Function of two secreted proteins of Ustilago maydis that negatively affect virulence and their transcriptional regulation

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Armin Djamei
• Subject Area: Plant Genetics and Genomics
• Term: from 2008 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 61703175

Ustilago maydis is a biotrophic fungus and causes smut disease in its host maize. The damage caused by pathogenic fungi in general but also importantly by members of the Basidiomycota such as the rusts are of high economic relevance for agriculture in many countries around the world. In the last 15 years, U. maydis has become the sole model organism of plant-pathogenic basidiomycetes. Recently, its genome was fully sequenced and genome wide expression analysis enabled the identification of gene clusters coding for novel secreted proteins which do play an important role during the infection process of the host plant maize. My project will focus on two genes which affect virulence negatively and their function during the infection of the host plant. Furthermore the possible role of the plant as a trigger for the expression of those two virulence controlling factors will be investigated and a mutagenesis screen in U. maydis will reveal factors involved in the transcriptional regulation of the two genes of interest.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants