Seminar of the Department of Microbiology

MSc Student Session 2

 

Laurenz Schark – MSc candidate – UIBK – Mykologie

Erik Doubrava – MSc candidate – UIBK – Mykologie

 

27.03.2024, 11:00 

  • Join online
  • or in presence:  Seminarraum Biologie - (Technikerstr. 25, Viktor-Franz-Hess Haus, Parterre)

Abstracts

Schark: Establishing an Inducible Promoter System in Trichoderma atroviride
Laurenz

The widespread and excessive use of chemically created herbicides and pesticides to combat plant pathogens can lead to environmental pollution, negatively affecting human and animal health as well as inducing negative effects on the microbiome of the rhizosphere. This has led to a need for alternatives, that are less damaging to the environment and more sustainable. One such alternative is the fungus T. atroviride, which has found extensive use as a Biocontrol agent especially in agriculture due to its ability to dampen the growth of many plant pathogens by mycoparasitism, antibiosis or by strengthening of the plant’s host resistance. T. atroviride achieves part of its antagonistic activity by nutrient competition as well as secretion of cell wall-degrading enzymes. To gain insight into these mechanisms and improve Trichodermas function as a biocontrol agent, genetic tools are necessary to understand and manipulate the relevant genes in their interaction with hosts. A nice tool that is so far not well explored in Trichoderma species is represented by inducible promoter systems. A prominent system used for many eukaryotic cells is the Tet-ON/OFF System which allows Tetra/doxycycline-inducible gene expression. The gene following the Tet System is either silenced (Tet-OFF) or activated (Tet-ON) under addition of tetracycline or doxycycline. Since its use in T. atroviride has not been established so far, its successful application could be an important addition to the repertoire of inducible systems for T. atroviride.

 

 

Doubrava: Evaluation of Bacterial Densities in Floor Constructions after Water Damage
Erik

The aim of this study is to establish the quantitative PCR method for the assessment of water damage in buildings. For this purpose, a suitable method must be developed to extract DNA from the complex and diverse building materials and to set up the qPCR reaction.

Furthermore, the results must be compared against the current standard method of CFU counting, in order to identify potential issues as well as opportunities.

 

 

 

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