Signaling to plant immunity responses (PathoNet)

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Dierk Scheel (†); Professor Dr. Wolfram Weckwerth
• Subject Area: Plant Physiology
• Term: from 2009 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 104959977

Main objective: To improve understanding of pathogen perception and activated signaling pathways via advanced genomics tools and to.resolve how functions regulated by these pathways enable plant adaptation to pathogenic environment. Towards this aim, establish a novel research platform that includes employing and further developing genomics to answer biological questions focusing on PAMP-induced signaling In particular, we will unravel protein kinase and phosphatase signaling complexes, phosphorylated protein targets, and to link these events to plant metabolic responses and pathogen induced immunity functions. Within this project we have gathered leading research teams that study different aspects of PAMP induced signal transduction with the involvement of receptor-like kinases (RLKs), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and on the opposing protein phosphatases, PP2Cs. We use and develop advanced technologies to follow the dynamic changes in phosphorylation of proteins, the phosphoproteome and systemic analysis of the metabolome in response to specific PAMP signals. Building this new strongly interacting international team will help to reach the "critical mass" of plant science on biotic stress signaling.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria, United Kingdom
• Participating Persons: Dr. Justin Lee; Dr. Irute Meskiene (†); Professor Dr. Cyril Zipfel