Jonathan Plett

Brief description

The aim of my research is to compare and contrast the genetic traits in plants that render them susceptible to colonization by beneficial versus pathogenic microbes. Further, I study the countermeasures used by microbes to manipulate the outcome of these interactions.I use plant hosts from forestry and agricultural contexts (e.g. Eucalyptus, Populus, Cicer) combined with their associated bacterial and fungal partners (e.g. Laccaria, Rhizophagus, Phytophthora, Mesorhizobium) to tackle these complex questions. I specialize in combining a range of different techniques from molecular biology and biochemistry, including genomic and transcriptomic analysis, protein:protein interaction assays, enzymatic tests as well as the creation and characterization of mutant organisms to achieve my research goals.

Jonathan Plett