
Professor in plant genetics and microbiology Joske Ruytinx from the Department of Bio-Engineering at the VUB has received a grant from the US Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI). She will investigate the effect of radionuclides (radioactive particles) on ectomycorrhiza, a symbiosis between a fungus and a plant, in this case pines. Ruytinx is receiving support from the JGI on sophisticated research infrastructure to sequence RNA and DNA from a variety of fungal samples.
"Under normal conditions, symbiosis between the mycorrhizal fungus and the plant consists of a network of mycelial filaments that supply water and minerals, while the host plant produces carbon compounds (e.g. sugars) for the fungus," Ruytinx explains. ...