Plant Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress_4

Our research focuses on two aspects of bacterial-plant interactions: 1. The genetic determinants that cause disease or disease resistance We use the wide-host range pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum as a model. R solanacearum is a soil-borne pathogen whose major virulence determinant is the type III secretion system (T3SS). This secretion machinery delivers bacterial effector proteins into host cells, in an engaging example of information transfer between evolutionary distant organisms. In addition, the main regulatory cascades controlling expression of the T3SS and other virulence genes is well characterised. 2. The biochemical executioners of programmed cell death. Programmed cell death (PCD) is an essential process for normal development and defense against pathogens in all multicellular organisms. We have recently shown that metacaspases, distant relatives of caspases, are main regulators of PCD in plants. (Coll et al., Science 2010). We are currently deciphering the mech