Plant-microbiome communications

Hunting plant allies of rhizomicrobiome

Plant-microbe interactions are often overlooked as battle between the two parties, plant vs pathogen, neglecting the presence of millions of microorganisms surrounding the plant roots. As sessile organisms and deeply rooted into the soil, plants coevolved and formed mutualistic relationships with soil microbiota by exerting selective pressure on each others.  

In my research, I implement metagenomics tools, e.g. amplicon sequencing and Shotgun metagenome sequencing, to study the rhizomicrobiome structure and its remarkable functions. In addition, we established at Nick lab a cell-based experimental system to track the interkingdom crosstalks among beneficial bacterial taxa, grapevine, and fungal taxa driving grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs).

Additionally, we have started a new project investigating the role of the stress hormone jasmonic acid in shaping plant–rhizomicrobiome interactions in rice, using different mutants with contrasting jasmonate profiles.

Selected publications:

• Flubacher N, Baltenweck R, Hugueney P, Fischer J, Thines E, Riemann M, Nick P & Khattab IM (2023). The fungal metabolite 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid from Neofusicoccum parvum modulates defence responses in grapevine. Plant Cell & Environment, 46(11), 3575–3591.
•  Khattab IM, Fischer J, Kaźmierczak A, Thines E & Nick P (2022) Ferulic acid is a putative surrender signal to stimulate programmed cell death in grapevines after infection with Neofusicoccum parvum. Plant, Cell & Environment, 1– 20.
• Khattab IM, Sahi VP, Baltenweck R, Maia-Grondard A, Hugueney P, Bieler E, Dürrenberger M, Riemann M, Nick P (2021)Ancestral chemotypes of cultivated grapevine with resistance to Botryosphaeriaceae-related dieback allocate metabolism towards bioactive stilbenes. New Phytologist, 229(2), 1133–1146.
• Gong P, Khattab IM, Kaźmierczak A, Metzger C, Zhu X, Liu Q, & Nick P (2023). Two ways to die: Species dependent PCD modes in grapevine cells. Plant Science, 332(March). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111695