SFB 648:  Molecular Mechanisms of Information Processing in Plants

• Subject Area: Biology ; Medicine
• Term: from 2005 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5486253

The overall goal of the Collaborative Research Centre is to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions between plants and microbes, intracellular networks and processing of perceived signals in plants. Although these seem to be quite different processes there are similar mechanisms on the molecular level. Examples are the selective perception of external signals leading to pathogen recognition and the induction of signalling cascades in the plant cell, respectively. The Collaborative Research Centre consists of 13 different projects that are organised in three workpackages reflecting the main topics:
Topic A: Plant-pathogen interactions
Topic B: Intracellular networks
Topic C: Signal processing in the whole organism
In addition, there is a service project on microscopy.
One major topic concerns the interaction between plants and bacterial and fungal pathogens, with a focus on pathogen-derived effector proteins and their plant targets. Objectives in the analysis of intracellular signal perception and transduction concern gene regulation and the effects of chromatin structure as well as kinase cascades. Different model systems, e.g. crop plants (corn, barley, pepper, tomato, tobacco, potato), Arabidopsis thaliana, but also yeast are studied using genetics, and state-of-the-art molecular genetic, biochemical and cell biology tools. One of the long-term goals is to unravel the complex networks of communication in plants that underlie plant development and defence and that guarantee an optimal adaptation of plants to different environmental conditions.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A01 - Analysis of the virolence function of type III effector proteins from Xanthomonas (Project Head Bonas, Ulla )
• A02 - Functional characterization of the effector protein AvrBS3 from Xanthomonas (Project Head Bonas, Ulla )
• A03 - Analysis of Bs3- and Bs4-mediated signal transduction (Project Head Lahaye, Thomas )
• A04 - PAMP-mediated pathogen defense in Solanum tuberosum (Project Head Rosahl, Sabine )
• A05 - Identification and characterisation of secreted effector proteins of Colletotrichum graminicola (Project Heads Deising, Holger B. ;  Wirsel, Stefan )
• A06 - Molekulare Kommunikation von Rhynchosporium secalis mit Wirts- und Nichtwirtspflanzen (Project Head Knogge, Wolfgang )
• A07 - Viral replication and antiviral immune response in a plant in vitro system (Project Head Behrens, Sven-Erik )
• A08 - Control of type III effector protein transport in the plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas (Project Head Büttner, Daniela )
• A09 - Factors important for growth of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in the plant apoplast (Project Head Sawers, Gary )
• B01 - Functional analysis of MAP kinase cascades in plant immunity response (Project Heads Lee, Justin ;  Scheel, Dierk )
• B02 - Role of the Elongator complex in tRNA anticodon modification and intracellular stress signaling (Project Head Breunig, Karin D. )
• B04 - Dual targeting von kerncodierten Proteinen der Mitochondrien und Plastiden (Project Head Klösgen, Ralf Bernd )
• B06 - Identification and analysis of bacterial type III secretion control proteins (Project Head Büttner, Daniela )
• B07 - Regulation of plant terpene biosynthesis by herbivores and pathogens (Project Head Degenhardt, Jörg )
• B08 - Functional characterization of kelch-repeat F-box protein families in Arabidopsis thaliana (Project Head Quint, Marcel )
• B09 - The role of aconitases and iron homeostasis in the pathogenicity of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Project Head Sawers, Gary )
• B10 - The role of phosphoinositides in plant-pathogen-interactions (Project Head Heilmann, Ingo )
• B11 - Integration of chloroplasts in the cellular Ca2+ signalling network (Project Head Baginsky, Sacha )
• B12 - Funktionelle Charakterisierung der Arabidopsis IQD Protein Familie (Project Heads Abel, Steffen ;  Bürstenbinder, Katharina )
• B13 - The balance of inositol polyphosphates as a regulator of auxin and jasmonate perception in Arabidopsis thaliana (Project Head Heilmann, Ingo )
• C01 - Identifizierung pflanzlicher Wirtsfaktoren der Virusausbreitung (Project Heads Sonnewald, Uwe ;  Sonnewald, Sophia )
• C02 - Regulation der Jasmonatbiosynthese durch Licht und die Kontrolle der Blühinduktion durch 12- Hydroxyjasmonat in Arabidopsis (Project Head Wasternack, Claus )
• C03 - Heterochromatic gene silencing and epigenetic programming in Arabidopsis thaliana (Project Head Reuter, Gunter )
• C04 - Contribution of target transgene structure and chromosomal localisation to RNA-directed transcriptional gene silencing in Arabidopsis (Project Head Mette, Michael Florian )
• C07 - Histone phosphorylation status and the control of cell division in Arabidopsis thaliana (Project Head Houben, Andreas )
• C08 - Epigenetic control of heterochromatic gene silencing and pathogenesis of Colletotrichum graminicola (Project Heads Deising, Holger B. ;  Reuter, Gunter )
• Z01 - Investigation of the cellular substructure and localization of biologically relevant molecules (Project Head Hause, Gerd )
• Z02 - Central Organization (Project Head Bonas, Ulla )

• Applicant Institution: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
• Participating Institution: Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzenbiochemie (IPB); Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK)
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Ulla Bonas