Genomics and metabolomics of the microbiome of medicinal plants

Project description

The plant microbiome is known to have a strong influence on plant health and resilience. In medicinal plants, bacteria and fungi can also have a pronounced effect on the accumulation of the bioactive molecules produced by the plant. In this project, we will collect samples of the medicinal plants from different habitats and assess the microbiome composition and metabolite production of the different specimen. We will furthermore cultivate the fungi associated with these plants and assess their interactions with each other in vitro.

Techniques used: aseptic technique, cultivation of filamentous fungi, extraction of high-quality DNA and longread sequencing (in-house), metabolite extraction and analysis by LCMS, data analysis with bioinformatics.

Organization

The master research project will be conducted in the group of Dr. Kristina Haslinger. Our laboratory is well equipped for molecular biology, genomics, metabolomics and working with filamentous fungi. We offer a stimulating research environment for students interested in these topics. There also have good contacts with the pharmaceutical industry.

Requirements

We are looking for highly motivated students interested in working with non-model organisms and cutting-edge -omics technologies.

Contact

For more information, please contact Dr. Kristina Haslinger.
Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology, GRIP
Building 3215, room 9.17
Antonius Deusinglaan 1
9713 AV Groningen