Plasmodiophora brassicae: Infection machinery and host interactions

We have established extensive knowledge on plant defence mechanisms and genomes of pathogens during the last two decades. The latter being the starting point for many molecular interaction studies. This project is on Plasmodiophora brassicae, the clubroot inciting pathogen and the early plant interaction responses.

P. brassicae belongs to the less known supergroup Rhizaria and attacks oilseed rape, cabbage and other crops in the Brassicaceae family. The project comprises two integrated parts. We aim to clarify if: 1. P. brassicae has developed specific structures to facilitate the infection.

Structures that attach to the plant surface followed by injection of its cellular content into the host plant. 2. the adhesin-binding plant proteins play important roles in the plant-pathogen interaction process and if the pathogen highjacks the host peroxisomes to favour the infection process. The work requires extensive molecular and microscopic analysis which we do have plenty of experience of.

We will use Arabidopsis mutants to verify selected genes of importance and complementation studies using P. brassicae sequences in the Toxoplasma gondii parasite known to have similar infection structures that we believe P. brassicae is using. The latter part is planned to be accomplished in collaboration with a French research group.

The long-term goal is to deepen our understanding of the infection process and thereby shaping the search for suitable resistance traits.