Faculteit Biologie: Molecular Genetics: PMG index

<body> <a name="_Top"> </a> <table id="main" width="750" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="Content"> <tr> <td valign="top" height="250"></td> <td valign="top" id="content"> <h2><span style="font-size: 15pt" lang="en-us">Plant-Microbe Genetics </span> <span style="font-weight: 400"><span lang="en-us"> <font style="font-size: 15pt">(</font></span><i><span lang="en-us"><font style="font-size: 15pt">Guido Van den Ackerveken Lab)</font></span></i></span></h2> <p align="justify">Plants <span lang="en-us">are</span> constant<span lang="en-us">ly exposed to microbes</span> but have evolved sophisticated ways<span lang="en-us"> of protection against infectious diseases</span>. Unlike humans<span lang="en-us">,</span> who have an adaptive immune system with circulating antibodies, plants defend themselves, amongst others, with physical barriers, antimicrobial compounds and local cell death responses.<span lang="en-us"> </span>In exceptional cases, however, microbes have overcome these defense responses <span lang="en-us">and have evolved ways</span> to successfully infect plants. These pathogenic microbes cause a wide array of serious plant diseases, with often important economic and ecological impact. <span lang="en-us">W</span>e are fascinated by the sophisticated infection strategies<span lang="en-us"> of pathogenic microbes and their intimate interaction with plant cells</span>.<b><br> <img border="0" src="images/haustoria2.jpg" align="right" hspace="0" vspace="10" alt="Downy mildew haustoria in plant cells" width="178" height="123"></b><br> <b><a name="Research questions:">Research questions:</a></b></p> <ul> <li> <p align="justify">How do <span lang="en-us">plant and microbe</span> interact and communicate?</p> </li> <li> <p align="justify">How are plant cell<span lang="en-us">s</span> manipulated to collaborate with the intruding microbes<span lang="en-us">?</span></p> </li> <li> <p align="justify">How have plant<span lang="en-us">s</span> and microbes co-evolved <span lang="en-us">at</span> the molecular level?</p> </li> </ul> <p align="justify">Our challenge is to understand the molecular processes that are crucial in establishing a successful plant-microbe infection. This will not only lead to new scientific discoveries, but will also form the basis for new strategies to combat infectious diseases.<img border="0" src="images/sporulation2.jpg" align="right" hspace="0" vspace="15" width="223" height="131"></p> <p align="justify"><b><span lang="en-us"><a name="Research themes:">Research projects:</a></span></b></p> <ul> <li> <p align="justify"> <b><a href="research/genetics.html">Molecular Genetics of plant disease susceptibility and resistance</a></b></p> </li> <li> <p align="justify"> <b> <a href="research/downy_mildew.html">Downy mildew genomics</a></b></p> </li> <li> <p align="justify"> <b> <a href="research/interface.html">Signaling at the plant-microbe interface</a></b></p> </li> </ul> <p align="justify"><b><span lang="en-us"><a name="Model System:">Model System:</a></span></b></p> <p align="justify"><span lang="en-us">T</span>o study the molecular aspects of disease susceptibility <span lang="en-us">we work on the</span> interaction between the model plant <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> (a mustard weed) and its natural pathogen <i>Hyaloperonospora parasitica</i>, the causal agent of downy mildew<span lang="en-us"> (in Dutch: valse meeldauw)</span>. <i>H. parasitica</i> is an obligate biotroph (it is dependent on the living plant for growth and reproduction)<span lang="en-us">,</span> <span lang="en-us">that</span> grows between the cells of the Arabidopsis leaf forming haustoria (feeding structures) in almost all adjacent plant cells. The haustorium is formed by invagination of the host plasmamembrane, a process in which the plant cell actively collaborates. Through the haustorium, the pathogen acquires nutrients and <span lang="en-us">influences </span>processes in the plant cell.</p> <p align="justify"><span lang="en-us">A more detailed description about our model system</span> in Dutch / een populair wetenschappelijke beschrijving<span lang="en-us"> van ons modelsysteem</span>:<span lang="en-us"> </span> <a target="content" href="research/gastheer.html">De plant als gastheer voor pathogenen (2001)</a><a target="_self" href="#_Top"><img border="0" src="images/solis/pijl-up.gif" align="right" width="25" height="28" /></a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="50"></td> <td align="left" valign="bottom"> <div class="teklein"><a href="cnt.html" target="_self"> </a>Last update: 14-Sep-2006<br /> <a href="mailto:N.W.Boot@bio.uu.nl">N.W.Boot@bio.uu.nl</a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="images/tpix.gif" width="36" height="1" alt="" /></td> <td><img src="images/tpix.gif" width="714" height="1" alt="" /></td> </tr> </table>  </body>