Splice to Survive: Increasing Salt Stress Resilience through Alternative Splicing

Project type: MSc thesis / Research practice Supervisor: Jenny Saile

Start date: September 2026

Project description: Salt stress is a major constraint on plant growth and crop productivity worldwide. With increasing soil salinization, improving plant resilience to salt stress is becoming essential for future food security.

In this project, you will explore how plants use alternative splicing, a mechanism that enables a single gene to produce multiple mRNA variants, to adapt to stressful environments. We have identified key splicing factors that contribute to salt tolerance, and your project will focus on uncovering how these proteins are regulated.

Specifically, you will investigate the protein interaction partners of these splicing factors using cutting-edge proximity labeling techniques. You will use TurboID-based proximity labeling, followed by immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, to map protein interaction networks under salt stress conditions.

This project offers hands-on experience with modern molecular and proteomics approaches and contributes to a deeper understanding of plant stress adaptation mechanisms, with potential applications in developing resilient crops.

Applied techniques:

· Selection of transgenic lines (RNA isolation, reverse transcription, quantitative PCR)

· Biotin labeling, protein extraction, immunoprecipitation, western blot

· Mass spectrometry-based proteomics

· Basic data analysis (optional, depending on interest)

Who are we looking for?

· MSc student interested in plant molecular biology

· Enthusiasm for lab work, especially protein-based approaches

· Basic laboratory skills

· Curiosity and motivation to explore new techniques

Interested? Are you excited about protein work and eager to contribute to research on plant stress resilience? Get in touch by email: jenny.saile@wur.nl and thesis.PPH@wur.nl