The aim of this course is to understand how the immune system of plants functions, how plants and beneficial or pathogenic microbes interact with each other, and what the determinants are for their success in these different interactions. In the course several integration levels of plant-microbe (and -insect) interactions are discussed: from genes, signal molecules, defense products, whole organisms, to (microbial) population effects.
In the first half of the course, lectures and tutorials convey the theoretical underpinning of plant-microbe/insect interactions. Next to that, students carry out experiments in the laboratory. In the laboratory practicals the students perform plant disease tests with microbes and insects and measure molecular reactions to understand the complexity of the plant-microbe interactions.
In the second half of the course, students follow computer practicals in which they learn how to analyze genomic and transcriptomic data using R. The course is concluded by a key stone assignment in which students formulate a research question and experimental approach, based on their personal interest, in an in-depth MSc research project proposal.
