New insights could help plants fortify walls against root pathogens

Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) researchers, as part of a multidisciplinary international team, have uncovered a mechanism controlling subtle changes to the architecture of cell walls in plant roots that bolsters their defence against Phytophthora palmivora without negatively affecting plant growth.

Giles Oldroyd elected as member of EMBO

Professor Giles Oldroyd is among 63 other scientists from around the world elected this year as Members and Associate Members of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).

Cells in tight spaces – how the cytoskeleton responds to different cell geometries

Inside every living cell, there is a network of protein filaments providing an interior scaffold controlling the cell’s shape called the cytoskeleton. Research from the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) suggests that this relationship might actually be two-way, with cell geometry itself having the capacity to influence the organisation of the cytoskeleton in living plant cells.