Eves-van den Akker Group: Oh SNAP! Effector packaging and secretion mechanisms in plant-parasitic nematodes of global agricultural importance
Supervisor
Sebastian Eves-van den Akker
Importance of Research
Plant-parasitic nematodes threaten global food security. With at least one species able to parasitise every major food crop, they are estimated to cause over $100 billion in crop losses each year. The demand for new control strategies in line with the EU’s sustainability goals highlights significant knowledge gaps – we need to know more about how they cause disease in order to stop them. Like all other plant-interacting organisms, nematodes deliver hundreds of effectors into the host plant to cause disease.
This project aims to block the action of large subsets of effectors by blocking the very machinery that produces them at their source. We have identified several exciting candidate genes involved in effector packing and secretion which form the basis of this PhD.
Project summary
1) Use advanced cell biology techniques to localise transcripts and proteins of genes of interest in vivo.
2) Determine the loss of function phenotype of candidate genes using RNA interference.
3) Determine whether and how these candidates work together to perform their function using co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analyses.
What the successful applicant will do?
The exact nature of the experiments will of course be tailored to the experience and/or interests of the
successful applicant. However, experiments which address the above aims include will cover core cell
biology techniques applicable to many systems. There is an opportunity for the successful applicant to
be mentored in the development of their own ideas as part of the project.
Training
No prior experience is required. The successful candidate will receive hands-on training in all required techniques and approaches by experienced members of the group and have unlimited access to training courses provided by the University of Cambridge.