RhizoGATE–The gateway to rhizobial genomes

Rhizobia are a diverse group of bacteria that engage in symbioses with the roots of leguminous host plants. Once established as symbionts, these bacteria reduce dinitrogen to a form the plant can use for growth. Symbiotic bacteria...

Signalling in the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis

Symbiotic bacterial nitrogen fixation takes place within root nodules resulting from a coordinated bacteria-plant interaction which requires the exchange of signals between both symbiotic partners. S. meliloti produces three types of surface polysaccharides: exopolysaccharides,...

Sinorhizobium meliloti cell cycle control and differentiation

Regulation of the cell cycle in bacteria is less elucidated than in eukaryotes, mostly due to the small size of the bacterial cells which makes it difficult to gain insight into the subcellular processes like bacterial chromosome segregation or septum formation. Bacterial cell division is a highly organized process,...

Experimental and computational identication of regulatory small non-coding RNAs in alphaproteobacteria

Combining experimental and bioinformatics approaches, this project aims at identification of small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in alphaproteobacteria. Sinorhizobium meliloti is used as...

Regulation of the metabolic adaptation of phytopathogenic Xanthomonas campestris strains during infection of Arabidopsis thaliana

This project focuses on the metabolic regulatory networks of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) and Xanthomonas campestris pv. armoraciae (Xca) as pathogens of cruciferous plants. Although Xcc and Xca are closely related they colonize different parts of the leaves,...

Automation

We are operating a state-of-the-art robotic platform for library handling and automated screening assays. Projects applying this platform aim at identification of protein-protein...