Saet-Byul Kim
@saet-byul.bsky.social
Assistant Professor | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Plant-Microbe Interactions | Maize Pathology | https://kimlab.unl.edu/
A visiting scholar, Mei, from Japan gave a talk in the CROPS seminar today. She presented her work at the Kobe Unvi. and it was her first seminar in English. Good job! @CropsUNL @UNL_PlantPath
November 11, 2025 at 5:14 AM
A visiting scholar, Mei, from Japan gave a talk in the CROPS seminar today. She presented her work at the Kobe Unvi. and it was her first seminar in English. Good job! @CropsUNL @UNL_PlantPath
If you know anyone who is interested in doing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, please share this opportunity with them! 🌽
I will co-supervise the student at UNL, and they will have the opportunity to travel there.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
I will co-supervise the student at UNL, and they will have the opportunity to travel there.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
Project | E5 Doctoral Training Partnership | E5 Doctoral Training Partnership
The project advertisement
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk
October 15, 2025 at 4:41 PM
If you know anyone who is interested in doing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, please share this opportunity with them! 🌽
I will co-supervise the student at UNL, and they will have the opportunity to travel there.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
I will co-supervise the student at UNL, and they will have the opportunity to travel there.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
📣 Massively proud of this ⬇️ great study, led by the brilliant @mesny.bsky.social surprisingly uncovering that many pathogen effectors stem from ancient antimicrobials 🤯 #EffectorWisdom #EvoMPMI
📣 NEW PREPRINT 📝
We identified evolutionary origins of many fungal effectors!
We show that fungi secrete lots of antimicrobial proteins, and that some of them were repurposed by plant pathogens for host immune suppression.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
cc @teamthomma.bsky.social
We identified evolutionary origins of many fungal effectors!
We show that fungi secrete lots of antimicrobial proteins, and that some of them were repurposed by plant pathogens for host immune suppression.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
cc @teamthomma.bsky.social
Plant-associated fungi co-opt ancient antimicrobials for host manipulation
Evolutionary histories of effector proteins secreted by fungal pathogens to mediate plant colonization remain largely elusive. While most functionally characterized effectors modulate plant immunity, ...
www.biorxiv.org
August 15, 2025 at 7:58 AM
📣 Massively proud of this ⬇️ great study, led by the brilliant @mesny.bsky.social surprisingly uncovering that many pathogen effectors stem from ancient antimicrobials 🤯 #EffectorWisdom #EvoMPMI
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
🌱 From Nature Plants: Phosphorylation of NLR immune receptors by a cell wall–associated kinase limits resistosome assembly, fine-tuning plant immune responses. (Savithramma P. Dinesh-Kumar)
▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantBiology #PlantScience
▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantBiology #PlantScience
A cell wall-associated kinase phosphorylates NLR immune receptor to negatively regulate resistosome formation - Nature Plants
The discovery of the resistosome was a milestone in plant immunity. Here, Zhong et al. identify a kinase that phosphorylates the NLR, and reveal how this kinase regulates resistosome assembly to fine-...
www.nature.com
August 13, 2025 at 5:05 PM
🌱 From Nature Plants: Phosphorylation of NLR immune receptors by a cell wall–associated kinase limits resistosome assembly, fine-tuning plant immune responses. (Savithramma P. Dinesh-Kumar)
▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantBiology #PlantScience
▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantBiology #PlantScience
Libia @libiafgt.bsky.social presented her project at the IS-MPMI in Cologne for the first time. I hope she enjoyed the scientific atmosphere and learned from their enthusiasm as I always do! Way to go! #2025ISMPMI
July 29, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Libia @libiafgt.bsky.social presented her project at the IS-MPMI in Cologne for the first time. I hope she enjoyed the scientific atmosphere and learned from their enthusiasm as I always do! Way to go! #2025ISMPMI
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 3/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Complete biosynthesis of salicylic acid from phenylalanine in plants - Nature
Characterization of four SALICYLIC ACID-DEFICIENT GENEs in rice identifies an ancestral pathway for biosynthesis of salicylic acid from phenylalanine and provides genetic targets for engineering disea...
www.nature.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 3/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 2/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Deciphering phenylalanine-derived salicylic acid biosynthesis in plants - Nature
Diverse plant species synthesize salicylic acid from phenylalanine through a pathway that includes a conserved triple-enzyme module that converts benzoyl-CoA to salicylic acid.
www.nature.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 2/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 1/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Three-step biosynthesis of salicylic acid from benzoyl-CoA in plants - Nature
The salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis pathway—involving ligation of benzoyl coenzyme A and benzyl alcohol to give benzyl benzoate; hydroxylation of benzyl benzoate to give benzyl salicylate; and cleava...
www.nature.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 1/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
#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...
