~ Jayaraman

Citation

Thesis Title
Effector-triggered immunity against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae in nonhost plants

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is a highly damaging pathogen causing bacterial canker in commercially important cultivars of kiwifruit. Mr Jayaraman investigated various disease resistance mechanisms present in Arabidopsis, tomato and tobacco plants: non-hosts to Psa. Firstly, he discovered that a secreted proteinaceous effector from the highly virulent Psa strain V13 triggers separable resistance and cell death in both Arabidopsis and tobacco. This effector, HopZ5, is a novel member of a large family of acetyltransferases. Researching a non-pathogenic epiphytic Psa strain, LV5, Mr Jayaraman identified homologs of previously characterised effectors, HopAR1 and HopAB3, with the latter triggering a novel resistance in cultivated tomato. Finally, he identified two effectors from Psa that interact with Arabidopsis WRKY transcription factors that could be bioengineered to trap Psa into being recognised by plant resistance proteins that respond to WRKY-interacting effectors. His findings will be critical for resistance deployment against Psa in the future.

Supervisors
Dr Janet Reid
Dr Erik Rikkerink
Professor Rosie Bradshaw
Dr Kee Sohn