connor fitzpatrick

assistant professor UCalgary | dad | opinions are mine

[marek mutwil 🇺🇦 @LabMutwil]

🌱 Gene expression & co-expression across 630,000 RNA-seq samples from 10,700+ plant species — free, in your browser.

Search a gene → see where it's expressed on the UMAP → explore its co-expression network.

https://t.co/PRhoLXBs2o

#PlantScience #RNAseq #Bioinformatics

[Andrew McGuire @agronomistag]

Intercrop effects on weeds:
Best Monocultures ≈ Best mixtures.
Open access.

https://t.co/iFwHfZ3spe

[Andrew McGuire @agronomistag]

Organic vs. conventional farming, which builds soil better? A new study of 2,900+ real farms found NO difference in soil organic matter. Why? Because the label doesn't matter — plant biomass inputs, nitrogen, rotation & tillage do. Focus on dominant drivers.
https://t.co/k2NoOEaY76

[Reem Aboukhaddour @ReemWheat]

Our work on stripe rust in Canada is now available in first look, the rest of the story on lineages to come soon too! Funded by @AAFC_Canada @AlbertaGrains @SaskWheat @RDARAlberta | Phytopathology® https://t.co/9gnrg3mNu0

[Reem Aboukhaddour @ReemWheat]

This should be of applied value to those working with leaf spot complex of 🌾, or those who want accurate, specific diagnosis and measurements, thrilled to have it out, it has been few years in the making! Funders @AlbertaGrains @SaskWheat @AAFC_Canada https://t.co/VAApi60bti

[Deepak Bhandari @Deepak_ddb]

What do plants do when they cannot run from danger? They build better borders. In our new review @msubrandizzilab , we discuss how plants remodel their cell walls during pathogen attack, turning a structural boundary into an active immune interface.
https://t.co/mwflZEhlhm
1/n

[Dan Landau @landau_lab]

Exciting breakthrough technology from the lab, now live in @CellCellPress ! Instead of cutting the genome where proteins bind (e.g., Cut&Tag), D&D-seq scars the DNA with a deaminase, allowing single cell genome mapping of TFs and chromatin remodellers!

[Mauricio Contreras @mpcontreras4]

Molecular mimicry of a pathogen virulence target by a plant immune receptor | Science https://t.co/bOl57aHZ8V

[Steve Marek @stephenmarek2]

CRISPRi screening reveals essential fungal vulnerabilities. Nat Microbiol (2026). https://t.co/nX2SMx2Wef

[Steve Marek @stephenmarek2]

mGem: How many fungal secondary metabolites are produced by filamentous fungi? Conservatively, at least 1.4 million | mBio https://t.co/7YnctTY4hQ

[Alexandre Marand @Marand_Lab]

Single somatic plant cells have the remarkable potential to dedifferentiate and regenerate entirely new plants. However, the cell states and regulatory dynamics enabling dedifferentiation competence had not been fully explored... dun dun dun ⬇️ (1/12)

https://t.co/bca6Pbt6Mp

[Steve Marek @stephenmarek2]

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Dominate Over Maternally Inherited Epichloë Endophytes in Controlling Rhizosphere Processes and Pathogen Resistance - Shen - Plant, Cell & Environment - Wiley Online Library https://t.co/OqHy9BKgVR

[TrendsPlantSci @TrendsPlantSci]

Single-cell laser ablation uncovers the blueprint of plant development https://t.co/zycKK3u4u3 #plantscience

[Steve Marek @stephenmarek2]

High-throughput identification of stripe rust resistance resources and genetic mapping of a new gene from Triticum durum–Haynaldia villosa amphiploids https://t.co/uTklRrGhij

[connor fitzpatrick @crfitzpat]

@nobolly Thanks, Tatsuya!

[connor fitzpatrick @crfitzpat]

1/19
This story started ~2017

Multiple groups—different plants, methods, environments—reported the same thing:

👉 During drought, Streptomyces become enriched in plant roots.

Why? 🧵👇

[connor fitzpatrick @crfitzpat]

19/19
Paper here: https://t.co/ErQTOxpgYb

Happy to chat—especially if you’re thinking about:
drought 🌵 iron 🧲 or microbiomes 🦠

[connor fitzpatrick @crfitzpat]

18/19
More broadly:

A conserved plant stress response (iron suppression)
→ reshapes root microbiomes
→ with unpredictable functional outcomes