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...
mamp-ml: A deep learning approach to epitope immunogenicity in plants
Eukaryotes detect biomolecules through surface-localized receptors, key signaling components. A subset of receptors survey for pathogens, induce immunity, and restrict pathogen growth. Comparative gen...
www.biorxiv.org
July 15, 2025 at 11:28 PM
#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...
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...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
I'm very excited our most recent work on plant tandem kinases (TKPs) has finally been published! TKPs are a fascinating protein family conferring disease resistance to fungi. Originally in bioRxiv. Many thanks to @yichangsung.bsky.social for leading this work. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Wheat tandem kinase RWT4 directly binds a fungal effector to activate defense - Nature Genetics
This study shows that RWT4, a wheat tandem kinase, confers resistance to the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae by directly binding to the pathogen effector AvrPWT4 and activating host defense.
www.nature.com
April 15, 2025 at 4:36 AM
I'm very excited our most recent work on plant tandem kinases (TKPs) has finally been published! TKPs are a fascinating protein family conferring disease resistance to fungi. Originally in bioRxiv. Many thanks to @yichangsung.bsky.social for leading this work. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
The tandem kinase WTK3 and its allelic variant Rwt4 activate the NLR WTN1 to form Ca2+ channel resistosomes, which induce ETI against the blast effector PWT4 in wheat! @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A wheat tandem kinase and NLR pair confers resistance to multiple fungal pathogens
Tandem kinase proteins underlie the innate immune systems of cereal plants, but how they initiate plant immune responses remains unclear. This report identifies wheat protein wheat tandem NBD 1 (WTN1)...
www.science.org
March 28, 2025 at 12:23 AM
The tandem kinase WTK3 and its allelic variant Rwt4 activate the NLR WTN1 to form Ca2+ channel resistosomes, which induce ETI against the blast effector PWT4 in wheat! @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
The tandem kinase Sr62TK activates the Sr62NLR to induce ETI against the rust effector AvrSr62 in wheat! @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A wheat tandem kinase activates an NLR to trigger immunity
The role of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors in plant immunity is well studied, but the function of a class of tandem kinases (TKs) that confer disease resistance in wheat and ba...
www.science.org
March 28, 2025 at 12:26 AM
The tandem kinase Sr62TK activates the Sr62NLR to induce ETI against the rust effector AvrSr62 in wheat! @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Travel permits of all US government employees (USDA, NSF) have been revoked shortly before the the maize meeting affecting:
- The chair of the meeting
- The winner of the most prestigious McClintock award
- A plenary speaker
- Two short talk presenters
- 22 scientists presenting posters.
#MGM2025
- The chair of the meeting
- The winner of the most prestigious McClintock award
- A plenary speaker
- Two short talk presenters
- 22 scientists presenting posters.
#MGM2025
March 7, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Travel permits of all US government employees (USDA, NSF) have been revoked shortly before the the maize meeting affecting:
- The chair of the meeting
- The winner of the most prestigious McClintock award
- A plenary speaker
- Two short talk presenters
- 22 scientists presenting posters.
#MGM2025
- The chair of the meeting
- The winner of the most prestigious McClintock award
- A plenary speaker
- Two short talk presenters
- 22 scientists presenting posters.
