About me

I graduated from the KU Leuven (Belgium) as a Master in Bioscience engineering (specialised in genetic engineering and plant protection) in 2009.

Presentation at the UK plantscience conference

Miniprojects

Experimental

Rhizobium modifies root system architecture in the non-legume Arabidopsis

Supervised by Miriam Gifford

Theoretical

Assessing the quality of inferred regulatory networks in partially known biological networks

Supervised by Miguel Juarez and Nigel Burroughs

PhD thesis

Systems analysis of the host- and cell- specificity of the plant’s response to symbiotic vs pathogenic bacteria

Supervised by Miriam Gifford and Nigel Burroughs.

Upon interaction with pathogenic or symbiotic bacteria, plants can react in different ways, leading to either a defense or association response. Several genes and metabolic pathways are shared between the rapid signalling events induced by small molecules or peptides. This overlap in the response reaction might be exploited to expand the host range of Rhizobium to include non-legume plants.

Leguminous plants are able to associate with rhizobial bacteria that can fix N2 from the air into a usable form for the plant. In return the plant supplies carbohydrates and amino acids. Roots of legume plants secrete flavonoids, which in Rhizobia are perceived by the nodD-receptor family and attracts the bacteria to the plant. Nod factors produced by the bacteria are crucial for inducing the physiological changes in the plant required for effective symbiosis. Non leguminous plants like Arabidopsis are not able to nodulate but little is known of the possible interactions between Rhizobium and Arabidopsis. The interaction could be beneficial or Rhizobium might be perceived as a pathogen, reacting in a similar way as it might to Ralstonia solanaceum, a pathogen of the roots.

Understanding the genetic basis of Rhizobium responses in contrast to Ralstonia responses will help us understand if Arabidopsis perceives Rhizobium as a pathogen, a non-pathogen, or a potential symbiont. This will give us insights into whether the host range of Rhizobium could be expanded to develop nodulation outside the legume family. The data will also identify key genes responding to Ralstonia that could be modified to provide plant resistance against this devastating pathogen.