Molecular Aspects of Bio-interactions

The course focuses on the molecular basis of interactions within or between plants or arthropods, including interactions with attackers (viruses, micro-organisms, nematodes, insects, parasitic plants) and beneficial organisms (symbiotic bacteria and fungi).
The following topics are discussed:

• the repertoire of defence mechanisms in plants;
• similarities between plant resistance proteins in relation to specificity towards effector proteins in the attacker;
• signalling processes within an individual plant and between a plant and its neighbours;
• defence-related signal transduction pathways and the cross-talk between pathways;
• mechanisms and strategies by which attackers invade plants, overcome host defence responses and reproduce in or on the host tissues;
• mechanisms and strategies by which symbiotic organisms interact with plants and arthropods;
• gene regulation and stochasticity in sex determination of arthropods;
• how fundamental molecular knowledge on these biological processes can be exploited to improve disease control measures.
  Experiments in the practical course illustrate aspects of the theory.

• Oversee the molecular basis of interactions between plants and viruses, micro-organisms, nematodes, insects, parasitic plants, symbiotic bacteria and fungi, as well as between arthropods

• Integrate the complexity of the repertoire of defence mechanisms that plants utilize to (directly or indirectly) counteract attackers

• Describe how attackers invade plants and reproduce, with emphasis on the function of certain proteins in these processes

• Comprehend how symbiotic organisms interact with plants without triggering defense responses

• Understand how insights into bio-interactions can be exploited to the benefit of plants

• Explain the role of gene regulatory elements in gene regulation and stochasticity

• Describe the symbiotic relations between insects and (endo)symbionts and the mechanism of reproductive manipulations induced by endosymbionts

• Perform experiments in the field of biotic interactions

• Write a report about the experiments in the format of a scientific publication

• Written test with open questions (60%)
• Performance (20%) Evaluation of laboratory performance during practical.
• Assignment report (20%) Quality of group report on experiments in the practical.

ZSS06100 Laboratory Safety

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