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Developing healthy crops for EU: T3SS-Recognition EXploration (T-REX) for plant immunity against bacteria

Project description

Keeping crop plants and livestock protected against pathogens

Bacterial disease control is a top priority for farmers who must keep their crop plants and livestock production safe from invading pathogens. This is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. While plants have developed multiple defence strategies for combating invading pathogens, antibiotic resistance in plant-pathogenic bacteria is an issue. The EU-funded T-REX project will build on recent studies on wheat that have revealed an unknown recognition mechanism of the effector translocator widely conserved in pathogenic bacteria. It will aim to characterise the recognised T3SS component, the membrane-bound receptor complex and the activated immunity. Overall, the findings will shed light on the complex plant-bacterial interactions and can potentially lead to the development of new phytopathogen control strategies.

Objective

Among the greatest challenges of the 21st century are bacterial diseases that permanently threat plants and animals, including humans to whom they often are lethal. In plant and animal production, bacteria can cause severe yield reductions if not effectively controlled. However, the current control measures include use of environmentally problematic antibiotics, which in addition may lead to appearance of bacterial strains resistant to these antibiotics.
Recent progress in the host laboratory using a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) of wheat reveals a hitherto unknown recognition mechanism of the effector translocator widely conserved in pathogenic bacteria. The associated receptor complex is predicted to have wide potential for exploitation in bacterial disease control, not only in crop plants but also in livestock production. In the T-REX project, number of parallel efforts will be taken to characterize the recognized T3SS component, the membrane bound receptor complex and the activated immunity. This will be undertaken using an integrated approach, which involves my background knowledge and experiences combined with the ones of the host institution within molecular genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and bioinformatics.
This study will shed light on the role of T3SS as a PAMP, which will help us to elucidate the complex plant-bacterial interactions and can potentially lead to the development of new phyto-pathogen control strategies. T3SS being conserved among plant and animal pathogen, the outcome of the T-REX project has potential for extrapolation into animal pathological systems, including humans, and may contribute to the world of medicine.

Coordinator

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 200 194,80
Address
NORREGADE 10
1165 Kobenhavn
Denmark

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Region
Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 200 194,80