Volume 4 • 2020

Ashley Carlin, communications coordinator for IS-MPMI, recently asked authors Ralph Panstruga and Matthew Moscou questions about their recently published review article addressing one of the MPMI journal’s Top 10 Unanswered Questions, “What is the molecular basis of nonhost resistance?” This Q&A is designed to serve as an entry point for…

Arnaud Djami Tchatchou and co-authors show how plant hormones like auxin are involved in disease resistance. Their results show that auxin signaling in the host affects salicylic acid synthesis and can lead to susceptibility. They also found that auxin can modulate virulence gene expression in bacteria (Pst DC3000)….

Muhammad Asyraf Md Hatta, a former graduate student in the lab of Brande Wulff at the John Innes Centre, discusses a collaborative study focused on the functional and evolutionary characterization of a wheat gene, Sr22, which confers broad-spectrum resistance to stem rust in wheat….

MPMI Editor-in-Chief Jeanne Harris has invited three early-career professionals to serve as assistant feature editors on her editorial board: Morgan Carter, Elizabeth Deyett, and Juan S. Ramirez. These editors will explore new ways to present and amplify MPMI journal articles….

The MPMI journal is going gold open access! To mark this transition, we’re unveiling a preview of the new cover. All papers submitted now will be published open access. Are you ready to publish gold open access in MPMI?…

IS-MPMI has launched Connect, a website where members and nonmembers can interact with one another to increase communication, collaboration, networking, and inclusion. Visit the website to find a discussion or group and connect with colleagues around the world….

Over the next year, IS-MPMI will be holding regularly scheduled international mini-symposia to connect researchers with the latest advances and discoveries in plant-microbial biology. Members are invited to recommend topics for these workshops….

IS-MPMIConnect is a virtual platform offering members and supporters an easy way to stay connected to our community and each other. Join tod​ay​ to participate in discussion groups on Work/Life Balance, Early Career Professionals, Parenting and Caregiving in STEM, and Inclusion & Diversity. We can’t wait to see you online!

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The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought unprecedented disruptions in our lives. IS-MPMIConnect is a new, virtual platform that will help us promote interactions between members, strengthen our collaboration, improve dialogue, and develop a stronger network….

First author Laura Bacete, a former graduate student in the lab of Antonio Molina and current postdoc at the Institute for Biology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, details the journey to discovering how plant cell-wall composition plays a role in disease resistance….

Corresponding authors Dawei Xin and Qingshan Chen, Northeast Agricultural University in Harbin, China, describe their study, which was designed to identify the mechanism regulating the establishment of symbiosis in soybean, enabling it to fix nitrogen from the air….

Li-Na Yang and co-authors explore the role of intrinsic disorder in the development of pathogenicity in the RXLR AVR2 effector of Phytophthora infestans. Their results support the notion that intrinsic disorder is important for the effector function of pathogens….

With the gold open access launch in January 2021, the MPMI journal will become more accessible than ever and can serve as a community meeting place for all. Jeanne Harris, MPMI editor-in-chief, envisions the journal as a place to tackle the big questions in molecular plant–microbe interactions….

The What’s New in MPMI! virtual seminar series provides new ways for the IS-MPMI community to connect and for MPMI to engage with readers and authors. The interaction is outside the regular publication cycle and is much more personal, giving readers and listeners the chance to directly interact with the…

With many conferences and regular seminar series cancelled, and many courses being held remotely, the MPMI virtual seminar series, What’s New in MPMI!, is being used by teachers looking for scientific seminars for their students or additional content for a course….

Jap​an-US Early Career Showcase: Remodeling of the Plant–Microbe Environment During Disease, Defense, and Mutualism The 12th Japan-US Seminar in Plant Pathology: Remodeling of the Plant–Microbe Environment During Disease, Defense, and Mutualism will be held online September 28 and 29 and October 5 and 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. (EDT)….