Legumes engage in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which makes them less dependent on nitrogen fertilizers. During her PhD studies, Henriette Rübsam investigated how legume receptors that recognize symbiotic bacteria interact to activate signaling. Henriette Rübsam established a synthetic approach based on llama-derived nanobodies to drive the assembly of receptor complexes and showed which receptors form the core symbiotic complex.

The new research findings will aid in engineering symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria into other crops like barley, which might contribute to using less nitrogen fertilizers in the future.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 19 May 2023 at 13.00
Place: Building 1871, room 120, MBG Auditorium, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of PhD thesis: Ligand perception and receptor complex formation in plant immunity and symbiosis

Contact information: Henriette Rübsam, e-mail: ruebsam@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 50399296

Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Uta Paszkowski, Department of Plant Science, Crop Science Centre, Cambridge, UK

Professor Anja Thoe Fuglsang, Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Associate Professor Anni Hangaard Andersen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Kasper Røjkjær Andersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Co-supervisor:
Professor Jens Stougaard, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS,

Jens Baggesens Vej 53, building 5221, 8200 Aarhus N.