Pattern triggered immunity in horticultural crops

• We use comparative genomics to survey the pattern-recognition receptor (PRRs) repertoire of Chinese cabbage.
• We clone the homologs of known PRRs and test their functionality in Arabidopsis prr mutants.
• We assay the Chinese cabbage physiological responses to treatment with known pathogen-derived molecules.

Pathogen effector impact on plant physiology

• We selected a subset of Ralstonia solanacearum effectors that carry a putative Nuclear Localization Signal.
• We clone the selected effectors into binary vector for heterologous expression in tobacco and Arabidopsis.
• We survey the impact of effector expression on the plant immune system and the root development.

New R genes in horticultural crops

• We use comparative genomics to identify putative avirulent effectors from Korean strains of Ralstonia solanacearum in bacterial wilt resistant Solanaceae.
• We clone individual avirulent effector candidates into different vector to find a suitable delivery method in Solanaceae leaves.
• We test hypersensitive response following effector delivery in various segregating populations.
• We develop molecular markers linked with bacterial wilt resistance for accelerated breeding of resistant cultivars.