C-SPIRIT News: August 2026

Friday, August 28th, 2026

The latest issue of C-SPIRIT News has arrived! Take a look at our newest blogpost, community highlights, upcoming events, and some of our recent social media activity.

C-SPIRIT Lab Spotlight: The Glassmire Lab

This month’s C-SPIRIT Lab Spotlight features Andrea Glassmire, Assistant Professor of Chemical Ecology at Michigan State University, and her lab’s work on plant chemistry. This blogpost explores how the Glassmire Lab brings a chemical ecology perspective to C-SPIRIT’s compound research, biological interpretation, and tomato crop pipeline. Their work helps connect promising plant compounds with insect interactions, plant defense, field performance, and resilience. Here’s a preview:

“‘You can’t just look at one compound,’ Glassmire says. ‘What I’ve really found is that it’s a synergy of compounds. We have some major players, like abscisic acid, but those are phytohormones that are the beginning of biosynthetic pathways that produce a bunch of compounds. It’s really thinking about the suite of compounds, or the combination of compounds.’

For C-SPIRIT, discovery is only the first step. Researchers also need to understand the pathways, interactions, and biological contexts that determine whether a compound matters for resilience.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE!

Institutional Feature: Sun Moon University

This month in the C-SPIRIT Institutional Feature Series, we are spotlighting Sun Moon University, where 10 C-SPIRIT members contribute expertise across Aim 1: Metabolite Discovery, Aim 2: Metabolite Annotation and Database Development, Aim 3: Gene and Pathway Discovery, and Aim 4: Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds.

Sun Moon University researchers help move promising molecules through multiple stages of the C-SPIRIT pipeline. Their work connects the identification of stress-responsive compounds with structural characterization, gene and pathway analysis, and the production of priority molecules for further testing, helping build a clearer picture of where bioactive compounds come from, how they function, and how they can be reproduced.

Through this integrated work, Sun Moon University team members strengthen connections between discovery, data analysis, and compound development across the C-SPIRIT research network, supporting the advancement of resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.

Publication from KOPRI & SunMoon University
C-SPIRIT Members!

Congratulations to C-SPIRIT members Jun Hyuck Lee (Korea Polar Research Institute) and Tae-Jin Oh (SunMoon University), as well as their colleagues, on the publication of their article titled “Complete genome sequence of Serratia plymuthica PAMC22778 from Kara sea sediment reveals biosynthetic gene clusters with potential biocontrol-associated secondary metabolites” in Microbiology Resource Announcements! Their study reports the complete genome sequence of Serratia plymuthica PAMC22778, a sediment-derived bacterium deposited by the Korea Polar Research Institute. The genome contains biosynthetic gene clusters for siderophores, prodigiosin, and biosurfactants, which are associated with iron acquisition and antimicrobial activity. These findings highlight the strain’s potential as a biocontrol agent and support C-SPIRIT’s mission to advance sustainable solutions for plant resilience and agriculture.

Publication from Nagoya University & RIKEN CSRS
C-SPIRIT Members!

Congratulations to C-SPIRIT members Yuki Hayashi, Toshinori Kinoshita (Nagoya University), Farhan Aziz and Motoaki Seki (RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science), as well as their colleagues, on the publication of their article titled “Synthetic ion channel inhibitors enhance plant drought tolerance” in Nature Communications! Their study identifies two synthetic inhibitors of plasma membrane voltage-dependent potassium channels, NS5806 and UA49, that induce stomatal closure, reduce guard cell potassium levels, and increase drought resistance in Arabidopsis. The findings also show that this chemical-induced stomatal closure pathway is distinct from abscisic acid signaling and involves changes in cytosolic calcium. These results highlight a promising strategy for improving plant drought tolerance through targeted regulation of ion channels and support C-SPIRIT’s mission to advance plant resilience and sustainable agriculture.

5th International Electronic Conference on Metabolomics — October 14-16, 2026

The 5th International Electronic Conference on Metabolomics will take place virtually October 14-16, 2026. Organized by the journal Metabolites, the conference will bring together researchers working across metabolomics technologies, data analysis, ecological and environmental metabolomics, and plant and animal metabolism and metabolic modeling.

This event may be especially relevant for C-SPIRIT members working on metabolite discovery, metabolite annotation, biological interpretation, data integration, and plant stress-response research.

Details:

Dates: Wednesday, October 14 – Friday, October 16, 2026
Location: Virtual
Registration Deadline: October 8th, 2026

CANVAS 2026 — November 1-4, 2026

CANVAS 2026, hosted by the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies, will take place November 1-4 in Portland, Oregon. The meeting brings together researchers, students, professionals, and industry partners across crop, agronomic, environmental, and soil sciences. The program includes technical presentations, hands-on workshops, networking events, award ceremonies, field tours, student programming, and an exposition focused on current innovations in agronomy, crops, and soils.

This event may be especially relevant for C-SPIRIT members working on crop validation, field testing, sustainable agriculture, plant resilience, and the movement of research discoveries toward practical agricultural applications.

Details:

Dates: Sunday, November 1 – Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Location: Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon, USA
Early Registration Deadline: September 23rd, 2026
Standard Registration Deadline: October 7th, 2026

Plant Engineering Biology: Engineering Green Organisms for a Sustainable Future — November 16–18, 2026

The Plant Engineering Biology symposium at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) will bring together researchers from Japan and around the world to explore advances and future directions in engineering plants and other photosynthetic organisms for sustainable biomanufacturing. The program will feature sessions on plant biomanufacturing, molecular tools development, genome engineering, resilience engineering, and future directions in the field.

C-SPIRIT members Nicola Patron (University of Cambridge), Motoaki Seki (RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science), and Sue Rhee (Michigan State University) will be speaking at this event. Be sure to stop by and say hello if you are attending!

Details:

Dates: Monday, November 16 – Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Location: Sydney Brenner Lecture Theater, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
Registration Deadline: August 31, 2026
Registration Fee: 30,000 JPY

Let us know about your upcoming talks!

Want to see your presentation/talk listed here? Feel free to email us at C-SPIRIT.Admin@msu.edu if you would like us to advertise your talk!

August 4th, 2026 | via BlueSky

📖 New C-SPIRIT publication!

Minoru Ueda, Motoaki Seki & collaborators reveal how HDA19-regulated histone H3.3 acetylation promotes LEA protein accumulation and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis, advancing research on plant resilience. 🌱🧬

#plantscience

August 10th, 2026 | via LinkedIn

📖 New C-SPIRIT publication!

Congratulations to C-SPIRIT members Yuki Hayashi, Toshinori Kinoshita, Farhan Aziz, and Motoaki Seki as well as their collaborators on their new publication, “Synthetic ion channel inhibitors enhance plant drought tolerance,” in Nature Communications! 🌱💧

August 14th, 2026 | via LinkedIn

🌱 C-SPIRIT members are heading to OIST!

Three C-SPIRIT members are confirmed speakers for Plant Engineering Biology: Engineering green organisms for a sustainable future, taking place November 16–18, 2026, at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan.