News

Models of the structures of FOLD proteins from a pathogen (blue) and a symbiotic fungus (orange) superimposed onto each other to show how similar they are. Image by Albin Teulet

Symbiotic and pathogenic fungi may use similar molecular tools to manipulate plants

Symbiotic and pathogenic fungi that interact with plants are distantly related and don’t share many genetic similarities. C omparing plant pathogenic fungi and plant symbiotic fungi, scientists at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) have discovered that these remote relatives are using a similar group of proteins to manipulate and live within plants.

Sebastián Moreno Ramirez working with Arabidopsis thaliana plants

Meet Sebastián Moreno Ramirez

Humans of SLCU Taking inspiration from Humans of New York, each week we will feature people from our SLCU community. Meet Sebastián… Dr Sebastián Moreno Ramirez | Research Associate Twitter @seba_moreno_r Sebastián is a plant development biologist studying stem cells, in particular the shoot apical meristem dynamic (SAM)...

Meet Sonal Yadav

Taking inspiration from Humans of New York, each week we will feature people from our SLCU community. Sonal joined SLCU in January 2023 as a Research Associate and is working in three research groups - Alexander Jones, Henrik Jönsson and Elliot Meyerowitz. She recently defended her PhD from IISER Mohali under the guidance of Dr Ram Kishor Yadav.

Modelling the evolution of novelty

Understanding the evolution of novelty through computational modelling The most striking outcome of evolution is the emergence of novel forms of life, with new abilities and interesting shapes, colours and sizes. In an Essays in Biochemistry review , Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University’s (SLCU) Enrico Sandro Colizzi...

Meet Albin Teulet

Taking inspiration from Humans of New York, each week we will feature people from our SLCU community. Albin's research f ocuses on understanding the molecular strategies employed by beneficial/symbiotic microorganisms to facilitate their interaction with their host. He is specifically interested in investigating how these microorganisms are able to suppress the host's immune response by utilising effector proteins.

Meet Raymond Wightman

Taking inspiration from Humans of New York, each week we will feature people from our SLCU community. Ray joined SLCU in 2011 as a postdoc in Elliot Meyerowitz’ group working on shoot apical meristem development. Together with a small team, he now runs SLCU's microscopy facility where they train and support researchers in the use of light and electron microscopes.

Science of the extremes – what does it take for plants to survive?

Dora's research focuses on understanding how plants respond and adapt to weather extremes. Her work is revealing just what it takes for plants to survive, including work that has identified a mechanism that plants use to cope with cold at dawn

Super-resolution images deep inside the living root showing a portion of a narrow xylem vessel and fluorescently-tagged cellulose synthase complex (CSC) compartments, fluorescent actin and fluorescent microtubules that all work together to make cellulose

Super-resolution microscopy reveals the manufacture of wood deep inside a living plant

The biosynthesis of the principle component of native wood in real time has been observed for the first time thanks to advances in deep tissue super-resolution microscopy – revealing the wood-forming cells to be highly efficient material makers. Research up until now has relied on artificially induced wood-making cells...

Countryfile presenter Tom Heap interviewing Sebastian Schornack

MycoRed featured on BBC TV

Sebastian Schornack and the MycoRed research undertaken in collaboration between his and Sam Brockington's team in Plant Sciences was featured on prime-time BBC One TV on the programme Countryfile.

World Pulses Day 2023

Pulses are packed with goodness: Five cool things you should know about them Written by Dr Nadia Radzman Each year on February 10, the United Nations commemorates what probably sounds to many like a strange occasion: World Pulses Day . But, as a researcher focused on forgotten and underutilised legumes , I think the...

Plant science at Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is home to one of the largest concentrations of plant research anywhere in the world. Visit the below organisations to find out about their work in sustainable agriculture, conservation and fundamental research.

Department of Plant Sciences

Crop Science Centre

Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Cambridge University Herbarium

Cambridge Global Food Security

Cambridge Centre for Physical Biology

Conservation Research Institute

Plants @ Cambridge Hub

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