Plant Microbiota Communications
The RTNakano Lab
Plant Microbiota Communications
Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research
Cologne (Köln), Germany
Research Interest
We are interested in how plant growth and immunity are controlled in the natural environment and how the plant-associated microbial community ("plant microbiota") contributes to these processes.
Specifically, we aim to reveal the molecular/genetic framework that dictates the molecular dialog between plants and associated microbiota. The goal is to identify the genes and the molecules that mediate the interaction and to decipher their spatiotemporal dynamics.
Ultimately, we will address the evolutionary trajectories of plant-microbiota interactions.
Toward this end, we employ multiple approaches, including plant and microbial genetics (i.e. generating mutants and testing phenotypes), multi-omics (RNAseq and proteomics), microbiota profiling, and cell biology.
Current Research Projects
Root growth promotion by Rhizobiales commensals
Arabidopsis root growth is promoted by commensal bacteria belonging to the order Rhizobiales. We are investigating its underlying molecular mechanism to understand the physiological relevance of this activity.
Suppression of root immune responses by commensal bacteria
A subset of root-associated commensal bacteria is able to suppress the root response to flg22 and pep1 peptides, the strong immune elicitors. This raises the question of how plants cope with soil-borne pathogens in the presence of immuno-suppressive microbes. We are investigating how Rhizobiales commensal bacteria suppress root immune responses.
Root-secreted secondary metabolism manipulating root microbiota
Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) play a crucial role in plant-microbe interactions, including root-microbiota interactions. However, the molecular mechanisms by which root-secreted PSMs impact microbial behavior and how microbes respond to it remain unclear. We are primarily focusing on root-abundant indole glucosinolates and their activation by PYK10 myrosinases to address this.
MPIPZ
Max-Planck-Institut für Pflanzenzüchtungsforschung
(Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research)
