Collaborative Research: Modulation of Host Auxin Physiology by Pseudomonas Syringae

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The objectives of this project are to understand the role of the plant hormone auxin during pathogen infection and disease development and to elucidate the mechanisms by which the plant bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae modulates auxin synthesis and signaling in plants. The investigators will use a combination of genetic, molecular and biochemical approaches to identify the biosynthetic pathways used by P. syringae to synthesize auxin and to investigate how P. syringae virulence factors alter host auxin physiology to promote pathogenesis. The proposed experiments are innovative and relevant because they integrate studies of the pathogen, plant host and auxin synthesis and signaling within the host and should yield improved understanding of the role(s) of auxin (and potentially other plant hormones) and hormone signaling during pathogen infection and disease development. The work will benefit society at large through a better understanding of pathogen virulence and disease susceptibility, and may lead to novel control methods and development of plants with increased disease resistance. The project will provide stimulating and valuable research and educational opportunities for high school, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students in the investigators' laboratories, and both laboratories work with educational programs to attract students from under-represented groups to become involved in the research.