in @evolletters.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Keen to work in #PlantSciences? 🌿
Applications are open for a new John Innes Foundation Internship with Dr Carolina Grandellis at the Earlham Biofoundry. 🧬
You'll work on #bioengineering approaches for plant sciences, utilising high-throughput platforms at the Earlham Institute.
Applications are open for a new John Innes Foundation Internship with Dr Carolina Grandellis at the Earlham Biofoundry. 🧬
You'll work on #bioengineering approaches for plant sciences, utilising high-throughput platforms at the Earlham Institute.
John Innes Foundation Internship in Plant Science
buff.ly
June 13, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Keen to work in #PlantSciences? 🌿
Applications are open for a new John Innes Foundation Internship with Dr Carolina Grandellis at the Earlham Biofoundry. 🧬
You'll work on #bioengineering approaches for plant sciences, utilising high-throughput platforms at the Earlham Institute.
Applications are open for a new John Innes Foundation Internship with Dr Carolina Grandellis at the Earlham Biofoundry. 🧬
You'll work on #bioengineering approaches for plant sciences, utilising high-throughput platforms at the Earlham Institute.
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Using an alignment-free k-mer-based phylogenetic method, @rowenahill.bsky.social, @mcmullan0.bsky.social, and the team found that relationships between entire Starships differed from those inferred from captain genes.
Read more about Starships fungal transposons in #G3journal: buff.ly/vxOe5oq
Read more about Starships fungal transposons in #G3journal: buff.ly/vxOe5oq
June 11, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Using an alignment-free k-mer-based phylogenetic method, @rowenahill.bsky.social, @mcmullan0.bsky.social, and the team found that relationships between entire Starships differed from those inferred from captain genes.
Read more about Starships fungal transposons in #G3journal: buff.ly/vxOe5oq
Read more about Starships fungal transposons in #G3journal: buff.ly/vxOe5oq
Reposted by Mark McMullan
In case you want to know more about Kew’s Fungarium and our sequencing work! #Fungi #museomics @rbgkew.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/video/248375...
www.newscientist.com/video/248375...
Unlocking genetic secrets of the world's most vital fungi collection
Fungi underpin all life on Earth, yet it is estimated that more than 95 per cent of fungal species remain undiscovered. Holding over 1.25 million dried specimens, the Fungarium at Royal Botanic Garden...
www.newscientist.com
June 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM
In case you want to know more about Kew’s Fungarium and our sequencing work! #Fungi #museomics @rbgkew.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/video/248375...
www.newscientist.com/video/248375...
Reposted by Mark McMullan
Our paper on phylogenetics of fungal Starship TEs is now on the cover of the June issue of Genetics @genetics-gsa.bsky.social 🙂
academic.oup.com/genetics/iss...
@mcmullan0.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @rothamsted.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/genetics/iss...
@mcmullan0.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @rothamsted.bsky.social
June 4, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Our paper on phylogenetics of fungal Starship TEs is now on the cover of the June issue of Genetics @genetics-gsa.bsky.social 🙂
academic.oup.com/genetics/iss...
@mcmullan0.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @rothamsted.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/genetics/iss...
@mcmullan0.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @rothamsted.bsky.social