The module will provide a deepened understanding of the molecular basis of plant responses (in particular protein
degradation pathways) to pathogens, focusing on bacterial pathogens causing plant disease, mechanisms of
pathogenesis, disease control, and microbial and molecular biological control strategies.
The practical work will concentrate on the experimental analysis of the basal and induced resistance of plants,
as well as on the functional characterization of bacterial type-III effector proteins that are responsible for disease
or recognition by the plant cell. One of the main targets of pathogens is protein homeostasis, including synthesis
and degradation of certain immune proteins. As such, we will focus on the impact of degradation pathways
(autophagy and proteasome) on plant-bacteria interactions and how bacteria are able to reprogram them.
Methods to be used involve basic methods of cell and molecular biology, as well as specific methods to analyze
plant-pathogen interactions in detail: Virus-induced gene-silencing, quantitative Real-time PCR, measurement of
reactive oxygen species after pathogen recognition, Co-Immunoprecipitation, confocal laser-scanning
microscopy, protein purification, enzyme activity assay, bacterial infections and phenotyping, quantitative reporter
assays to analyse the degradation rate, analysis of proteasome and autophagy mutants after bacterial infection.
- Kursleiter/in: Manuel Gonzalez Fuente
- Kursleiter/in: Suayb Üstün