Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU)

Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium 2026 logo - Shaping Life-Mechanisms of Morphogenesis. Timelapse of a developing Arabidopsis leaf imaged at 9-12 days old under a confocal microscope, with cells segmented and coloured using MorphographX software. Images by Sarah Attrill.

Register Now!
#SLS26 Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium | 22-24 Sept 2026 | Cambridge, UK
Theme - Shaping Life: Mechanisms of Morphogenesis!

If you are into Plant Development - join us!

In-person + livestream
Limited fee waivers
www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/sls

Optical sections of EdU-labelled Medicago truncatula root nodule primordia 7-days post inoculation imaged under a confocal microscope. Images by Ella Greensmith.

The method published in STAR Protocols, developed by Dr Schiessl and lab members Georgina Wickens and Ella Greensmith, combines highly controlled rhizobial spot inoculation with advanced deep-tissue imaging, enabling researchers to determine exactly where and when nodules form along the root.

Graphical abstract that visually shows the workflow with photos of each step. The steps show the plant growth and bacterial growth steps: 1. Preparation of rhizobia and seedlings for spot inoculation. 2. Root zone marking and precise bacterial droplet application. 3. Incubation in EdU medium to label DNA replication. 4. Sample fixation and replicated DNA labelling 5. Tissue clearing and cell wall staining

Powerful new protocol from @kathschiessl.bsky.social's lab to trigger & visualise earliest stages of symbiotic root nodule formation in Medicago truncatula — no genetic reporters needed means broad species application!
Protocol: doi.org/10.1016/j.xp...
Summary: www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/new-pro...

🤩🤩🤩Soooo Happy to be selected for the 3rd Early Career Plant Researchers Network Meeting in Halle, Germany (April 2026).
Looking forward to great science, honest career conversations, and the Leibniz Plant Biochemistry Symposium. 🌱💃🤩 #ECR #EarlyPostdoc #DBG #IBPSymposium2026

Be part of OMGN! Open to all researchers with an interest in oomycetes, from molecular genetics & genomics to biology, population biology, and ecology, at either an experimental or a computational level. Investigators new to the field are always welcome oomycetes.com

Exterior of the award-winning Sainsbury Laboratory building as viewed from the Cambridge University Botanic Garden with summer flower bed in foreground featuring irises. Text overlay says: Business Operations Manager: Where strategic leadership, exceptional people and world-leading science come together. Closing date 8th March 2026.

Position: Business & Operations Manager
Where: @slcuplants.bsky.social Cambridge UK

Wide-ranging leadership role with an internationally recognised institute for plant developmental biology research. Based in @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social & 5-min from Cambridge Station
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/busines...

Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium 2026 logo - Shaping Life-Mechanisms of Morphogenesis. Timelapse of a developing Arabidopsis leaf imaged at 9-12 days old under a confocal microscope, with cells segmented and coloured using MorphographX software. Images by Sarah Attrill.

Registrations now open for #SLS26 Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium 2026 in Cambridge, UK — Shaping Life: Mechanisms of Morphogenesis!
Join us explore how cellular, genetic & mechanical forces sculpt plant form
📅 22–24 Sept 2026
In-person + livestream
Limited fee waivers
www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/sls
#plantsi

Excellent editor's summary from @maddyseale.bsky.social on research showing how ribosome methylation affects vascular cell fate in xylem tissue - whether cells become water conducting vessels or parenchyma cells for storage.
Research summary: www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/how-pla...

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitatd Politè cnica de València
Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, INRAE
North Carolina State University
@dundee.ac.uk
Palacký University Olomouc
University of Tartu

University of Southern Denmark
Polish Academy of Sciences
South China Agricultural University
@umeaplantsciencecentre.se ecentre.se Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Palacký University
@gssr-warsaw.bsky.social y.social
@uniofnottingham.bsky.social

cont...

Research Collaborators:

@cam.ac.uk
@helsinki.fi

@cambridgebiosci.bsky.social
@cambridge-scm.bsky.social
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
Cambridge Department of Geography
Cambridge Department of Haematology
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute

cont...

Thermospermine requires m3U2952 modification of ribosomes for its bifunctional translation regulation. In WT plants the OVAC gene can methylate ribosomes (m3U2952). With this specific methylation and the presence of themospermine, SACLs can be translated but LHW cannot. This mechanism is impaired in the ovac mutant where SACLs are not translated, but LHW can still be translated. Graphic and images by Donghwi Ko.

The research concludes that thermospermine is a bifunctional translational regulator for SAC51 and LHW, but requires a specific methylation, m3U2952, for its bifunctional regulation. It acts by promoting SACLs translation while inhibiting that of LHW.

: Location of the methylation is in the ribosome’s peptidyl transferase centre (PTC) where the peptide bond can be catalysed. Visualisation of the binding of thermospermine (tSpm) to the Arabidopisis ribosome using a cryo-EM map of Arabidopsis WT 80S ribosome with P-site bound tRNA (cyan). Schematic of the PTC, with the CCA end of the P-site tRNA, tSpm, and residue m3U2952 indicated. Ribosome structure visualisation by Alexandre Faill.

Researchers from Alan Warren’s lab at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and Finn Kirpekar’s lab at the University of Southern Denmark analysed chemical modifications and the structure of the Arabidopsis ribosome to see how it functions as a signalling sensor.

