Exploring communication mechanisms between fungal pathogens and plant cells
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Exeter
Department Name: Biosciences
Abstract
Climatic, environmental, legislative and societal changes led to the emergence of novel crop pathogens and the evolution of existing problematic species. Phytopathogenic species which cause crop plant diseases are annually responsible for the loss of ~15% of total crop yield globally and are therefore a serious threat to global food security. Particularly serious are Fusarium head blight (FHB)/head scab disease caused by cereal infecting Fusaria fungi (www.scabusa.org) and Zymoseptoria tritici infections in wheat crops (Dean (2012) Molecular Plant Pathology 13, 414-430), both will be studied in this PhD project.
The main scientific aims of this project are (A) to investigate both the cellular and molecular mechanisms required for the transition of Fusarium graminearum hyphae from apoplastic to plasmodesmatal growth (Brown (2010), Fungal Biology 114, 555-571; Brown (2017) Mol Plant Pathol 18, 1295-1312) and (B) to explore the functional role(s) of specific plasmodesmata associated wheat proteins (Faulkner (2013) PNAS, 110, 9166-9170). To achieve the project aims the student will learn how to use a range of existing tools (fungal reporter strains, wheat, rice and Arabidopsis transformants), established techniques (RNA seq analyses, light/UV/confocal microscopy, Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) (Lee (2012) Plant Physiology 160, 582-590) and emerging technologies (such as genome editing). They will also be trained in the use of bespoke software to quantify and mathematically model the in vivo fungal-plant image datasets acquired from their detailed microscopy studies.
The main scientific aims of this project are (A) to investigate both the cellular and molecular mechanisms required for the transition of Fusarium graminearum hyphae from apoplastic to plasmodesmatal growth (Brown (2010), Fungal Biology 114, 555-571; Brown (2017) Mol Plant Pathol 18, 1295-1312) and (B) to explore the functional role(s) of specific plasmodesmata associated wheat proteins (Faulkner (2013) PNAS, 110, 9166-9170). To achieve the project aims the student will learn how to use a range of existing tools (fungal reporter strains, wheat, rice and Arabidopsis transformants), established techniques (RNA seq analyses, light/UV/confocal microscopy, Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) (Lee (2012) Plant Physiology 160, 582-590) and emerging technologies (such as genome editing). They will also be trained in the use of bespoke software to quantify and mathematically model the in vivo fungal-plant image datasets acquired from their detailed microscopy studies.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/T008741/1 | 01/10/2020 | 30/09/2028 | |||
| 2401519 | Studentship | BB/T008741/1 | 01/10/2020 | 30/09/2024 | Victoria Armer |
| Description | BSPP Travel Award |
| Amount | £1,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | British Society of Plant Pathoogy |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | The Genetics Society Conference Grant Scheme B (Non-Genetics Society Meetings) |
| Amount | £750 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Genetics Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Undergraduate Summer Studentship (host) |
| Amount | £3,300 (GBP) |
| Organisation | British Society of Plant Pathoogy |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2022 |
| End | 08/2022 |
| Description | Cafe Scientifique - Harpenden Branch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Post-pandemic, I re-initiated a local branch of Cafe Scientifique, which aims to bring science to the general public in an informal setting. We applied for, and were successful, in securing a grant from the local council to run a monthly session at a local pub, inviting scientists from across the region to give a talk and aid general discussions through a Q+A session afterward. This attracts between 3-40 people per month. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://cafescientifique.org/uk/harpenden |
| Description | Stall at New Scientist Live, October 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | As a part of the wider New Scientist Live event (7th-9th October 2022) at the ExCel Centre in East London, we ran an interactive stall consisting of 6 different activities on engaging parts of scientific research. These included DNA extractions, bioinformatics, microscopy and games. As a PhD student, I was responsible for running an interactive display looking at microbes that infect staple crops and microscopy activities. The wider event attracts just short of 24,000 attendees, of whom 2,800 students attended as part of New Scientist Live's 'Widening Participation' programme whereby schools with a high proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds were awarded free tickets. The first day was open to schools and the rest of the weekend the wider public. The stall was a joint venture between Rothamsted Research, EMBL-EBI and Wellcome Connecting Science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | UK Fungus Day Outreach |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | As a part of a wider initiative to promote fungal science, I ran a small stall for UK Fungus Day at Rothamsted Research for the general public to come along and engage with scientists. This reached a small, local audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |