Molecular basis for susceptibility and immunity to Fusarium wilt disease

枯萎病是危害香蕉、棉花和番茄等重要作物的一种毁灭性病害。我们对这种疾病的理解存在重大差距，需要加以解决，以实现更好的疾病管理。本项目旨在鉴定和分析镰刀菌效应蛋白（毒力因子）靶向的番茄蛋白，确定相应的番茄受体（抗性蛋白）如何识别这些效应蛋白，并确定这些受体激活的信号通路和关键防御反应。目的是缩小我们在理解上的差距，并利用所获得的知识来制定通过干扰真菌致病性和增强植物抗性来控制疾病的新策略。

Fusarium wilt is a devastating disease of many important crop plants, including banana, cotton and tomato. There are significant gaps in our understanding of this disease that need to be addressed to enable better disease management. This project aims to identify and analyse tomato proteins targeted by Fusarium effector proteins (virulence factors), determine how corresponding tomato receptors (resistance proteins) recognise these effectors, and identify the signalling pathways and critical defence responses activated by these receptors. The intention is to close the gaps in our understanding and use the knowledge gained to develop new strategies for disease control by interfering with fungal pathogenicity and enhancing plant resistance.