MM

Identification and characterisation of genes underlying host specificity/non-host resistance in the wheat powdery mildew pathosystem

Plant pathogens often display a high level of host specificity – they are only able to infect and reproduce on a single or a very narrow range of host species (Panstruga & Moscou, 2020). High levels of host specificity are particularly pronounced among biotrophic plant pathogens, which depend on living host tissue for their survival (Dracatos et al., 2018). Biotrophic fungi, such as the rusts and powdery mildews constitute important agricultural plant pathogens (Savary et al., 2019). From the plant perspective, the phenomenon of host specificity is referred to as non-host resistance, reflecting that a certain plant species is resistant against entire pathogenic fungal species/lineages (Panstruga & Moscou, 2020). The molecular mechanisms and evolutionary trajectories of host specificity and non-host resistance in plant/fungal interactions remain poorly understood, mainly because the underlying genetic components remain unidentified.

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Marion Müller, Technical University Munich