Articles
Name |
Heena Yadav |
Year of selection | 2014 |
Cohort | 1 |
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|
Phone number |
4917681220793 |
Home Institute | Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India |
Host Institute |
Martin Luther University, Halle (Saale), Germany |
Lab, Institute, Country |
Department of Cell and Metabolic Biology, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Germany |
Name of Researcher/Supervisor |
Prof. Dr. Bettina Hause |
Duration of working period | 3 years |
Title and Brief report of the work (max 300 words) |
Plant roots are susceptible to a variety of microorganisms, they survive by selecting the beneficial ones and expel the pathogens by secreting root exudates. This process of selection relies on early interactions between the plants and microorganisms. The mechanism involved in this selection process is not clearly understood. In this work, we use Medicago truncatula as a model system as it is a natural host for the oomycetic pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches (Ae) and for the mutualistic symbiont Rhizophagus irregularis. After infection with the symbiotic and pathogenic spores, a differentially expressed gene caught our attention that was upregulated after infection with the pathogenic Ae spores. Phenotypic analysis of the plants mutated in this gene showed reduced growth after infection compared to the control plants. This indicated its putative role in plant defense. For in vitro product identification, coding sequence of the gene was expressed in yeast. It produced a blend of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene alcohols, with one major product. Products in planta were identified by collecting volatiles after 12 hours of Ae infection in mutant and wild type plants. Few sesquiterpenes could be identified in planta but major product was found missing. This major product might be modified in planta. In conclusion, we identified a Sesquiterpene Synthase (STS) which may have a defense function against Aphanomyces euteiches. Cytotoxicity effect of STS products is currently under study. |
List of publications with impact factor, presentation of the research work in conferences/ seminars /workshops |
Dreher D, Yadav H, Zander S, Hause B. (2017) Is there genetic variation in mycorrhization of Medicago truncatula? PeerJ https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3713 |
Present position | Ph.D |