This comic was generated with the help of “Image Creator from Designer” (Microsoft).

Planter’s Punch

Under the heading Planter’s Punch we present each month one special aspect of the CEPLAS research programme. All contributions are prepared by our early career researchers.

About the author

Laura Armbruster is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Zuccaro lab (University of Cologne). As a molecular biologist, she combines laboratory experiments and computational approaches to explore the mechanisms that make plants resilient to environmental changes. Her research focuses on the role of the plant microbiome in enhancing plant health and performance. She aims to unravel the transcriptional regulatory networks that govern the complex interactions between plants and microbes in the rhizosphere. Outside the lab, Laura enjoys 3D printing, playing board games, and running.

Further Reading

Eichfeld R, Mahdi LK, De Quattro C, Armbruster L, Endeshaw AB, Miyauchi S, Hellmann MJ, Cord-Landwehr S, Peterson D, Singan V, Lail K, Savage E, Ng V, Grigoriev IG, Langen G, Moerschbacher BM and Zuccaro A. 2024.“Transcriptomics reveal a mechanism of niche defense: two beneficial root endophytes deploy an antimicrobial GH18-CBM5 chitinase to protect their hosts”. New Phyt 244 (3): 980-996. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20080

Mahdi LK, Miyauchi S, Uhlmann C, Garrido-Oter R, Langen G, Wawra S, Niu Y, Guan R, Robertson-Albertyn S, Bulgarelli D, Parker JE and Zuccaro A. 2022. „The fungal root endophyte Serendipita vermifera displays inter-kingdom synergistic beneficial effects with the microbiota in Arabidopsis thaliana and barley“. ISME J 16 (3): 876–89. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01138-y

Sarkar D, Rovenich H, Jeena G, Nizam S, A Tissier, Balcke GU, Mahdi LK, Bonkowski M, Langen G and Zuccaro A. 2019. „The inconspicuous gatekeeper: endophytic Serendipita vermifera acts as extended plant protection barrier in the rhizosphere“. New Phyt 224 (2): 886–901. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15904