Dear Colleagues and Friends –

We write to you in these challenging times as day-to-day changes surrounding COVID-19 are affecting your families and research communities.

Your health and safety are incredibly important. You are the heart of our research community and we are concerned about your wellbeing. We know that this is a time of anxiety, exacerbated by the unknowns and our usual expectations of scholarly production and critical research functions. Many within our community are under a great deal of stress as they tackle the challenges of remote work, lab curtailments and restrictions on travel.

We encourage you all to stay in close touch with your research teams and staff for continuity planning and wellness support. It is important to reassure your teams that we will get through this and discussions are ongoing to help all of us to cope with delays in important timelines and milestones (e.g., student milestones and degrees, publications, promotions, job searches, etc.).

MPMI journal will continue to receive, review and publish manuscripts. We understand the constraints placed on authors and reviewers by factors beyond our control. We are available to work with our authors and reviewers on timelines, providing extensions on reviews and resubmissions as needed.

We wish you all the best moving forward as you take care of protecting the health of your family, colleagues, and neighbors.

Sincerely,

Mary Beth Mudgett                Jeanne Harris

IS-MPMI President                Editor-in-Chief MPMI

Dear Colleagues and Friends –

We write to you in these challenging times as day-to-day changes surrounding COVID-19 are affecting your families and research communities.

Your health and safety are incredibly important. You are the heart of our research community and we are concerned about your wellbeing. We know that this is a time of anxiety, exacerbated by the unknowns and our usual expectations of scholarly production and critical research functions. Many within our community are under a great deal of stress as they tackle the challenges of remote work, lab curtailments and restrictions on travel.

We encourage you all to stay in close touch with your research teams and staff for continuity planning and wellness support. It is important to reassure your teams that we will get through this and discussions are ongoing to help all of us to cope with delays in important timelines and milestones (e.g., student milestones and degrees, publications, promotions, job searches, etc.).

MPMI journal will continue to receive, review and publish manuscripts. We understand the constraints placed on authors and reviewers by factors beyond our control. We are available to work with our authors and reviewers on timelines, providing extensions on reviews and resubmissions as needed.

We wish you all the best moving forward as you take care of protecting the health of your family, colleagues, and neighbors.

Sincerely,

Mary Beth Mudgett                Jeanne Harris

IS-MPMI President                Editor-in-Chief MPMI

IS-MPMI will host a satellite meeting (coinciding with Plant Health 2020, the APS Annual Meeting) on August 8 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. The goals of this meeting will be to capitalize on the expertise of the already gathered IS-MPMI and APS communities; to exchange ideas and strategies for bridging the foundational research–translation gap; and to promote plant health worldwide. To provide diverse perspectives, we encourage the broad participation of students, postdoctoral scholars, principle investigators, and policy makers. More details are to come. Keep checking the website for more information.

IS-MPMI will host a satellite meeting (coinciding with Plant Health 2020, the APS Annual Meeting) on August 8 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. The goals of this meeting will be to capitalize on the expertise of the already gathered IS-MPMI and APS communities; to exchange ideas and strategies for bridging the foundational research–translation gap; and to promote plant health worldwide. To provide diverse perspectives, we encourage the broad participation of students, postdoctoral scholars, principle investigators, and policy makers. More details are to come. Keep checking the website for more information.

ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (EDS1) and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4) are sequence-related lipase-like proteins that function as a complex to regulate defense responses in Arabidopsis by both salicylic acid–dependent and independent pathways. Neubauer et al. describe​ a gain-of-function mutation in PAD4 (S135F) that enhances resistance and cell death in response to infection by the powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum. Their data indicate that the S135F mutation likely alters an EDS1-independent function of PAD4, potentially shedding light on a yet-unknown PAD4 signaling function.

ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (EDS1) and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4) are sequence-related lipase-like proteins that function as a complex to regulate defense responses in Arabidopsis by both salicylic acid–dependent and independent pathways. Neubauer et al. describe​ a gain-of-function mutation in PAD4 (S135F) that enhances resistance and cell death in response to infection by the powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum. Their data indicate that the S135F mutation likely alters an EDS1-independent function of PAD4, potentially shedding light on a yet-unknown PAD4 signaling function.

​Posted on Twitter by Sophien Kamoun @KamounLab

Folks, how about a virtual plant-microbe interactions poster session?

Simple… Upload your poster on http://Zenodo.org and tweet it with hashtag #MPMIposters!

@plantae_org

@ISMPMI

#plantpath

#plantsci

We miss our regular workplace colleagues and could really use a good laugh. Drop us a line about what quirky things have been happening with you during this new work-at-home dynamic. We can’t wait to hear about how your dog snores during your conference calls or how you have to make serious phone calls while your child uses you as a jungle gym. Look for these stories in the June issue of Interactions​.

Posted on Twitter by Sophien Kamoun @KamounLab

Folks, how about a virtual plant-microbe interactions poster session?

Simple… Upload your poster on http://Zenodo.org and tweet it with hashtag #MPMIposters!

@plantae_org

@ISMPMI

#plantpath

#plantsci

We miss our regular workplace colleagues and could really use a good laugh. Drop us a line about what quirky things have been happening with you during this new work-at-home dynamic. We can’t wait to hear about how your dog snores during your conference calls or how you have to make serious phone calls while your child uses you as a jungle gym. Look for these stories in the June issue of Interactions​.