Mamoona Khan

I am honored that my microscopy image has been selected as the cover of a @newphyt.bsky.social issue for the third time. Thanks to the production team for selecting my image.

Excited to share that our recent paper @newphyt.bsky.social is highlighted by @plantteaching.bsky.social on @plantaeofficial.bsky.social.

Latest preprint from the lab!

Effector biology and immunometabolic (re)programming: microbial strategies for compatibility Root immunometabolism: balancing defense and accommodationPlant health depends on balanced immune defense and microbial accommodation. As constant contact zones, roots must exclude pathogens while fos...

Now online: Effector biology and immunometabolic (re)programming: microbial strategies for compatibility: Molecular Plant www.cell.com/molecular-pl...

Team around Armin Djamei @effectomics.bsky.social show in @newphyt.bsky.social that the fungus #Ustilago maydis hijacks a programme in the #maize plant that is responsible for the formation of lateral roots www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/002-...

Tree showing relationships of LAR genes. Details: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-12429-5

Excited to share that Maria's work on the evolution of the LAR gene has been published in BMC Genomics:

Evolutionary dynamics of the proanthocyanidin biosynthesis gene LAR
doi.org/10.1186/s128...

#Evolution #FlavonoidBiosynthesis #PlantSciences
@bpucker.bsky.social @maferrecinos.bsky.social

Targeting of the barley cell-surface receptor SRF3 by the Blumeria hordei effector AVRA13 overlaps with AVRA13 recognition by MLA and the induction of NLR-mediated cell death. Pathogens secrete effector proteins to promote virulence. Despite their recognition by barley Mla resistance genes, the structurally-related Blumeria hordei ( Bh ) AVRA effectors are maintained in the...

Wei Shi @wshisky.bsky.social & Merle‘s work is online. Wei really pushed this work from scratch and Merle linked it to MLA diversification…3rd (co-)first author paper in her PhD. Very proud PI!
And only possible through collaboration with G. Döhlemann, @grandpahiro.bsky.social &, Matt Platre. (1/x)

A conserved fungal transcription factor domain drives protein-protein interactions and necrotrophic effector-mediated virulence in Parastagonospora nodorum The fungal pathogen Parastagonospora nodorum utilises necrotrophic effectors (NEs) to cause chlorosis and necrosis on wheat. NE expression is mediated by an assortment of transcription factors (TF), t...

Our @theccdm.bsky.social preprint on the domain function and interactors of the effector-regulating transcription factor PnPf2 in Parastagonospora nodorum is live! 😁

Led by Shota Morikawa @callumverdonk.bsky.social

Collabs 👉 @danielcroll.bsky.social @evan-john.bsky.social

Working model for class II Topless (TPL)-interacting protein effectors in maize shoot reprogramming.

Read the paper by Mamoona Khan, et al. 👇
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

How a Fungus Leads to Tissue Growths in Maize When a maize plant is attacked by the fungus Ustilago maydis, tumor-like tissue growths occur at the site of infection. How the pathogen causes this response in its host has long been unknown. But a…

A University of Bonn study shows how a maize pest hijacks the plant’s root-building function 🌽

www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/002-...

@unibonn.bsky.social @effectomics.bsky.social

#PlantScience

Our preprint is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social. Many thanks to the editor and reviewers for their constructive feedback. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/....

A great group of young scientists.

A whole bunch of Assistants Features Editors from @theplantcell.bsky.social and @plantphys.bsky.social getting to know each other 💚
#PlantBio2025

Fantastic night at the @aspbofficial.bsky.social joint editorial board dinner at the Mitchell Park Domes Horticultural Conservatory. Thank you to the organisers for making this a magical experience .
@jennifermach.bsky.social @msr20.bsky.social @jmaidment.bsky.social @planteditors.bsky.social

3x Posters from the Djamei lab @effectomics.bsky.social @unibonn.bsky.social
Today:
Me #123 effector-effector PCD suppression?
Tomorrow two top PhD students:
Riaz Tabassum #88 early-expressed Ustilago effectors
Komal Pervaiz #206 Magnaporthe vs microbes!

I am thrilled to share the latest preprint from our lab!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Huge thanks to everyone involved!

A collage with symbolic images of all eight clusters of excellence. A man working on a machine, an observatory, two people in a field, a woman writing something on a piece of paper, a woman in front of a device, a man writing something on a blackboard, an exhibition, a woman looking through a telescope.

A landmark success! The University of Bonn secured funding for all six existing Clusters of Excellence and both new initiatives – more than any other German university. More: www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/095-...

© G. Hübl, V. Lannert, M. Thürbach/ECONtribute, J. F. Saba/UKB, S. Wegener/ML4Q; N. Wietrich

A cheering crowd.

We are excellent! What a day - between hugs, applause and a lot of pride. Our rector? Jumping for joy. Our team? Overjoyed. Thank you to everyone who made this historic moment possible! @dependencybonn.de @immunosens.bsky.social @econtribute.bsky.social
© V. Lannert/G. Hübl/Uni Bonn

Happy to share our latest @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social led by @manuelgonzalezfuen.bsky.social “Effector-triggered processing body formation attenuates host translation via ER stress responses and autophagy upon bacterial infection” #proteostasis #plantimmunity 🧵(1/16)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Starship giant transposons dominate plastic genomic regions in a fungal plant pathogen and drive virulence evolution Starships form a recently discovered superfamily of giant transposons in Pezizomycotina fungi, implicated in mediating horizontal transfer of diverse cargo genes between fungal genomes. Their elusive nature has long obscured their significance, and their impact on genome evolution remains poorly understood. Here, we reveal a surprising abundance and diversity of Starships in the phytopathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae. Remarkably, Starships dominate the plastic genomic compartments involved in host colonization, are enriched in virulence-associated genes, and exhibit genetic and epigenetic characteristics associated with adaptive genome evolution. We further uncover extensive horizontal transfer of Starships between Verticillium species and, strikingly, from distantly related Fusarium fungi. Finally, we demonstrate how Starship activity facilitated the de novo formation of a novel virulence gene. Our findings illuminate the profound influence of Starship dynamics on fungal genome evolution and the development of virulence. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

📣New year, new preprint @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social 🎉! A study led by the brilliant @yukiyosato.bsky.social showing that Starship giant transposons dominate plastic genomic regions in the fungal plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae and drive virulence evolution. 🧵[1/12] doi.org/10.1101/2025...

I am very excited to be a part of AFEs 2025- 2026 @plantphys.bsky.social ! Looking forward to working with and learning from inspiring, experienced scientists @plantteaching.bsky.social @plantphys.bsky.social

Our latest paper is online:
"A nucleoside signal generated by a fungal endophyte regulates host cell death and promotes root colonization".
Two fungal enzymes acting cooperatively are key players in this process.
Thanks to the fantastic team of scientists. 👇
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...