PhD - Root clock based traits for more yield and resilience under stress: towards a sustainable...

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

Current breeding programs have neglected the optimization of the root system, which has generated plants with weaker and poorly nourished root systems. The root clock is a mechanism described in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana which patterns the root system by determining the branching sites and waving frequency (Moreno-Risueno et al (2010) Science, 329(5997):1306-11). We have recently identified the oscillator of the Root clock (Perianez-Rodriguez et al. (2021) Science Advances, 7(1):eabd4722) as well as additional regulation (unpublished data) which establishes a major function for the Root Clock components in determining root system morphology traits and resilience upon stress. Future researcher for root system optimization in breeding programs should assess the function of the Root Clock in crops. In this project we propose to investigate the role of Root Clock components in shaping the root system in Arabidopsis and tomato under normal conditions and upon stresses such as shading, varying temperatures and phosphate starvation. Moreover, natural variation within available sequences for the Root Clock components will be identified and evaluated in crops.

Our research group performs research on root organogenesis, regeneration and rooting and their role in stress resilience. We use as a model the root of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana and intend to expand and translate our research into crops such as tomato. These are excellent research systems because we can observe morphogenic processes in vivo. Our goals aim to discover: How do plants locate new roots at specific positions through the Root Clock mechanism and its effect in stress resilience? How do plants form new tissues and stems and its interaction with low/high temperature stress.

Job position description

The PhD student will incorporate into the UPM Biotechnology program and will perform research to identify the Root Clock function in generating more vigorous root systems and its resilience to stress. First, the PhD student will characterize mutants in Arabidopsis under normal conditions and upon stresses such as shading, varying temperatures and phosphate starvation. Next, mutants of the tomato orthologs of the Root Clock components will be generated through CRISPR-CAS9 as well as of transcriptional/translational luciferase and fluorescent fusions which will be introgressed through the hairy roots method or others. Moreover, shading, varying temperatures and phosphate starvation. Moreover, natural variation for the Root Clock components in tomato and Arabidopsis within available sequences will be identified and those variants investigated to evaluate their effects in the Root Clock and the root system under standard conditions or in stress resilience.

Expected project outcomes:

- Identification of novel regulation of the root clock in Arabidopsis and tomato

- Identification of genes improving plant biomass and yield

- Generation of improved plants through NGTs (New Genome Techniques)

- Identification of tomato Root Clock natural variation and markers for development of breeding varieties.

Skills required:

- Solid background in plant molecular biology and genetics

- Knowledge in bioinformatics/computational biology

- Fluent English (oral and written)

- Knowledge in writing scientific papers and conducting experimental work will be considered

GROUP LEADER

Dr. Miguel Moreno-Risueno [email protected]

RESEARCH PRODUCT / RESEARCH GROUP

Root clock based traits for more yield and resilience under stress: towards a sustainable agriculture

http://www.cbgp.upm.es/index.php/es/lineas-de-investigacion-de-jovenes-investigadores?id=101