PhD - Controlling pathogen virulence: chromatin-based regulation of effector genes in fungal plant...

La Caixa INPhINIT Incoming Fellowships are dedicated and offered to early-stage researchers of any nationality to pursue their PhD studies in research centers accredited with the Spanish Seal of Excellence Severo Ochoa, María de Maeztu or Health Institute Carlos III and Portuguese units participating in the program.

• 3 years contract

• Candidates cannot have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the deadline for application.

• Program includes a training programme on transversal skills aiming in widening the chances for personal development, not only in academia, but also in industry.

• Candidates must be in the first four years of their research career and must not have previously obtained a PhD degree or be in a position to apply for one

• Candidates must accredit an advanced level of English (B2 or higher)

• Competitive salary with additional amount for research costs and a €7500 prize for fellows who deposit the thesis within 6 months after the third year of the fellowship has ended

Research Project / Research Group Description

Crop plants are constantly challenged by pathogens that cause extensive yield losses, leading to huge economical and food security problems. Pathogens have evolved an intimate interaction with their hosts, allowing them to acquire nutrients and, at the same time, protect themselves against the host immune system. The molecular components that enable host colonization remain largely uncharacterized. This is particularly true for important pathogens that diminish the yield of crops. The “Molecular mechanisms of virulence of fungal wheat pathogens” team aims to identify and characterize the mechanisms used by pathogens to manipulate the host and to decipher the molecular bases of pathogen perception and host resistance. Zymoseptoria tritici is a major wheat pathogen in Europe and is very difficult to control. The molecular components that control the outcome of this pathosystem remain largely unknown. Several virulence genes have been recently identified, but the mechanistic understanding on how they contribute to virulence remains elusive. Our work aims (1) to elucidate the molecular bases of host adaptation and non-host resistance; (2) to understand how the infection machinery is regulated; (3) to determine the molecular components used by pathogens to manipulate the host. We believe that a better characterization of the key elements involved in colonization of highly damaging pathogens will provide us with critical information on how to better control microbial infections.

Job position description

The success of a pathogen is determined by the production of virulence factors that will interfere with the immune system and the development of the host. These virulence factors frequently have a very specific function and, thus, are only required at certain stages of the infection. Accordingly, effector genes have very specific expression patterns, characterized by a strong induction of expression in certain cells of the fungus. Dynamic changes in transcription are key for the success of pathogens in colonizing their hosts. In many pathogens, genes associated with virulence, including effector genes, are located in heterochromatic regions of the genome. The contribution of chromatin modifications to gene expression in pathogens remains largely unknown. Previous work showed that the heterochromatic environment of effector genes in the fungal plant pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici affects their spatio-temporal expression patterns. We additionally showed that chromatin remodeling during host colonization, featuring a reduction of two repressive histone modifications (H3K27me3 and H3K9me3), likely dictates the repression of effector genes in the absence of the host. In this project we will aim to answer the following biological questions: (1) what is the contribution of chromatin dynamics to the virulence of fungal plant pathogens? (2) What are the mechanisms involved in induction of effector genes during infection? (3) Which signals are inducers of the pathogen infection machinery.

The candidate PhD will form part of the “Molecular mechanisms of virulence of fungal wheat pathogens” group located at the Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP, UPM-INIA) in Madrid. We offer a great research environment and cutting-edge facilities. The PhD candidate will have the opportunity to develop skills in confocal microscopy, chromatin immunoprecipitation, molecular biology and plant pathology

GROUP LEADER

Dr. Andrea Sánchez Vallet [email protected]

RESEARCH PRODUCT / RESEARCH GROUP

Molecular mechanisms of virulence of fungal wheat pathogens

http://www.cbgp.upm.es/index.php/es/informacion-cientifica/grupo-de-investigacion-incipiente/andrea-sanchez-vallet