The agroecological transition is a major challenge for more sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture. To contribute to this, it is essential to better understand how agroecosystems function, through interdisciplinary research that takes into account the genetic diversity of living organisms and their multiple interactions in situ, such as interactions between neighboring plants or between plants and the soil in open fields. This research is generally based on the integration of multi-omic data acquired from a very large number of samples. In this context, proteomics is becoming one of the molecular phenotyping tools offering new opportunities in agroecology.
To strengthen its capabilities in this field, PAPPSO has installed an OrbitrapTM AstralTM mass spectrometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific) at its site in Gif-sur-Yvette (IDEEV, UMR GQE-Le Moulon). This latest-generation, ultra-fast and sensitive instrument is particularly suitable for analyzing large cohorts of samples or studying highly complex samples such as those from the rhizosphere. Funded by grants from the Ile-de-France region, INRAE, Paris-Saclay University, EUR SPS, AgroParisTech, and the Carnot Plant2Pro institute, this new instrument will enable PAPPSO to develop new high-throughput proteomics and metaproteomics services, placing proteomics at the forefront of agroecology research. It will also enable us to respond more generally to the increasingly sophisticated analysis needs of biologists.