Deciphering the mechanism of action of the Phytophthora infestans effector Pi13628 in the suppression of MAMP-dependent signalling in tomato

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Oomycetes are deep-branching eukaryotes that include Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis, the causal agent of downy mildew on Arabidopsis thaliana, or Phytophthora infestans which causes potato and tomato late blight. In silico analysis predicted that the genome of several oomycete species encodes for a large number of so-called RXLR-(EER) effectors that are assumed to manipulate host cellular functions as part of their infection strategy. The main objective of this project will consist to use a cell-based system in Arabidopsis and tomato to identify and characterize RXLR-(EER) effectors from H.arabidopsidis and P. infestans that 1) suppress plant immune responses triggered by the recognition of invariant microbial structures, termed Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs), and/or 2) interfere with the vesicle trafficking system in plant cells. Subsequently, complementary approaches including biochemical and physiological assays will be performed to ascribe functions to the candidate RXLR-(EER) effectors as well as characterizing/discovering their plant targets. A major advantage of the system is that it simplifies the complex pathogen-plant interactions to pure individual signals and synchronized cell-autonomous responses, making it as a powerful high-medium throughput tool to test hundreds of effectors.