Baptiste Castel
🌿 Plant biologist
👨🔬 Post-doc with Pierre-Marc Delaux and Christophe Jacquet at the LRSV, Toulouse (FR)
🛡️🧬 Interested in the plant immune system and its evolution
- Congratulations Sylvain and @nemopeeters.bsky.social !
- 🆕 version work @sylvain-vicente.bsky.social and collaborators #BIOSP #MathNum @inrae-dpt-spe.bsky.social. Re-evaluation of STAMP modelling, introducing time-resolution. Works also on Animal-bacterial infection models. #infection #Ralstonia #Pseudomonas #Klebsiella www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel📢 2 PhD Positions Available in Plant Immune Receptor Bioengineering at Imperial College London 🌱 Start: Oct 2026 📅 Deadline: 10 Feb 2026 🇬🇧 UK/settled status only 💰 Fully funded (48 months) ℹ️ Info: shorturl.at/po61I #PlantImmunity #PlantPathology #SyntheticBiology 🙏 Share with interested candidates!
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelVACANCY - We're looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the @philcarella.bsky.social Group, working in the field of Evo-MPMI (Evolutionary Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions). okt.to/yIlgTU Closing date - 10 February 2026 Salary - £37,500 - £45,350 Contract - Full-time, 3 years
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelNew paper led by @hannasusi.bsky.social shows biodiversity responses to carbon farming are highly context-dependent—varying by management, index and taxa 🌱🪱🐞🐦. Abundance is the most sensitive early indicator for detecting biodiversity impacts! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelWe’re looking for a postdoc to investigate Pseudomonas viridiflava virulence across diverse plant lineages. The 3yr position will combine plant and microbial molecular biology to understand core processes of infection - email for more info & apply online @ www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/po...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelWE GOT FERNS, folks. I hope you like ferns. If you don’t, just listen and you will like ferns. 🌿🌿🌿 Dr. Li is hilarious and charming and you will love him. And ferns. In conclusion: ferns. www.alieward.com/ologies/pter...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelA novel pathosystem between Aeschynomene evenia and Aphanomyces euteiches reveals new immune components in quantitative legume root-rot resistance. biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelI’m happy to share our new preprint! We uncovered the full diversity of bacterial TIR-based antiviral immune signaling, massively expanded the known diversity of Thoeris systems, and revealed conservation of TIR-derived immune signals across the tree of life. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelNew preprint from our group led by @metalichen.bsky.social on the discovery of a Starship giant transposable element in the genome of a lichen-forming fungus.
- New preprint: 🚀🧬 Starship in the genome of the lichen fungus Xanthoria. Discovery of giant transposons Starships challenged what we thought we knew about fungal genomes. But what about Starships in #lichen fungi? Let us present Tangerine! 🖥️ 🧪 🦠 🧫 #SymbioSky doi.org/10.1101/2025...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelPhD opportunity in our lab - deadline passes on Dec 2nd - don’t miss out!
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel🛑Exciting update from our work with @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social team on the ericoid mycorrhizal symbiosis❗❗ 🔥New results support a conserved three-gene module and master regulator for nutrient-responsive intracellular accommodation of fungal symbionts🤯 Check the nice thread below👇🏼 #plantscience
- 1/ It is my pleasure to share the latest preprint of the team: "Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants" doi.org/10.1101/2025... Here, we identified and functionally validated a novel master regulator of intracellular symbioses! A thread ... #PlantScience
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelSooo happy to see this preprint out 🍄☘️! Congratulations @leocastanedo.bsky.social @katharinamel1.bsky.social et al. ! It has been a long journey, from developing ericoid-mycorrhizae in the lab (Leo) to the genetics in Marchantia (Katharina), and many other details (#teamwork)
- 1/ It is my pleasure to share the latest preprint of the team: "Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants" doi.org/10.1101/2025... Here, we identified and functionally validated a novel master regulator of intracellular symbioses! A thread ... #PlantScience
- Congratulations!
