Patrick Schäfer

Symbiont effectors modulate plant signalling to increase host stress resilience

This study identifies effector proteins from the fungal symbiont Serendipita indica that modulate plant stress signaling pathways, enhancing abiotic stress resilience and pathogen resistance in Arabidopsis.

Cross-kingdom degradomics identifies natural plant small RNAs with disease protecting activity

The paper identifies natural plant small RNAs with antipathogenic activity through cross-kingdom RNAi in Brachypodium distachyon and Fusarium graminearum interactions.

Fertilization impacts microbiomes along the grassland trophic chain

This study examines how fertilization affects microbial communities across trophic compartments in grassland ecosystems, revealing host-dependent changes and indirect effects through nutrient availability.

Epigenome priming dictates transcription response and white matter fate upon perinatal inflammation

The paper shows that neuroinflammation in OPCs causes major transcriptomic changes by exploiting a primed epigenetic landscape rather than altering chromatin accessibility, leading to white matter injury.

Cell type identity determines transcriptomic immune responses in Arabidopsis thaliana roots.

The paper identifies cell type-specific immune responses in Arabidopsis roots using transcriptome analysis of elicitors, showing that cell identity networks integrate with immunity networks.

Impact of spatial organization on a novel auxotrophic interaction among soil microbes

The paper identifies a thiamine auxotrophy in Serendipita indica and shows that co-culturing with Bacillus subtilis restores growth, but only under specific spatial and temporal conditions.