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Natural sciences
- Bacteriology
- Microbiomes
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Agricultural and food sciences
- Agricultural plant protection
Like animals, plants are known to host a community of endophytic microorganisms that live inside
their tissues, without causing harm. Starting from the observation that some plants seem to tolerate
winter cold quite well, we intend to study the contribution that endophytic bacteria in roots make
to plant cold tolerance. By looking directly at the DNA of the endophytes without cultivating them,
we will first make an inventory of the endophytic root bacteria enriched in thale cress, corn salad
and meadow grass grown under cold conditions. We will then bring these bacteria in culture from
the roots of cold grown plants, identify and characterize them. Experiments will be performed to
assess the effect of different bacteria, or combinations of bacteria, on plant growth in the cold for
thale cress, corn salad and meadow grass. Bacteria with a positive effect on plant cold tolerance will
be studied further to find out which genetic pathways and functions are involved in cold tolerance.
To do this, we will perform experiments that will reveal which genes are activated to higher or lower
level in both the plants and the bacteria when growing in the cold. For those genes that seem to be
important in cold conditions, we will confirm our observations by studying what happens to cold
tolerance when we block those genes with molecular tools.