Robigalia Roundup #5

Hello Robigalia Reader and welcome back to another week of Robigalia, delivering the latest research, tools, and opportunities in plant pathology.

This week, we learn about how bacterial pathogens may exploit plant proteases to evade pattern recognition and an free AI tool to streamline your next research paper. Then we have several new exciting post-doc opportunities available to ECRs! As always, Robigalia subscribers can access my online database with summaries of Robigalia featured articles.

Keep reading for the latest updates!

Plant pathology research

Extracellular plant subtilases dampen cold-shock peptide elicitor levels

In this study, researchers investigated how a specific protease in plants, called subtilase SBT5.2, affects the immune response triggered by a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) from the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. The PAMP they focused on is a protein called cold-shock protein (CSP), which is recognised by a receptor in plants called CORE.

The researchers used various techniques to study how SBT5.2 interacts with CSP. They found SBT5.2 can cut CSP, which inactivates the part of the protein that triggers the immune response. In other words, when SBT5.2 cuts CSP, the plant's immune system no longer recognises it as a threat. To confirm this finding, the researchers created mutant plants that lacked SBT5.2. They discovered that these mutant plants could better detect CSP and mount a stronger immune response than normal plants.

The researchers also found that different bacterial strains have slightly different versions of CSP, and some of these versions are more resistant to being broken down by SBT5.2. This variation in CSP structure may play a role in how well different bacterial strains can infect plants. By breaking down PAMPs, these proteases help prevent the plant from overreacting to potential threats. However, this also means that some bacterial pathogens might exploit this system to evade detection by the plant's immune system.

Research tools you’re loving

ResearchRabbit

ResearchRabbit is an innovative web-based tool that can transform how researchers manage their literature and discover new work in their fields. This "Spotify for Papers" offers personalised publication recommendations, interactive citation and co-authorship visualisations, and efficient collaboration features. By adding a few seed papers, you can find relevant publications and stay updated on the latest developments in your field of research.

The software's integration with reference management tools like Zotero, combined with its ability to provide alerts for new papers, makes it an invaluable tool for streamlining literature reviews and enhancing research productivity. Whether you're preparing grant proposals, writing review articles, or mentoring junior researchers, ResearchRabbit can help you navigate the vast landscape of academic literature easily and efficiently.

Research student of the week

COMING SOON!

Fill out the EOI to have your research featured in Robigalia

PhD Scholarships and Jobs

PhD Scholarships

• The Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) and the University of Cologne are recruiting 7 PhD students with a keen interest in experimental, mathematical & computational plant biology

• Predicting fungicide resistance evolution: combining theoretical and experimental approaches, University of Cambridge

• 2 - 3 stipends in wheat breeding, genetics/genomics of agronomic, quality, pest resistance traits, genomic selection, University of Alberta

• Be sure to regularly check out the CSIRO Industry PhD Program website which includes all of the current PhD Scholarship opportunities in Australia

Jobs

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Plant Virology & Vector Biology at Macquarie University

• Post-doc opportunity in Quantitative Disease Resistance. Use high-throughput phenotyping & transcriptomics to find QDR regulators in quinoa

• Technical assistant role in the Biocontrol Facility to work with insect colonies

Other News and Opportunities

• Save the date for the Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union happening July 6 - 10th in Italy

• Registrations are still open for the Australasian Plant Virology Workshop, happening 29th -31st October in the Gold Coast

• Register your interest for the 17th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference in Sydney in June 2025

• Save the date for the 25th Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference in Sydney in May 2025

• Nominations are now open for the 2025 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) awards. Nominations close November 29th 2024.

Meme of the week

Before you go…

• Like or didn’t like this new newsletter format? Let me know if the comments!

• Think a friend (or two) could benefit from reading? I’d love it if you could share this link with them.

Until next week,

Alyssa