#12 Microscopic Enemies: How Geminiviruses interact with Plants - With Shaojun Pan

We kick off the new season with Shaojun Pan from
the Center for Plant Molecular Biology at the
University of Tübingen. Her research focuses on
Geminiviruses, DNA viruses that may be tiny but
have a big impact on agriculture worldwide. These
insect-transmitted viruses cause severe diseases in major crops,
but are also powerful tools to study how viruses manipulate plant
development, physiology, and defence at the molecular
level.

In this episode, Pan talks about how Geminiviruses appear in the
plants we grow for food and how plants defend themselves, what
makes Geminiviruses unique and how they got their name. Along the
way, we break down key concepts like the difference between DNA
and RNA.

Pan also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at life in a research
lab. She shares her journey from China to southern Germany and
how she became part of Dr. Rosa Lozano-Durán’s research
group, showing that plant science is not just about
viruses, but also about people and the paths that bring them to
this fascinating field.