Celebrating interdisciplinarity in plant biology research

Plant Proteins: functions, regulation, production and utility took place at the University of Leeds between 21 and 23 October 2025. This timely and effective meeting provided an exciting opportunity to view current work on plant proteins through an interdisciplinary lens. Bringing together fundamental and applied scientists working across plant proteins, areas of current common interest were presented and discussed. The event was also an excellent chance to celebrate our Biochemical Society Award winners: Tatsuya Nobori and Juan Carlos De La Concepcion (Early Career Research Award, 2025 and 2026, respectively), Sam Mugford (2025 Research Support Award) and Christine H. Foyer (2026 Award for Sustained Excellence).A key theme was the significance of developments in techniques for the detection and analysis of spatial organisation at the organ, cellular and subcellular levels and how these are driving our understanding of plant biology. For example, Tatsuya Nobori introduced us to PHYTOMap, a novel method for multiplexed analysis of gene expression in whole tissue mounts, while Ari Sadanandom illustrated how his dual reporter technology could be applied to simultaneous mapping of transcription and translation of the SUMO network in Arabidopsis roots. Advances in methods for the determination of structures of protein complexes have been applied to understanding the mechanistic basis of NLR proteins in plant immune specificity (Juan Carlos De La Concepcion), and advances in cryo-electron microscopy have revealed a new understanding of plastid transcription and translation (Angel Vergara Cruces and David Pearce).There was a strong focus on the structural biology of proteins, post-translational modifications and the formation of membrane-less organelles and biomolecular condensates, whose formation is driven by multivalent protein-protein interactions. Several examples of the roles of these dynamic, membrane-less compartments in concentrating proteins to carry out specific functions, such as oxidative signalling, responses to environmental stresses and plant growth responses, were presented and discussed.The conference paid tribute to the increasing importance of plant proteins in human nutrition, with a discussion of our increasing understanding of how allergies to plant proteins can cause reactions ranging from mild symptoms to severe anaphylaxis. The event also addressed current gaps in our understanding of how protein structure and conformation differentially impact intestinal digestibility and how processing-induced changes may influence protein functional properties. Other key knowledge gaps that were highlighted include the potential health benefits of protein-derived bioactive peptides. The exciting discovery of novel peanut root nodule proteins with structural similarity to myoglobin was presented, along with their potential for use as therapeutic iron supplements.“It was a great conference packed full of science and networking with exciting people!”“Really useful to bring the plant biochemistry community together in a format where it is easy to talk to everybody.”At the end of the meeting, a series of poster prizes, sponsored by the Biochemical Journal, Syngenta and the New Phytologist Foundation, were awarded to Ana Alcobendas Garcia (Towards efficient RNAi: Multi-domain protein carriers for dsRNA internalisation in plant cells), Maridel Fredricksen (Phytoplasma effector hijacks plant resource allocation: Prioritising growth over stress responses), Toby Allington (A prominent allele in an important role for improved fruit flavour) and Gaia Galiberti (Uncovering the molecular basis of higher order septin assembly and its role in the appressorium of Magnaporthe oryzae).Delegates highlighted the importance of the interdisciplinarity of the event and how they enjoyed talking to colleagues from outside their own disciplines. All participants acknowledged the role of the Biochemical Society in facilitating this intimate and scientifically stimulating meeting in excellent surroundings that provided new knowledge and fresh perspectives for many, leading to future collaborations.Find out more about the Biochemical Society’s annual Awards programme, and explore the upcoming Events Calendar on our website.