Principal Investigators：Wang Yuanchao, Dou Daolong, Zhang Zhengguang, Dong Suomeng, Zheng Xiaobo

Funding Received: 10.5 Million RMB

Sponsored by: NSFC

Project Period: 2018.1-2023.12

Brief Introduction to the project:

  The research team has been studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the Plant- Phytophthora interactions for decades, aiming to develop new strategies and protocols for crop diseases management. Substantial advances have been made in research on several topics including PAMP-triggered plant immunity (PTI), effector triggered susceptibility (ETS), effector-triggered plant immunity (ETI), and natural variations of effector genes that break down resistance. Several key players during Plant-Phytophthora interaction, including XEG1 and a variety of avirulence effectors have been identified. The “Pathogen decoy model”, a novel pathogenicity concept proposed by the team has attracted extensive attentions in China and abroad. Furthermore, plant susceptibility mechanisms triggered by five effector proteins have been elucidated. The team has published over 130 research papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Science, Current Biology and The Plant Cell, which have been cited over 1800 times by colleagues according to the ISI Web of Science. The international science community widely appreciates the high quality research by the team. Currently, the team comprises one winner of the Cheung Kong Scholars Program, three awardees of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for Distinguished Young Scholars, and one awardee of the Excellent Young Scientist Foundation of NSFC and the youth Thousand Talents Plan. In this application, we have proposed future effort to study the molecular mechanisms of plant PTI, genetics basis of ETI, effector mediated susceptibility, as well as effector expression regulation. We hope that new fundamental insights into Phytophthora diseases and plant immunity will promote the development and deployment of novel strategies, materials and technologies for sustainable crop disease management.