#MGM2025
Great presentation by @WilsonLab🍄 about Cracking the codon code for effector secretion & evolution in rice blast. @UNL_PlantPath @UNLPlantPath
March 3, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Great presentation by @WilsonLab🍄 about Cracking the codon code for effector secretion & evolution in rice blast. @UNL_PlantPath @UNLPlantPath
My great student @libiafgt.bsky.social got a first place in the 2025 Elevator Speech Contest where grauduate students from Plant Pathology, Animal Science, Agronomy & Horticulture, and Entomology competed! We are very proud of Libia! 🫶🏻😊
February 28, 2025 at 9:35 PM
My great student @libiafgt.bsky.social got a first place in the 2025 Elevator Speech Contest where grauduate students from Plant Pathology, Animal Science, Agronomy & Horticulture, and Entomology competed! We are very proud of Libia! 🫶🏻😊
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Several excellent USDA group leaders were fired last week. Anyone at scientific federal agencies that could be fired, were. Anyone within a couple years of hiring (Matthew Moscou, Amelia Lovelace, etc, etc), or reclassified within the last couple years (promotion, new department, new title). 1/2
February 22, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Several excellent USDA group leaders were fired last week. Anyone at scientific federal agencies that could be fired, were. Anyone within a couple years of hiring (Matthew Moscou, Amelia Lovelace, etc, etc), or reclassified within the last couple years (promotion, new department, new title). 1/2
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Had the honor of introducing my colleague, collaborator, and friend, Prof. Jinliang Yang, at the seminar marking his appointment as the next Gardner Endowed Professor of Quantitative Genetics. We are extremely fortunate to have Jinliang on the faculty here at the University of Nebraska.
February 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Had the honor of introducing my colleague, collaborator, and friend, Prof. Jinliang Yang, at the seminar marking his appointment as the next Gardner Endowed Professor of Quantitative Genetics. We are extremely fortunate to have Jinliang on the faculty here at the University of Nebraska.
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
US plant science peeps: this is a *very* informative summary of the current state of plant science funding, and a call for your stories to help @aspbofficial.bsky.social make their case with public officials. Please re-skeet!
🧪 #PlantScience
blog.aspb.org/research-imp...
🧪 #PlantScience
blog.aspb.org/research-imp...
Research Impacts of Recent Executive Orders and Memos – and a Call to Action to the ASPB Community | Plant Science Today
Since President Donald Trump took office on January 20,4a series of executive actions have shaken the research community. Several executive orders were released that targeted diversity, equity, and in...
blog.aspb.org
February 16, 2025 at 3:01 AM
US plant science peeps: this is a *very* informative summary of the current state of plant science funding, and a call for your stories to help @aspbofficial.bsky.social make their case with public officials. Please re-skeet!
🧪 #PlantScience
blog.aspb.org/research-imp...
🧪 #PlantScience
blog.aspb.org/research-imp...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Activation and inhibition mechanisms of a plant helper NLR www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Activation and inhibition mechanisms of a plant helper NLR - Nature
In plant immunity, sensor NLR resistosomes can generate heterotrimer complexes comprising the helper NLR NRG1, and investigation of cryo-EM structures shows the mechanisms of these heterotrimers in im...
www.nature.com
February 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Activation and inhibition mechanisms of a plant helper NLR www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Balanced plant helper NLR activation by a modified host protein complex www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Balanced plant helper NLR activation by a modified host protein complex - Nature
In Arabidopsis, mechanisms for NRG1A activation by recognition of a modified host EDS1–SAG101 complex, and NRG1A inhibition by NRG1C through sequestration of activated EDS1–SAG101, show activation and...
www.nature.com
February 12, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Balanced plant helper NLR activation by a modified host protein complex www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
Grad student position at UIUC on weed evolution and adaptation with my former student Asher Hudson. Asher’s a wonderful mentor and a top notch evolutionary biologist.
February 10, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Grad student position at UIUC on weed evolution and adaptation with my former student Asher Hudson. Asher’s a wonderful mentor and a top notch evolutionary biologist.
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
I just published: 12 tips for effective leadership
I spent three days at a leadership course. These are the most helpful takeaways.
link.medium.com/KGHiePpEGQb
I spent three days at a leadership course. These are the most helpful takeaways.
link.medium.com/KGHiePpEGQb
link.medium.com
February 3, 2025 at 1:20 PM
I just published: 12 tips for effective leadership
I spent three days at a leadership course. These are the most helpful takeaways.
link.medium.com/KGHiePpEGQb
I spent three days at a leadership course. These are the most helpful takeaways.
link.medium.com/KGHiePpEGQb
Reposted by Saet-Byul Kim
A maize near-isogenic line population designed for gene discovery and characterization of allelic effects https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.29.635337v1
February 3, 2025 at 3:03 AM
A maize near-isogenic line population designed for gene discovery and characterization of allelic effects https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.29.635337v1
Tree of life in rainbow
February 3, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Tree of life in rainbow