Hi,
Below please find an advert for an open PhD student position in my lab. I am
looking for a motivated, technically skilled and socially competent student
to join the lab on a maize-symbiosis diversity project.
Please contact me electronically or see my at the maize meeting in
Washington
UTA
PhD thesis
GENETIC TRAITS DETERMINING MYCORRHIZAL RESPONSIVENESS IN MAIZE
The mutually beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis occurs between
the majority of
terrestrial plants and Glomeromycotan fungi. AM fungi enhance the phosphate
and nitrogen
nutrition of their hosts and receive carbohydrates in return. Plants vary in
their responsiveness
to AM colonization. In a novel genetic screen we intend to address traits
related to functionality
of the symbiosis by examining a collection of genetically diverse maize
lines for their
responsiveness to mycorrhizal colonization (1, 2) . We will concentrate on
genotypes displaying
high responsiveness to the AM symbiosis in the absence of dependence (3).
Discovery of the
molecular mechanisms determining mycorrhizal responsiveness is the aim of
the project. The
work will include QTL and association mapping combined with molecular
investigation of allele
diversity of selected genes.
The position is available immediately.
Our laboratory is located in the Department of Plant Molecular Biology at
the University of
Lausanne, which provides an international and exciting scientific
environment. A background in
molecular biology, genetics and statistics is desirable. Knowledge in plant
biology is of
advantage.
Lab language: ENGLISH, University language: FRENCH
Cited references
1. Flint-Garcia, S.A., Thuillet, A.C., Yu, J., Pressoir, G., Romero, S.M.,
Mitchell, S.E., Doebley, J., Kresovich, S., Goodman, M.M., and Buckler, E.S.
(2005). Maize association population: a high-resolution platform for
quantitative trait locus dissection.
2. Buckler, E.S., Gaut, B.S., and McMullen, M.D. (2006). Molecular and
functional diversity of maize. Curr Opin Plant Biol 9, 172-176 Plant J. 44,
1054-1064
3. Sawers R, Gutjahr C, Paszkowski U (2008) Cereal mycorrhiza: an ancient
symbiosis in modern agriculture? Trends Plant Sci in press
Applications should be sent by email to:
Uta Paszkowski
University of Lausanne,
Department of Plant Molecular Biology
CH-1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
uta.paszkowski from unil.ch
Uta Paszkowski
Université de Lausanne
Department de Biologie Moléculaire végétale
Biophore, 4403
CH-1015 Lausanne
Suisse
off: ++41-21-692 4210
cell: ++41-79-780 3055
fax: ++41-21-692 4195
email: uta.paszkowski from unil.ch