Cross section of hypocotyl of 8-week-old Arabidopsis thaliana. The ovac mutant displays enhanced secondary vessel differentiation (red) at the expense of parchenchyma cells. Images A2 and B2 show the vessel cells only. SR2200 and Fuchsin staining. Imaged by Donghwi Ko.

How plants control fleshy & woody tissue growth🥕🪵
Ykä Helariutta’s labs at @slcuplants.bsky.social & @helsinki.fi reveal how plants fine-tune xylem development to balance growth — with big implications for crops and forestry

📜@science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
ℹ️ shorturl.at/YLnUw

Data-driven mathematical modelling explains altered timing of EARLY FLOWERING 3 in the wheat circadian oscillator Abstract. Circadian rhythms are endogenous 24 h cycles that allow organisms to anticipate daily environmental changes. In plants, circadian timing is maint

Our model of wheat circadian clock based on our finding that orthlogues of ELF3 (Arabidopsis evening complex gene) peak at dawn in the cereals. TOC1 repression of ELF3 explains the different behaviours of Arabidopsis & wheat circadian clocks doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
#plantresearch 🧪

Having fun with the microscope lately. Here’s one of my favourite artsy and slightly psychedelic shots of #Marchantia chloroplasts and a fluorescent membrane reporter. (z-stack maximum projection)

It's been a great experience, feel free to message me if you have questions :).

Photo of the interior of award-winning Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University building. Glass walls look into the research labs and naturally lit staircase and walkway with study boxes looking into the Botanic Garden

Launch your own independent research group!

2x David Sainsbury Career Development Fellowships at @slcuplants.bsky.social

📆 Apply by 30 Jan 2026

More info:
👉 www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/careers/grou...
Job details:
👉 www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/david-s...

Please share this post #PlantSciJobs #PlantSciJob

In preprints A new preprint curation initiative from Development

In preprints: understanding leaf form for better crop designs

Neha Bhatia from @slcuplants.bsky.social discusses two preprints on soybean leaf development by Chancelor Clark & colleagues and Bishal Tamang & colleagues

doi.org/10.1242/dev....

Explore gene expression evolution across organs in seven flowering plant species via our interactive atlas:

🖥️ DevSeq Plant WebApp
👉 www.devseqplant.org/index.php

📂 All datasets are openly available for reuse and reanalysis:
👉 github.com/schustischus...

Now speaking is Ho-Wei Wu of @slcuplants.bsky.social about imaging of circadian gene expression in live growing root tips

Montage of microscopy images of plant tissues and cells from SLCU researchers, including SEM, confocal and light microscopy.

And learn about the excellent facilities and exceptional central support services www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/about/facili...
including unique core microscopy facilities that you will have access to www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/about/facili...
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Sainsbury Laboratory Group Leaders

Meet the other PIs at SLCU and find out what sort of research they do: www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/research/res...
3/4🧵

Join a world-leading research centre for interdisciplinary plant developmental biology with a collaborative and family friendly environment, financial support & freedom to advance your own original research programmes.

Find out about being a PI at SLCU
www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/careers/grou...
2/4🧵

Photo of the interior of award-winning Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University building. Glass walls look into the research labs and naturally lit staircase and walkway with study boxes looking into the Botanic Garden

🌱 2x David Sainsbury Career Development Fellowships at @slcuplants.bsky.social

Launch your first independent research group in quantitative plant development, with generous support & world-class facilities.

Deadline extended to 30 Jan 2026

www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/david-s...
#plantscijobs
1/4🧵

Primordium formation in the pAHP6::ER-GFP reporter line (upper panel), pATHB8::ATHB8-GFP reporter line (middle panel) and pJKD::JKD-Ypet reporter line (bottom panel) following the phyllotactic pattern. scale bars for primordium initiation, 5 µm.

Project Name: Variable and Noisy Gene Expression in the Arabidopsis Shoot Meristem

Supervisors: James Locke & Elliot Meyerowitz

Application Deadline: 15 February 2026

Start Date: October 2026

More details: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/phd-stu...
3/3🧵

Detection of gene activity of a FOLD gene (black spots) specifically in the structures formed by the symbiotic fungus Rhizophagus irregularis (labelled in yellow) within legume root cells. Image by Edouard Evangelisti.

Project Name: DIY Plant Walls: Engineering Plant Cell Size and Material Strength using Fungal Proteins

Supervisors: @dromius.bsky.social & @robinsonsci.bsky.social

Application Deadline: 5pm Monday 19 January 2026

Start Date: 1 October 2026

More details: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
2/3🧵

Montage of microscopy images of plant organs and cells in tissues.

🚨Two fully-funded #PhD positions🚨
Join @slcuplants.bsky.social to help us explore intriguing fundamental plant development questions in a supportive, friendly institute with fantastic supervisors & exceptional support services 🌿🧬🔬
Find out more www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/PhD

Pls share
#plantscijobs
1/3🧵

Café Synthetique returns in 2026!

Join us on Mon 19 Jan for talks on Cellular Decision Making in Plant Environmental Response & miRNA Crop Assessment with
@xanderjones.bsky.social @slcuplants.bsky.social and the Cambridge iGEM Team 🪴🌱

Sign up👉 www.tickettailor.com/events/engin...

Watch @anikadamm.bsky.social's presentation on plant-parasitic nematodes from last week's @aabiologists.bsky.social conference:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ha5...

Anika is a PhD student in @sebastianevda.bsky.social's lab at the Crop Science Centre @camplantsci.bsky.social.