Plant-microbe Interactions, Phytopathology, Microbiology

Understanding how organisms communicate to establish mutualistic interactions is our key research interest. We focus on plant-associated bacteria and study their ability to emit volatile compounds that protect plants against diseases. We work with well-established model plants like Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as with crops of agricultural relevance such as potato, tomato and grapevine. Our research spans from fundamental understanding of beneficial plant-microbe interactions to the application of the acquired knowledge for sustainable crop protection.

• Improved methods to assess the effect of bacteria on germination of fungal spores
  Estoppey, Aislinn; Weisskopf, Laure; Di Francesco, Eva; Vallat-Michel, Armelle; Bindschedler, Saskia; et al.
  Fems Microbiology Letters  10.1093/femsle/fnac034  APR 21 2022
• Multiple strategies of plant colonization by beneficial endophytic Enterobacter sp. SA187
  Synek, Lukas; Rawat, Anamika; L'Haridon, Floriane; Weisskopf, Laure; Saad, Maged M.; et al.
  Environmental Microbiology  10.1111/1462-2920.15747  OCT 2021
• Basidiomycetes Are Particularly Sensitive to Bacterial Volatile Compounds: Mechanistic Insight Into the Case Study of Pseudomonas protegens Volatilome Against Heterobasidion abietinum
  Prigigallo, Maria Isabella; De Stradis, Angelo; Anand, Abhishek; Mannerucci, Francesco; L'Haridon, Floriane; et al.
  Frontiers In Microbiology  10.3389/fmicb.2021.684664   MAY 31 2021
• Microbial volatile organic compounds in intra-kingdom and inter-kingdom interactions
  Weisskopf, Laure; Schulz, Stefan; Garbeva, Paolina
  Nature Reviews Microbiology, 10.1038/s41579-020-00508-1   FEB 2021
• Deciphering Trichoderma-Plant-Pathogen Interactions for Better Development of Biocontrol Applications
  Alfiky, Alsayed; Weisskopf, Laure
  Journal Of Fungi 10.3390/jof7010061 JAN 2021
• Linking Comparative Genomics of Nine Potato-Associated Pseudomonas Isolates With Their Differing Biocontrol Potential Against Late Blight
  De Vrieze, Mout; Varadarajan, Adithi R.; Schneeberger, Kerstin; Bailly, Aurelien; Rohr, Rudolf P.; et al.
  Frontiers In Microbiology  DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00857  Published: APR 30 2020
• Contribution of Hydrogen Cyanide to the Antagonistic Activity ofPseudomonasStrains AgainstPhytophthora infestans
  Anand, Abhishek; Chinchilla, Delphine; Tan, Christopher; Mene-Saffrane, Laurent; L'Haridon, Floriane; et al.
  Microorganisms  DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8081144 Published: AUG 2020
• Airborne medicine: bacterial volatiles and their influence on plant health
  Garbeva, Paolina; Weisskopf, Laure
  New Phytologist  DOI: 10.1111/nph.16282 Published: APR 2020
• Identification of a species-specific aminotransferase in Pediococcus acidilactici capable of forming alpha-aminobutyrate
  Wenger, Alexander; Schmidt, Remo S.; Portmann, Reto; Roetschi, Alexandra; Eugster, Elisabeth; et al.
  Amb Express  DOI: 10.1186/s13568-020-01034-2 Published: MAY 29 2020
• S-methyl Methanethiosulfonate: Promising Late Blight Inhibitor or Broad Range Toxin?
  Joller, Charlotte; De Vrieze, Mout; Moradi, Aboubakr; Fournier, Claudine; Chinchilla, Delphine; et al.
  Pathogens  DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9060496 JUN 2020
• Genome Insights of the Plant-Growth Promoting Bacterium Cronobacter muytjensii JZ38 With Volatile-Mediated Antagonistic Activity Against Phytophthora infestans
  Eida, Abdul Aziz; Bougouffa, Salim; L'Haridon, Floriane; Alam, Intikhab; Weisskopf, Laure; et al.
  Frontiers In Microbiology  DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00369 MAR 11 2020
• A sulfur-containing volatile emitted by potato-associated bacteria confers protection against late blight through direct anti-oomycete activity
  Chinchilla, Delphine; Bruisson, Sebastien; Meyer, Silvan; Zuehlke, Daniela; Hirschfeld, Claudia; et al.
  Scientific Reports,  DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55218-3, DEC 30 2019
• Endophytes and Epiphytes From the Grapevine Leaf Microbiome as Potential Biocontrol Agents Against Phytopathogens
  Bruisson, Sebastien; Zufferey, Monica; L'Haridon, Floriane; Trutmann, Eva; Anand, Abhishek; et al.
  Frontiers In Microbiology,  DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02726, Published: NOV 29 2019
• Airborne medicine: bacterial volatiles and their influence on plant health
  Garbeva, Paolina; Weisskopf, Laure
  New Phytologist,  DOI: 10.1111/nph.16282, Early Access: NOV 2019
• Spotlight on how microbes influence their host's behavior
  Weisskopf, L; Newton, ILG; Berry, D; Webster, NS
  ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, 10.1111/1462-2920.14757
• Combining Different Potato-Associated Pseudomonas Strains for Improved Biocontrol of Phytophthora infestans
  De Vrieze, M; Germanier, F; Vuille, N; Weisskopf, L
  FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, 9 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02573 OCT 29 2018
• Microbial life in the grapevine: what can we expect from the leaf microbiome?
  Vionnet L, De Vrieze M, Dutartre A, Gfeller A, Luthi A, L'Haridon F &  Weisskopf L (2018).
  OenoOne 52 (3) (online https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2018.52.3.2120).
• …

• Chemical communication between bacteria, plants and plant pathogens
• Molecular regulation of bacterial volatile emission
• Physiological effects of bacterial volatiles in target organisms
• Bacterial volatiles and sustainable crop protection

• Plant-microbe interactions
• Induced systemic resistance
• Chemistry of volatile-mediated communication
• Bioinformatics
• Crop protection