The ultimate goal of this PhD project is to devise disease control strategies alternative to GM or traditional fungicide treatments to protect plants against powdery mildews, which are major biotrophic fungal pathogens affecting many valuable food crops, including cereals, strawberry, cucurbits or pea. Using new and published experimental proteomics evidence similar to previously published work (Bindschedler et al, 2009, 2011; Lambertucci et al, 2019), transcriptomics, genomics and bioinformatic tools (Spanu et al, 2010; Pedersen et al, 2012; Bindschedler et al, 2016), this research will first identify proteins that are commonly associated in different powdery mildew haustorial structures, which are at the centre of the biotrophic interaction between the plant and biotrophic pathogens. Exploiting proteomics and transcriptomics data will allow in identifying plant proteins associated with the extrahaustorial membrane likely to be facilitating plant susceptibility, as well as fungal transcription factors regulating gene expression of effectors and virulence factors in haustoria. Next, susceptibility and pathogenicity gene candidates will be subjected to a convenient gene silencing approach alternative to Host induced gene silencing (Pliego et al, 2013) for functional validation. Since powdery mildew are obligate biotrophic pathogens and cannot be manipulated in vitro, a convenient gene silencing approach has been devised for facilitating the functional genomic validation. The approach involves the ectopic application to excised leaves, of silencing molecules, such as short antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ASOs) or short dsRNAs for the silencing of genes required for either pathogen virulence or host susceptibility to powdery mildews. ASOs have already been successfully used to silence susceptibility genes, such as the barley MLO gene, facilitating barley powdery mildew infection by Blumeria graminis (Lambertucci et al, 2019) or effectors as well as transcription factors regulating them, required for B. graminis virulence during barley infection. Such approach will be transferred to different powdery mildew-crop pathosystems to validate the core proteome required for powdery mildew infection in various crops such as such as wheat, cucumber, pea or strawberry. Efficient gene silencing assays of potential candidate genes that show a marked decrease in infection following silencing will be selected to improve the silencing methodology and translate it as way to provide crop protection against powdery mildews. This will include treating seeds or spraying leaves, rather than working with excised leaf assays. To improve the delivery of the silencing molecules, nanoparticles will be synthesised and evaluated for their efficiency to cargo and protect ASOs or dsRNAs, to improve the gene silencing potential. It will also be evaluated how the approach could be used for agricultural practices in crop protection.
We are looking for candidates with a BSc or MRes in biological sciences, biochemistry or equivalent, with basic knowledge in molecular biology, plant sciences and experience or strong interest in molecular plant pathology. Basic knowledge in analytical chemistry, proteomics, mass spectrometry, is desirable but not essential.
For informal enquiries please contact Dr Laurence Bindschedler via email [Email Address Removed]
For further information and to apply follow link to https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/applying/postgraduate/how-to-apply/