November 17th, 2025

Congratulations to C-SPIRIT members Karine Prado, Matt Stata, Charles Hawkins, Sue Rhee from Michigan State University as well as their colleagues on the publication of their manuscript “Photosynthetic acclimation is a key contributor to exponential growth of a desert plant in Death Valley summer” in Current Biology! This study uncovers how Tidestromia oblongifolia rapidly acclimates to extreme heat: reshaping its chloroplasts and mitochondria, shifting gene expression within days, and boosting photosynthetic efficiency even at 45°C. These discoveries reveal powerful mechanisms underlying heat-resilient photosynthesis. Click here to read the article, and click here to read the press release!

November 13th, 2025

Congratulations to C-SPIRIT member Dr. David S. Wishart from the University of Alberta for winning the 2025 Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering! Dr. Wishart has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to metabolomics and data-driven discovery. His leadership has shaped how researchers study bioactive compounds, from advancing analytical tools to building world-leading metabolite databases that support science and innovation across disciplines. Click here to learn more!

October 31st, 2025

Congratulations to C-SPIRIT member Jun Hyuck Lee from the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) and his colleagues on their new article titled “Exogenous abscisic acid enhances freeze-thaw stress tolerance in Antarctic moss Sanionia uncinata through coordinated antioxidant defense and osmoprotectant accumulation.” Published in Cryobiology, the study shows that applying abscisic acid (ABA) significantly increased freeze-thaw tolerance in the Antarctic moss S. uncinata. ABA-treated plants showed reduced membrane injury and oxidative damage while maintaining higher photosynthetic efficiency. The findings reveal that ABA enhances the activities of antioxidant enzymes and promotes the accumulation of osmoprotectants such as proline and soluble sugars, collectively strengthening stress resilience under extreme polar conditions.

September 26th, 2025

Congratulations to C-SPIRIT members Daisuke Todaka, Motoaki Seki (RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science), and Kenji Miura (University of Tsukuba) as well as their colleagues on their new article titled “Application of 4-CPA or ethanol enhances plant growth and fruit quality of phyA mutant under heat stress.” Published in Scientific Reports, the study shows that applying 4-CPA, a synthetic auxin-like regulator, or ethanol to tomato phyA mutants restored tolerance to heat stress during the reproductive stage. The treatments promoted growth, flower formation, and fruit set, while upregulating heat-responsive and hormone-related genes, reducing cellular damage, and enhancing fruit quality.

September 3rd, 2025

C-SPIRIT invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher at Michigan State University’s Plant Resilience Institute! The position focuses on identifying plant-derived compounds that influence nematode physiology, behavior, and survival, and on studying desiccation tolerance mechanisms in C. elegans, particularly in the dauer stage. The researcher will collaborate with MSU nematode experts, C-SPIRIT, and the Water and Life Interface Institute (WALII). Review of applications begins September 12, 2025, and continues until the position is filled. Click here to learn more and apply!

August 25th, 2025

Congratulations to C‑SPIRIT researcher Toshinori Kinoshita (Nagoya University) and colleagues on their new publication in Nature Plants. In their article “Apoplastic metabolomics reveals sugars as mesophyll messengers regulating guard cell ion transport under red light,” the team reports that sucrose and related sugars produced during photosynthesis act as chemical messengers from mesophyll to guard cells. Their findings offer new insight into how photosynthesis directly shapes plant responses to light and water conditions. Click here to read the article!

August 4th, 2025

As part of C‑SPIRIT’s work to develop solutions for crop resilience under climate stress, C‑SPIRIT member Motoaki Seki and his team at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science have demonstrated that diluted ethanol can help plants thrive under extreme heat. In cherry tomatoes, the treatment produced larger leaves and tripled fruit yields at 50 °C. This simple, accessible method could help farmers worldwide adapt to rising global temperatures. Click here to read the article!

August 4th, 2025

C‑SPIRIT members Sean Robertson, Asher Pasha, Nicholas Provart, and Olivia Wilkins, along with colleagues, have published a new article in The Plant Journal revealing how drought stress increases the heat shock sensitivity of Asian rice leaves through physiological changes and spatially distinct gene expression patterns. The study also introduces a new BAR-based eFP browser tool for exploring the data. Click here to read the article!

August 1st, 2025

C-SPIRIT is hiring a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher based at the University of Manitoba to investigate how plants regulate specialized metabolite production at the cellular level! The researcher will use single-cell and spatial RNA-sequencing technologies to study gene regulation in plant tissues and develop models of metabolite biosynthesis. Click here to learn more!

