MSc student's thesis projects:
1. Understanding the role of the transcription factor CBP60g in plant immunity in Chrysanthemum. CBP60g is a master immune regulator that controls the expression of genes involved in plant immunity. In this study, we investigate the phylogeny of CBP60g and identify pathogen-induced and temperature-sensitive CBP60g in chrysanthemums. Our findings will help us to understand the role of CBP60g in plant immunity and to develop strategies to improve the resistance of chrysanthemums to pathogens. Read more about the loss of plant immunity under a warming climate here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2022.10.001
Techniques used: Infection assays, RNA isolation, qRT-PCR, protein structure prediction using alphafold2, making gene knock-outs in Fusarium oxysporum.
2. Understanding the role of membrane repair in plant-pathogen Botrytis cinerea against plant defense compound tomatine by making gene-knockouts / over-expression strains and localizing the GFP/RFP-tagged proteins under a confocal microscope.
Techniques used: Infection assays, qPCR, plant metabolite extraction, spot assays, anti-fungal plate assays, LC-MS, molecular cloning, CRISPR-Cas9, cell biology, and microscopy.