UROP Project

The effect of powdery mildew fungi on host plant microbiota

Fungi of the family Erysiphaceae cause the powdery mildew disease. The pest is of concern for agri- and horticulture, as these fungi infect more than 10 000 plant species, including many crops and fruits. Plants interact with multitudinous microbes in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere, called microbiota. These microbes include bacteria, fungi, protists, oomycetes, and viruses. Like in animals, where the microbiota contributes to immunity to disease and health in the gut and skin, plant microbiota affects plant growth and plant immunity. Powdery mildew fungi modify the plant leaf microbiota by both supporting or suppressing other fungi and bacteria. We want to analyze the microbiota of diverse powdery mildews. Understanding the composition and conservation of these microbiota communities will help understand powdery mildew disease. Further, our work may uncover new powdery mildew parasites as potential agents for plant protection.

Task

The student will perform high-throughput sequencing of amplified bacterial, oomycete, and fungal markers to quantify the changes in abundance of microbial lineages upon powdery mildew infection. RNA-sequencing will be used to identify known and novel viruses in the microbiome. The student will learn the basics of computational biology approaches, including assembly, read mapping, and local BLAST searches.

Requirements

Basic experience in methodologies of molecular biology (laboratory work). Basic knowledge of Unix command line usage is useful but not required (will be taught).