- 1/ It is my pleasure to share the latest preprint of the team: "Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants" doi.org/10.1101/2025... Here, we identified and functionally validated a novel master regulator of intracellular symbioses! A thread ... #PlantScience
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelHumbly share our latest work led by @himanshuchhillar.bsky.social my phd student And thanks to all collaborators Henk-jan @brunongou.bsky.social @jonathandgjones.bsky.social
- Uncoupling hypersensitive cell death response and disease resistance activated by effector-triggered immunity biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202…
- 1\ bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.... 🌿🌿Our article on fern immunity has been peer-reviewed 🌿🌿 Thanks to @madeleinebaker.bsky.social @kellerjeanphd.bsky.social @maximebonhomme.bsky.social @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social and @jacquet-chris.bsky.social a quick thread 🧵 1/4
- 2\ We tested many ferns with many filamentous microbes and report several pathosystems 2/4
- 3\ Ferns reproduce via alternance of gametophytes (💚 algae-looking tiny plants) and sporophyte (🌿dominant phase, the form we are most familiar with). For some pathogens, gametophytes are more resistant than their sporophyte. 3/4
- 4\ We found a class of immune receptors enriched in ferns. According to the features you are looking at, they could be CC-NLRs, or potentially a new class of intracellular immune receptors. They remain to be characterized … (drop us a message if you are interested in doing that with us ⬇️) 4/4
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelA first dive in fern x pathogen interaction! More to come! Congratulations @baptistebio.bsky.social @jacquet-chris.bsky.social et al.!
- Want to see ferns under attack and how they respond to pathogens? Check out our latest paper! doi.org/10.1186/s129... Congrats on this huge team effort to @baptistebio.bsky.social @madeleinebaker.bsky.social @kellerjeanphd.bsky.social @maximebonhomme.bsky.social @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelWant to see ferns under attack and how they respond to pathogens? Check out our latest paper! doi.org/10.1186/s129... Congrats on this huge team effort to @baptistebio.bsky.social @madeleinebaker.bsky.social @kellerjeanphd.bsky.social @maximebonhomme.bsky.social @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel~12 years after we coined it EPP1 with @oswaldovaldesl.bsky.social one afternoon when we were postdoc with @jeanmichelane.bsky.social! Congrats @melaniekrich.bsky.social @tatiana-vernie.bsky.social et al. for the hard work! EPP1 is the fourth member of the Common Symbiosis Pathway 🍄🌱!
- So happy to see the latest preprint of the team out! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... The continuation of a long standing project started by @oswaldovaldesl.bsky.social in @jeanmichelane.bsky.social‘s lab. 1/7 🧵
- www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... and www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Two papers to tell us more about mysterious EPP1, a protein required for symbiosis. Well done @tatiana-vernie.bsky.social and all co-authors.
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel...and three more fern genomes @molbioevol.bsky.social ! Not-so-static static lineages! academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelVACANCY - Independent research fellowships leading to tenured positions We’re inviting applications from outstanding researchers who either hold, or wish to apply for, Independent Research Fellowships. APPLICATION DEADLINE: 10 November 2025 Click here to apply: jic.link/Fellows
- www.cell.com/trends/ecolo... Fun read today: Did figs and chilli peppers 'domesticated' humans?
