ERC Grants
European Research Council
PROTaX - Silke Robatzek
Xylella fastidiosa
© Carolin Bleese
New therapy against olive pest
Silke Robatzek is Professor of Genetics and leads the Genetics of Plant-Microorganism Interaction research group at the Faculty of Biology.
The pathogen Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) causes bacterial leaf scorch, which affects valuable crops such as olives, grapevines, almonds, and blueberries. The disease is responsible for massive economic damage, especially in the Mediterranean region. A prominent example is the widespread loss of old olive groves in Southern Italy. Existing strategies for combating the disease have proven to be inadequate, and so we urgently need innovative new solutions. This is where Silke Robatzek comes in with her research project PROTaX (Designing a Novel Protein Inspired Therapeutic Against Xylella). The cell biologist and geneticist is pursuing a novel approach based on the hypothesis that the phytomicrobiomes of certain unaffected plants contain inhibiting factors against Xf. And in experiments, Robatzek was indeed able to identify a specific protein, and an active region within it, that inhibits the growth of the pathogen.
In the course of PROTaX, she now plans to further optimize this protein region and render it suitable for therapeutic application in agriculture. To do this, Robatzek will concentrate on the development of more effective protein fragments and test various forms of application. “Despite the major challenges that arise, the project has huge potential and is a promising alternative to conventional plant protection strategies,” says Robatzek. At the end of the project, the team plans not only to present a functioning protein fragment with proven effectiveness in plant models, but also to analyze market interest in order to lay the groundwork for subsequent application in practice.
Tackling Multi-host Pathogenicity in Xylella by Assisted Immunity (MultiX) - Silke Robatzek
© Carolin Bleese
Xylella fastidiosa is one of the most dangerous plant bacteria in the world. Within a few years, it has spread throughout Europe. It is known to have destroyed centuries-old olive tree crops, threatening the economic and social well-being of entire communities whose livelihoods depend on oil production.
But Xylella is not only a threat to olive trees. It can infect many genetically different plant species – more than 300 worldwide. However, the secret of its infectious success remains largely unexplained. With her newly approved ERC Advanced Grant, Prof. Silke Robatzek wants to investigate the bacterium's multi-host infection strategy. This includes how it tricks the immune system of host plants and how it settles in the xylem of plants—the dead cells that transport water.
Her work will provide new insights into immune receptors that can prevent infection with X. fastidiosa and support the plants' immune system in the fight against the disease. This will help to curb the spread of the pathogen and reduce the loss of some of our most economically important crop yields.
Designing photosynthetic organisms that make the most of sunlight - Dario Leister
© Carolin Bleese
Photosynthesis is a fundamental process on Earth, harnessing the energy of sunlight to generate the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat. However, plants and other photosynthetic organisms absorb only a fraction of the available solar energy, and then incur further losses when converting this energy into biomass. Enhancing the collection and storage of solar energy for photosynthesis could improve food and energy production.
The EU-funded PhotoRedesign project aims to take up this challenge: by combining expertise in genetics, biochemistry and biophysics, the team will design novel versions of photosynthesis in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis. PhotoRedesign will modify complex photosynthetic processes that were hitherto considered immutable, thereby allowing photosynthetic organisms to utilise more sunlight energy, and ultimately increasing biomass (food) and biofuel production.