July 9th, 2025

C-SPIRIT members So-Ra Han, Tae-Jin Oh, and their colleagues from Sun Moon University have published their research article “Comparative genome analysis of three Halobacillus strains isolated from saline environments reveal potential salt tolerance and algicidal mechanisms”. Featured in Environmental Microbiology Reports, the article explores how Halobacillus species adapt to extreme salinity and identifies genes associated with stress response, xenobiotic degradation, and potential algicidal activity. These findings offer new insights into microbial strategies for environmental resilience and biocontrol. Click here to read the article!

July 1st, 2025

Congratulations and welcome to Nicholas Schlecht, who will be starting as a Research Associate within C-SPIRIT Leadership member Ola Skirycz’s lab at Michigan State University! Nick will focus on targeted and untargeted metabolite discovery to support plant resilience against pathogenic fungi, heat, and drought stress. He will be co-advised by Kari Sant, Gaurav Moghe, and Andrea Glassmire.

Welcome to C-SPIRIT, Nick!

June 27th, 2025

C-SPIRIT members Prasansah Shrestha, So-Ra Han, Tae-Jin Oh, and their colleagues from Sun Moon University have published their review article “Unraveling the genetic mechanisms of UV radiation resistance in Bacillus through biofilm formation, sporulation, and carotenoid production”. Featured in Genomics, the article emphasizes the central role of the Spo0A regulatory network in coordinating these survival strategies and highlights how carotenoids, biofilms, and spores function synergistically to promote resilience. Click here to read the article!

June 10th, 2025

Congratulations and welcome to Katherine Rivera-Zuluaga, who will be starting as a Research Associate within C-SPIRIT Director Sue Rhee’s lab at Michigan State University! Kathe will focus on high-throughput metabolite discovery for plant resilience against pathogenic fungi, heat, and drought stress. She will be co-advised by Linda Hanson, Robert VanBuren, and Erich Grotewold.

Welcome to C-SPIRIT, Kathe!

May 24th, 2025

C-SPIRIT members Shogo Kuwayama, Kohei Fukatsu, Toshinori Kinoshita (Nagoya University) and their colleagues have published a study showing that the compound AG126 and its derivatives suppress phosphorylation of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase, blocking light-induced stomatal opening. The findings offer valuable tools for plant signaling research and drought-resistant crop development. Click here to read the article!

May 21st, 2025

C-SPIRIT members Maria Camalle, Hannah Reish, Tony Schilmiller, Aleksandra Skirycz (Michigan State University) and their colleagues have published a study showing that cyclo(His-Pro), a molecule known in mammals, also accumulates in Arabidopsis under stress. Their findings suggest that cyclo(His-Pro) may act as a conserved signal in plant stress responses. Click here to read the article!

May 15th, 2025

Today, potatoes for this summer’s stress trial were planted! Located at Michigan State University’s Montcalm Research Center, these 90 potato plots will undergo mobile heat stress treatments for 7 days at a time during critical physiological development stages. The potatoes should begin emerging late May/early June, and the first heat stress treatment will be applied in late June/early July. Check out this picture of the science in action:

May 8th, 2025

C-SPIRIT members Toon Suzuki and Hiroshi Ezura (both from the University of Tsukuba) have just published an article on how the increased presence of GABA in genetically modified tomatoes can increase their resilience to salt stress. Click here to read the article!

APRIL 15th, 2025

C-SPIRIT is hiring two postdoctoral researchers at MSU! One position focuses on high-throughput screening and multi-omics analysis, while the other centers on small-molecule discovery using binding assays and metabolomics. Click here to see the job postings!

March 12th, 2o25

The Director of the US NSF, Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, recently shared a message reaffirming NSF’s commitment to the U.S. scientific community. Click here to read the message!

January 14th, 2025

Curious how criminal justice ties into crop resilience? Discover how Dr. Joe Hamm’s expertise in risk and trust is helping the C-SPIRIT team develop sustainable solutions to global food challenges. Click here to read the article!

NOVEMBER 13TH, 2024

The University of Manitoba has been awarded $2.5 million to establish the Global Innovation Centre for Plant Resilience, now renamed C-SPIRIT. Olivia Wilkins, C-SPIRIT Aim 3 lead and Canada lead, is among the researchers guiding this international effort to enhance plant resilience to environmental change. Click here to read the article!

NOVEMBER 8th, 2024

The University of York is a key UK partner in C-SPIRIT, the newly established Global Innovation Centre for Plant Resilience. Nicola Patron (UK lead and Aim 4 lead), Benjamin Lichman, and Ian Graham are among the UK researchers contributing to this international effort to strengthen plant resilience to environmental change. Click here to read the article!

October 3rd, 2024

Learn about the NSF Global Centers and how C-SPIRIT is playing a part in advancing bioeconomy research to solve global challenges in an article from MSUToday. Click here to check it out!

November 8th, 2024

Dr. Olivia Wilkins, who is leading the Canadian team of C-SPIRIT, discusses our new National Science Foundation (NSF) Global Center to explore sustainable solutions for agriculture. Click here to see the video!