Dr. Marc Somssich

Research Focus

My work focuses on decoding the immune responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to infection and colonization by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum at individual cell resolution. While we have a good understanding of general plant defence responses, we do not know how individual cells, or specific groups of cells react to colonization. My work aims at closing this gap by using a life-imaging based approach with high spatial resolution.

Stereomicroscopic (A, B) or high-resolution vertical-stage confocal microscopy (C) image of Arabidopsis thaliana root tips colonized by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum (magenta). The defence hormones salicylic acid (A, B) and jasmonic acid (C) are produced in specific plant cells in close proximity to the infected tissue, demonstrated here via their respective genetic markers EDS16 or AOS (yellow).

Dr. Marc Somssich

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Department of Plant Microbe Interactions
Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research

https://www.mpipz.mpg.de/andersen