Understanding oomycete effector functions to establish plant infections

• Applicant: Dr. Stefan Engelhardt
• Subject Area: Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
• Term: from 2008 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 107908821

Secreted effectors from successful pathogens suppress or manipulate plant immune responses either outside or inside host cells. In contrast to bacterial plant pathogens, little is known about effectors derived from eukaryotic fungi and oomycetes. Recently the RXLR-EER motif in oomycete effectors was shown to be responsible for their translocation to the inside of plant cells. This project will contribute to the functional analyses of RXLR-EER proteins from Phytophthora infestans during infection. Cell biological studies will be employed to verify in vivo RXLR-EER-host protein interactions and to discover their subcellular localization. As searches of the genome sequences of different oomycete species have revealed hundreds of genes encoding secreted RXLR-EER-containing proteins, another goal is to investigate effectors with a potentially redundant role during infection by means of down-regulating expression of genes encoding RXLR-EERcontaining effectors. Redundancy in effector function is important for evading recognition by resistance proteins, deployment of which is seen to be the best approach to provide durable disease resistance. Additionally, novel effector functions like manipulation of the secretory pathway in plants will be assessed by developing new reporter constructs. The investigation of host targets should eventually inform strategies to provide broad-spectrum resistance.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Host: Professor Dr. Paul Birch