Melissa Magerøy

Forsker

(+47) 902 03 375
melissa.mageroy@nibio.no

Sted
Ås - Bygg H8

Besøksadresse
Høgskoleveien 8, 1433 Ås

Biografi

Jeg er molekylærbiolog og biokjemiker med fokus på planter. Under bachelorgraden forsket jeg på lysrespons hos agurk og Arabidopsis. Doktorgraden tok jeg ved University of Florida, der jeg studerte smaksmolekyler i tomat. Deretter jobbet jeg som postdoktor ved University of British Columbia med forsvarsmekanismer mot insekter hos gran. Nå fortsetter jeg dette arbeidet ved NIBIO, hvor jeg studerer epigenetiske mekanismer bak forsvarspriming og hvordan priming kan brukes i integrert skadedyrbekjempelse. Jeg er en engasjert veileder og har stor glede av å jobbe med og utvikle unge forskere. Mine fagområder er planteforsvar, molekylærbiologi, plantebiokjemi, epigenetikk og funksjonell genomikk.

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Sammendrag

Abstract Defence priming enhances plant responsiveness to future stress following prior exposure, and has been extensively characterised in annual model species as a reversible state associated with faster or stronger defence activation. However, studies in long-lived plants indicate that priming responses can be elicitor-specific, developmentally variable and closely linked to environmental history. In trees, priming is often strongest in early life stages, while in mature individuals defence responses are more frequently associated with direct activation and stabilised regulatory states. Evidence across systems shows that priming can operate over multiple timescales, from short-term reversible responses to longer-lasting effects that influence response thresholds and activation kinetics. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and chromatin modification, contribute to these processes and may persist across cell divisions or developmental transitions. Together, these findings highlight the importance of developmental stage and temporal context in shaping plant defence responses.

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Sammendrag

The physiological disorder soft scald may cause losses in apple fruit storage. This study aimed at understanding the interplay between fruit maturity at harvest and storage temperature on soft scald development in the susceptible cultivar ‘Red Aroma’. Fruit harvested late and subsequently stored at −0.5 °C developed the significantly highest soft scald incidence. Overall ethylene and CO2-production was reduced in late harvested fruit stored at −0.5 °C, while fruit from the early harvest showed a cold-induced ethylene increase under the same storage conditions, suggesting an active cold-acclimation response. Clustering of RNA sequencing data and overrepresentation analysis revealed that transcripts involved in cell wall modification, ripening-associated signaling, antioxidant defense system and secondary metabolism were upregulated in late harvested fruit at harvest as well as soft scald-affected fruit after storage. In contrast, early harvested fruit at harvest and disorder-free fruit after storage showed higher expression of transcripts associated with abiotic stress resistance, such as leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases, protein kinases with tetratricopeptide repeat domains, and auxin response factor, indicating a potential link between early maturity and enhanced cold tolerance in ‘Red Aroma’ apple fruit.

Sammendrag

Showet får barna oppleve hvor fantastiske planter egentlig er! Vi utforsker skjulte fargene som finnes inne i plantene rundt oss, og lager magiske “rødkål regnbuer” som skifter farge rett foran øynene deres. Barna får se hvordan planter kan være fulle av overraskelser, hemmeligheter og fantastiske farger – akkurat som små natur-tryllekunstnere.