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelOur recent paper @newphyt.bsky.social @anajusagasti.bsky.social @instmolplantsci.bsky.social is featured today in the Sunday Post! Thanks Sally McDonald for your piece helping to promote and communicate Scotland’s rich fossil heritage nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelVery happy to share our latest work “Systematic discovery and engineering of synthetic immune receptors in plants” out in @science.org ! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelOutstanding paper ! -> receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase AeRLCK2 mediates Nod-independent rhizobial symbiosis in Aeschynomene legumes | The Plant Cell | Oxford Academic
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelSuper excited to share our new preprint! 🎉 This project has been an incredible learning experience, thanks to the amazing lab and wonderful people I get to work with. Huge thanks to my supervisor! @plantevolution.bsky.social
- 1/3 New preprint led by Shanshan Wang, in collaboration with the Timmermans lab. Several groups have presented sc/snRNA-seq analyses of Arabidopsis leaves after bacterial infection before. Is there anything left to discover? Turns out: Yes. #plantscience www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel1/3 New preprint led by Shanshan Wang, in collaboration with the Timmermans lab. Several groups have presented sc/snRNA-seq analyses of Arabidopsis leaves after bacterial infection before. Is there anything left to discover? Turns out: Yes. #plantscience www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelFor those who are not familiar with SA research history, we humbly introduce a review we wrote years ago: www.cell.com/trends/plant... @cp-trendsplantsci.bsky.social
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel🦠🧍♀️From bacterial to human immunity. We report in @science.org the discovery of a human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins that participates in the TLR pathway of animal innate immunity. Co-led wt @enzopoirier.bsky.social by D. Bonhomme and @hugovaysset.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelFirst Ma lab #GMI paper is now online! It‘s a mini-review on insect-induced plant #galls —their coolness and research potential! Plant galls induced by insects: Coordinated developmental reprogramming and defence manipulation www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelAre chromatin remodelling complexes targets of bacterial effectors PopP2 & XopJ6 ? Check out our work at #2025ISMPMI ! P-163 presented Wednesday afternoon by my amazing PhD supervisors Laurent Deslandes & Valerie Pacquit. @lipme-toulouse.bsky.social @ismpmi.bsky.social
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel@charlesrleveillee.bsky.social is introducing the concept of „EDEN“ in his talk in the concurrent session „local and inter-organ signaling“ #2025ISMPMI see also his great review: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel#2025ISMPMI 📣 In silico screening of PRR-epitope interactions is now possible! Here, we developed mamp-ml to predict their immunogenic outcomes without structural context. Let's accelerate engineering plant receptors for robust resistance! 🚀🌱 Small 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- @federicalocci.bsky.social presents the fonction of non canonical TIR immune receptors #2025ismpmi
- Full room for @keehoonsohn.bsky.social presentation #2025ismpmi
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelFantastic plenary talk by Nuria Coll @bactodeath.bsky.social on how to use metabolic engineering to make plants resistant to vascular pathogens #2025ISMPMI
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelPoster at #ISMPMI2025 from collaborations with @sainburylab.bsky.social #Proteomics group: P011 ( @isabelmonte.bsky.social ), P073 ( @HeeKungAng group), P086 & P034 (Zipfel group) P101 ( @tolgaboz.bsky.social ) and P130 ( @jonathandgjones.bsky.social and XiaoLin)
- @geminiteamlab.bsky.social reminds us the importance of virology in plant immunity research #2025ismpmi
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelInterested on (gemini)viral peptides? 🦠🍅 ➡️ Come see my poster at #2025ISMPMI @geminiteamlab.bsky.social 🧾 Poster P-003: Mon 14th, Session 1 #unpublished-results #I’lldraw’em4U 💥
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelLooking forward to the start of #2025ISMPMI today! If you're interested in structural studies of effector/host target complexes, come talk to me! 🗣️ Talk: Thurs 17th 16:25 Concurrent session "Structure Informed Synthetic Biology: From Design To Function" 📄 Poster: P-212, Thurs 17th 13:30-15:15 🌱🦠
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelIf you’re interested in the role of #proteostasis in plant immunity and how pathogens manipulate it visit our contributions at #2025ISMPMI @manuelgonzalezfuen.bsky.social will talk on Tuesday in the effector interference session @shanshuo.bsky.social (P-432) @margotraffeiner.bsky.social (P-405)
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelPlenary talk by my colleague Wenbo Ma @thesainsburylab.bsky.social #2025ISMPMI
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelAttending #ISMPMI2025? Don't miss posters from our team: ▶️ @madeleinebaker.bsky.social (P-182) ▶️@baptistebio.bsky.social (P-089) and ▶️@katharinamel1.bsky.social (P-407) ▶️@nicolasfreiditfrey.bsky.social (P-425) + talk tomorrow in the Symbiosis/Mutualism session ☘️ #symbiosis #immunity #evolution
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel#2025ISMPMI Rotem @SorekLab encourages the audience to start studying those components of the plant immune system that have not been studied yet. Luckily there is more than TIR and CC NLRs in plants. academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelAll set up for the poster session tomorrow #2025ISMPMI Please join if you wanna know more about transcription factor complexes that play roles during AMS in #MyMarchantia P-407 And, also see posters P-089 @baptistebio.bsky.social and P-182 @madeleinebaker.bsky.social
- Well arrived at #2025ismpmi with @madeleinebaker.bsky.social (Poster P-182) @nicolasfreiditfrey.bsky.social (talk at symbiosis concurrent session) and @katharinamel1.bsky.social (P-407)
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelLast chance to apply for the open postdoc position in our lab!
