Acx Robbe
Acx Robbe - Student Master 2
Sanchez Martin-Fontecha Elena
Sanchez Martin-Fontecha Elena - Postdoctoral fellow
Elena obtained her PhD in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Pilar Cubas at the National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC) in Madrid, Spain. Her research focused on strigolactone signalling in Arabidopsis, specifically studying the degradation of the strigolactone receptor AtD14 and its role in plant development. After completing her PhD, she joined Prof. Inge De Clercq’s lab, which focuses on Inter-organelle Stress Signalling, as a postdoctoral scientist. Currently, Elena holds a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship, aiming to unravel the interactions between chloroplasts, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and mitochondria, with the goal of identifying the complex molecular mechanisms involved in inter-organelle communication.
Annaart Féline
Annaart Féline - Student
De Backer Jonas
De Backer Jonas - Predoctoral fellow
Jonas De Backer graduated in 2019 as Master of Bioscience Engineering: Cell and Gene Biotechnology (Bio-engineer) at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. During his master thesis under the guidance of Prof. Monica Höfte and Dr. Inge De Clercq at the Oxidative Stress Signaling group of Prof. Van Breusegem, he was involved in the study of the post-translational activation of transcription factors involved in retrograde signaling of plant stress responses. On the 1st of January 2020, he started his PhD in the EOS project Retrograde Arabidopsis Chlamydomonas Thiol signaling (ReACTs) to further study this topic while applying for an FWO predoctoral fellowship for fundamental research which he obtained that same year. Now he is doing his joint PhD entitled “Identification of proteases that activate membrane-bound transcription factors during mitochondrial retrograde regulation“ in the inter-organellar signaling lab of Prof. De Clercq in collaboration with the lab of Prof. Monica Höfte (Lab of Phytopathology, Ghent University) and the lab of Prof. Frank Van Breusegem (Lab of Oxidative Stress Signaling, PSB VIB-UGent).
How pathogens counterattack
In order to obtain specific and sustainable solutions for crop protection, we need a better understanding of the molecular interactions between plants and phytopathogens. Intracellular organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria play a pivotal role in plant immune responses. Our team aims to identify pathogen-secreted effector proteins that target the plant host organelles.
Understanding inter-organellar communication by contact sites
Due to their tight integration into the cell’s metabolic and signaling networks, organelles are in a prime position to communicate stress signals and coordinate optimal adaptive responses. However, we lack a profound understanding of how these organelles communicate stress signals with each other. In our lab we study a novel mechanism of communication between organelles, more specifically, by their direct physical association, through the identification of stress-induced contact sites with the use of state-of-the-art live-cell imaging and proteomics methods.
VIB welcomes MSCA fellows
The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions of the EU offer postdoctoral fellowships to talented researchers. These MSCA fellowships provide an opportunity for young scientists to conduct research in foreign countries, gain expertise, and advance their professional pursuits. VIB is pleased to welcome four new Marie Curie fellows this year.