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Identification of Burkholderia bacterial pathogens of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
The Burkholderia genus comprises some severe plant and/or animal pathogens, and a majority of agronomically valuable species. Developing an Arabidopsis-Burkholderia model pathosystem would allow identifying molecular mechanisms responsible for the infection process and harnessing beneficial strains.
The Burkholderia genus is a group of ubiquitous Gram-negative betaproteobacteria that includes environmentally important species and both animal and plant pathogens. The great agrotechnological potential of Burkholderia in biodegradation, bioremediation, biocontrol, and plant growth-promotion has been obstructed by the putative risk to human health. However, phylogenetic investigations evidenced that the Burkholderia family can be separated into two main lineages: one clade comprises pathogens of humans, animals, and plants; the second contains plant-beneficial environmental Burkholderia species. A few strains can cross kingdoms and infect both plants and humans, revealing a possible overlap of their infectious toolsets. The Arabidopsis thaliana model system has tremendously contributed to our understanding of the factors leading to pathogen susceptibility and resistance in plant hosts, yet Arabidopsis-bacteria interactions models are limited to Pseudomonas syringae and Xanthomonas campestris pathovars.
The relevance of this work stretches far beyond the laboratory, as pathogens such as B. glumae or B. pseudomallei cause unsolved threats to global food security and human health, respectively. As such, the development of promising Burkholderia-based agrotechnologies relies on the recognition of potential deleterious species.
The Burkholderia genus is a group of ubiquitous Gram-negative betaproteobacteria that includes environmentally important species and both animal and plant pathogens. The great agrotechnological potential of Burkholderia in biodegradation, bioremediation, biocontrol, and plant growth-promotion has been obstructed by the putative risk to human health. However, phylogenetic investigations evidenced that the Burkholderia family can be separated into two main lineages: one clade comprises pathogens of humans, animals, and plants; the second contains plant-beneficial environmental Burkholderia species. A few strains can cross kingdoms and infect both plants and humans, revealing a possible overlap of their infectious toolsets. The Arabidopsis thaliana model system has tremendously contributed to our understanding of the factors leading to pathogen susceptibility and resistance in plant hosts, yet Arabidopsis-bacteria interactions models are limited to Pseudomonas syringae and Xanthomonas campestris pathovars. The relevance of this work stretches far beyond the laboratory, as pathogens such as B. glumae or B. pseudomallei cause unsolved threats to global food security and human health, respectively. As such, the development of promising Burkholderia-based agrotechnologies relies on the recognition of potential deleterious species.
The Microbiology laboratory of the UZH Department of Plant and Microbial Biology offers a master’s thesis that aims at identifying Burkholderia species potentially infecting the genetic model plant A. thaliana. The exploration of the plant and microbial molecular factors contributing to the compatible interaction will be the focus of this project.
The student’s tasks will comprise, among others:
Develop an image-based high-throughput screening method to quantitatively assess disease progression.
Settle, maintain and develop a genome-wide association study targeting the infection traits in A. thaliana accessions.
Generate tagged and mutant strains of candidate pathogenic Burkholderia strains.
Assess the Burkholderia interactions in A. thaliana mutant lines impaired in key defense- and growth-related genes.
Evaluate and track Burkholderia progression in host tissues and the associated physiological response of Arabidopsis.
We are looking for an excellent student with previous laboratory experience and a strong interest in plant-microbes interactions. Familiarity with basic molecular tools, strong communication, teamwork and project management skills are an asset.
The Microbiology laboratory of the UZH Department of Plant and Microbial Biology offers a master’s thesis that aims at identifying Burkholderia species potentially infecting the genetic model plant A. thaliana. The exploration of the plant and microbial molecular factors contributing to the compatible interaction will be the focus of this project.
The student’s tasks will comprise, among others:
Develop an image-based high-throughput screening method to quantitatively assess disease progression.
Settle, maintain and develop a genome-wide association study targeting the infection traits in A. thaliana accessions.
Generate tagged and mutant strains of candidate pathogenic Burkholderia strains.
Assess the Burkholderia interactions in A. thaliana mutant lines impaired in key defense- and growth-related genes.
Evaluate and track Burkholderia progression in host tissues and the associated physiological response of Arabidopsis.
We are looking for an excellent student with previous laboratory experience and a strong interest in plant-microbes interactions. Familiarity with basic molecular tools, strong communication, teamwork and project management skills are an asset.
The master student will work in close collaboration with Dr. Aurélien Bailly and Prof. Leo Eberl. She/he will have the opportunity to become an integral part of the Microbiology research team and contribute to IPMB’s emerging research agenda.
The duration of the thesis is 12 months according to UZH regulations and learning agreement (http://www.biologie.uzh.ch/de/Studium/Masterstudium.html).
Ideally, the starting date would be in October or November 2016.
Your application documents should include a short letter of motivation (one page), your CV, and transcript of records (with grades).
Please send your complete documents by email to Dr. Aurélien Bailly (aurelien.bailly@botinst.uzh.ch).
At http://www.botinst.uzh.ch/en/research/microbiology/eberl.html you can find more information about our group. The review of applications will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled
The master student will work in close collaboration with Dr. Aurélien Bailly and Prof. Leo Eberl. She/he will have the opportunity to become an integral part of the Microbiology research team and contribute to IPMB’s emerging research agenda.
The duration of the thesis is 12 months according to UZH regulations and learning agreement (http://www.biologie.uzh.ch/de/Studium/Masterstudium.html). Ideally, the starting date would be in October or November 2016.
Your application documents should include a short letter of motivation (one page), your CV, and transcript of records (with grades). Please send your complete documents by email to Dr. Aurélien Bailly (aurelien.bailly@botinst.uzh.ch).
At http://www.botinst.uzh.ch/en/research/microbiology/eberl.html you can find more information about our group. The review of applications will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled