Molecular mechanisms of plant-insect interactions

Overview:
Increasing crop yields to ensure global food security is an important challenge in the scientific community. One of the primary reasons for yield loss is insect-herbivore damage. Plants learn to recognize when insects are attacking them and have evolved a complex array of chemical compounds (metabolites) to reduce damage and survive. Plants do so through processes which include the biosynthesis of toxic metabolites to deter herbivores, the release of “calling for help” molecules to attract predators, and even signals to other plants to “prepare for a herbivore attack.” A better understanding of the biological processes occurring in response to insect attack is critical for developing herbivore-resistant plants.

Main research topics:
• Plant defense metabolites under insect attack
• Alteration of central metabolism toward the production of specialized metabolism
• Combinatory effects of biotic and abiotic stresses
• Dynamics of chemical and physical defense mechanisms
• Chemical Ecology: interactions of wild desert plants with their pollinators

Organisms of interest:
Plants: wheat, barley, Setaria, tef, tomato, and wild Brassicaceae
Insects: aphids, whiteflies, mites, caterpillars, and bumblebees

Methods:
• Biotechnology: gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9
• Molecular biology: transient gene silencing (VIGS), stable transformations, qRT-PCR
• Insect bioassays: choice and none-choice, EPG, Y-tube olfactometer
• Biochemistry: enzyme activities
• Bioinformatics: Differential gene expression, functional enrichment, network analysis
• Analytical chemistry: headspace GC-MS, SPME GC-MS, HPLC, and LC-MS
• Genetics: GWAS, QTLs of bi-parental families and near isogenic lines

Want to join?
Our lab is young and vibrant. We are looking for highly motivated and ambitious master students, Ph.D. students, and postdocs to join our lab. You can take part in our current projects or have your own exciting research proposal.