معرفی
Dr. Jens Tilsner is a Lecturer in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews, affiliated with the Centre for Biophotonics. His research focuses on plant RNA viruses' interactions with host cell membranes during replication and cell-to-cell transport, targeting plant virus-induced food security threats. He employs advanced microscopy (confocal, super-resolution), lipidomics, and biochemical assays to study viral membrane modifications and plasmodesmata dynamics. His work aims to develop antiviral crop protection strategies and biotechnology applications. Dr. Tilsner supervises PhD student Zhe Yu and has secured grants from BBSRC and the British Society for Plant Pathology. He has authored over 40 publications, including landmark studies on plasmodesmata membrane contact sites and viral RNA imaging techniques.
Research Interests:
Plant virus-membrane interactions, plasmodesmata biology, antiviral crop protection, lipidomics, super-resolution microscopy, and host-pathogen dynamics.
Key Achievements:
Discovered coupling of viral replication/movement at plasmodesmata, developed novel RNA imaging techniques using Csy4 endonuclease, and identified HIPPs and HVA22 proteins' roles in viral propagation. His work bridges fundamental plant cell biology with applied agricultural solutions.