- New Postdoc position (2yrs) available in our #EvoMPMI lab @JohnInnesCentre. Come and work with on harnessing the diversity of immune mechanisms to protect plants. jobs.jic.ac.uk/Details.asp?va…
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelOn our way to Cologne 🥳 #2025ISMPMI with @nicolasfreiditfrey.bsky.social @baptistebio.bsky.social @madeleinebaker.bsky.social See you there!!!
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelLatest #preprint from the lab @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social Please welcome Nissolia brasiliensis, the new non-nodulating model legume ☘️ developped by Camille Girou in the team! Work led by Tatiana, with input from many! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelThrilled to share our latest preprint! This work started during my PhD and was finished together with @jmadhuprakash.bsky.social. We found a Phytophthora infestans L-shaped effector that bridges a host TOL protein to activated NLRs to suppress immunity! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/15
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelLooking forward to meeting friends and colleagues at #2025ISMPMI next week! Find me at P-267 >>> Session 1, Monday, 14th. In the meantime, you can check out my poster on Zenodo :) #openscience zenodo.org/records/1583...
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel#EFPP Thorsten Langner presents past and future of pathogen genomics... starting with smut fungi😀
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelNew Postdoc position (2yrs) available in our #EvoMPMI lab @JohnInnesCentre. Come and work with on harnessing the diversity of immune mechanisms to protect plants. jobs.jic.ac.uk/Details.asp?va…
- Reposted by Baptiste Castel‘Wildest thing’: solar-powered slug steals chloroplasts and stores them for emergencies doi.org/10.1038/d415... A comment on this @cellpress.bsky.social paper: "A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis" doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelExcited to share I’m starting my group in Dublin this September, supported by a Research Ireland Pathway award. We will work on neurulation mechanics using chicken embryos and human iPSCs. Looking forward to this new adventure! #newPI #womeninSTEM
- Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, has today announced €23 million in funding to support early-career researchers through the Research Ireland Pathway Programme. Read more: www.researchireland.ie/news/pathways/ #ResearchIreland
- There is great science happening at @instmolplantsci.bsky.social in Edinburgh, on plant biology, evolution and paleobotany. Thanks @transitionalform.bsky.social for explaining to me this rare fossil collection. Thanks again @davidjhoey.bsky.social and @sandyheth.bsky.social for the invitation.
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelHow forceful #fungi penetrate host cells — primer by Lauren Ryder Joris Sprakel and Nick Talbot www.cell.com/current-biol...
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelWonderful talk by Baptiste Castel @baptistebio.bsky.social on fern immune system here at @instmolplantsci.bsky.social Great to meet @jonathandgjones.bsky.social lab alumni in Edinburgh too!
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelSuch a pleasure having @baptistebio.bsky.social visit the lab! Wonderful talk and great to hear about lots of exciting fern work! #FernFriday 🌿
- Reposted by Baptiste CastelDefense-Suppressive Fragments of RIN4 generated by AvrRpt2 Participate in NDR1-dependent Activation of RPS2 biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202…
