Mutualistic microbial associates of Nicotiana attenuata
An endogenous clock allows plants to anticipate daily changes in abiotic stimuli, such as light and temperature, however, it is unknown whether the clock also allows plants to regulate interactions with microbial community, particularly pathogen community. Therefore, my current focus is to characterize the influence of circadian clock-related genes on N. attenuata´s microbial community structure and resistance against its native pathogens, using transgenic N. attenuata lines produced by irRNAi. Each line is silenced in one of different genes which are predicted to be related to several diurnal rhythmic traits of N. attenuata in nature.
Publications
(2017) Specificity of root microbiomes in native-grown Nicotiana attenuata and plant responses to UVB increase Deinococcus colonization. Mol Ecol , Details PubMed
(2015) Jasmonic acid signalling mediates resistance of the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata to its native Fusarium, but not Alternaria, fungal pathogens. Plant Cell Environ 38(3), 572-584. Details PubMed
(2015) Native root-associated bacteria rescue a plant from a sudden-wilt disease that emerged during continuous cropping. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112(36), E5013-E5020. Details PubMed
(2014) Isolating fungal pathogens from a dynamic disease outbreak in a native plant population to establish plant-pathogen bioassays for the ecological model plant Nicotiana attenuata. PLoS One 9(7), e102915. Details PubMed
Supervisor
Start of PhD
October 1, 2012
Doctoral Disputation
July 20, 2017
