The role of SUMO in regulating fungal diseases in crops plants through the chitin receptor CERK1.

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Fungal disease management will become increasingly important for global food security in the coming years, especially in the face of climate change and increasing food demand. The development of disease resistant crops to fungal infection is central to this solution, so knowledge of the plant's immune response to fungal infection is essential for the development of crops with enhanced resistance. This thesis studies CERK1, the main pattern recognition receptor protein for chitin in plants, and it's interaction with SUMO during chitin elicitation. Additionally, the SUMO protease DeSi3a and its role during botrytis cinerea infection is explored. The working hypotheses for this study are that like FLS2, CERK1 is SUMOylated upon chitin elicitation and that this post-translational modification is essential for the activation of fungal immune signaling in the cell.