User:Staalmannen

Jens Staal
Born 1978 in Sweden and grew up in Järna.

I obtained a Master of Science in Engineering degree in biology/biotechnology at Umeå University (Sweden). My master degree project was at the department of pharmacognosy, Uppsala University (Sweden) where I tried to clone the cDNAs for a class of small cyclic peptides called cyclotides from Viola. This project made me interested in the microbial defence responses / innate immunity in plants, so I pursued a PhD at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala (Sweden) on the genetics and physiology of plant disease resistance. My model interaction was the hemibiotrophic fungal Brassica pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans (causative agent of blackleg disease) on Arabidopsis. Arabidopsis shows a high natural tolerance to this pathogen, bordering a non-host resistance situation. Using different genetic methods (QTL mapping, transcriptomics on bulk seggregant populations), I managed to clone 2 resistance genes of the TIR-NOD-LRR type. I also managed to establish that endogenous ABA can be a positive regulator of plant biotic stress resistance. I successfully defended my thesis in 2006, external opponent Jonathan Jones.

I got facinated by the fact that TIR and NOD domains are almost exclusively found in immune signalling in both plants and animals and also that the general signalling "logic" seemed pretty similar. Because of this, I decided to do a post doc on signal transduction in the biomedical field at VIB/Ghent University (Ghent, Belgium) where I study the role of the paracaspase MALT1 protease activity in signalling, especially T-cell antigen receptor induced signalling. I have also tried to apply an evolutionary perspective on the signal transduction mechanisms that I study.

As a hobby, I like to play with Linux, Plan9, anykernels, openwatcom, or other programming.