Understanding the molecular basis of fungal rust diseases in plants

本项目旨在利用结构生物学、生物化学和分子生物学的方法，大大加深我们对锈菌与植物相互作用的理解。真菌锈病致病菌对我们最重要的粮食作物造成疾病和重大产量损失。在定植过程中，锈菌利用分泌的效应蛋白引起植物病害。效应物也可以被植物免疫受体识别，从而产生抗性。这项工作的预期结果是产生知识，可用于疾病管理和工程策略的发展，以保护植物免受锈菌的侵害。这将为农业生产力和全球粮食安全带来重大利益。

This project aims to utilise structural biology, biochemistry and molecular biology approaches to substantially deepen our understanding of rust fungi-plant interactions. Fungal rust pathogens cause disease and significant yield losses in our most important food crops. During colonisation, rust fungi utilise secreted effector proteins to cause plant disease. Effectors can also be recognised by plant immunity receptors, leading to resistance. The intended outcome of this work is to generate knowledge that can be used for the development of disease management and engineering strategies to protect plants from rust fungi. This should provide significant benefits to agricultural productivity and global food security.