Internship OT-27400
Master internship – How filamentous pathogens sense their hosts: investigating the role of mechanosensitive receptors
06903 Sophia Antipolis
INRAE presentation
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.
Work environment, missions and activities
You will join the UMR INRAE PACA, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (Sophia Antipolis, France), a research unit dedicated to understanding plant-microbe interactions in both pathogenic and symbiotic contexts, bringing together expertise in genomics, ecology, and agronomy.
Your project will focus on Phytophthora (from the Greek “plant destroyer”), a group of filamentous microorganisms within the oomycetes, close relatives of brown algae and diatoms. Oomycetes include some of the most devastating plant pathogens. The infamous Phytophthorainfestans, for instance, caused the Irish Potato Famine of 1845, and today several Phytophthora species continue to threaten crops such as potato, tomato, and cacao — jeopardizing beloved foods worldwide, from pizza to chocolate.
To infect plants, Phytophthora forms specialized structures called appressoria, which generate the mechanical force needed to penetrate the plant surface. Emerging evidence points to a central role for mechanosensitive channels in this process, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. During this internship, you will help uncover the role of mechanosensitive channels in Phytophthora infection. Your work will include:
- Optimizing infection assays and applying chemical treatments that interfere with mechanosensitive channel activity to assess their contribution to appressorium formation and pathogen ingress.
- Developing a reporter system to visualize Phytophthora mycelium in planta and facilitate high-throughput infection assays. This will involve designing and assembling plasmids using Gibson assembly and performing Phytophthora transformation.
- Applying CRISPR/Cas genome editing to investigate the function of candidate genes involved in appressorium development.
This internship will provide hands-on training in molecular biology, plant pathology, and host–pathogen interactions, while contributing to research with direct implications for sustainable agriculture and global food security
References:
Evangelisti, E., Govers, F. (2024). Roadmap to success: how oomycete plant pathogens invade tissues and deliver effectors. Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 78(1): 493-512. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-micro-032421-121423
Bronkhorst, J., Kasteel, M., van Veen, S., Clough, J. M., Kots, K., Buijs, J., van der Gucht, J., Ketelaar, T., Govers, F., & Sprakel, J. (2021). A slicing mechanism facilitates host entry by plant-pathogenic Phytophthora. Nature Microbiology, 6(8), 1000–1006. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-00919-7
Daily supervision will be provided by the PhD student and the PI, with additional mentoring from colleagues at Wageningen University working on plant pathology and cell biology through bimonthly online meetings, as well as support from other lab members. In addition, the internship offers:
Training and skills
- Enrolled in a Master (1st or 2nd Year) program in Plant Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, or a related field;
- Motivation to study pathogen development, host-pathogen interactions, and protein function;
- Good communication and scientific writing skills in English;
- Previous laboratory experience in molecular biology, microbiology, or biochemistry is a plus.
INRAE's life quality
By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):
- up to 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.
How to apply
I send my CV and my motivation letter
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to the Civil Service Code, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear. > Find out more: fonction publique.gouv.fr website (in French)