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My research interests are directed towards gaining further insights into cellular processes active in defending plants from microbial attacks by applying genetic, molecular and biochemical approaches to model plants with long-term goal of transferring their knowledge to agriculturally important systems. The focus of my recent and current work has been on the molecular genetics of interactions involving the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and different phytopathogenic fungi. Plants activate diverse defense response mechanisms depending on the nature of the pathogen (Veronese et al., 2003 a). Biotrophic pathogens require living host cells to complete their life cycle. To limit their proliferation, plants evolved ‘gene-for-gene’-based immunity consisting of a rapid elicitation of host localized programmed cell death (PCD) after the recognition of pathogen avirulence (Avr) proteins by host resistance (R ) proteins. Necrotrophic pathogens derive nutrients from dead host cells and kill host tissues by secretion of toxins or activation host PCD. Through a functional genomic approach, I have contributed to deciphering the regulatory network of host defense responses to the necrotrophic Botrytis cinerea against which no single-gene-resistance has been identified in any plant species (Veronese et al., 2004, 2005). Verticillium dahliae Kleb. is a soil-borne fungus which causes vascular diseases in many important crop plants lacking a high degree of host specificity. I have developed and characterized the Arabidopsis-V. dahliae pathosystem showing how the pathogen, causing early flowering and a senescence-like syndrome, is able to induce disease by interfering with the host developmental program (Veronese et al., 2003 b). Via forward genetics, I have isolated T-DNA tagged mutants of Arabidopsis with altered Verticillium disease symptom development named Verticillium hyper- susceptible (vhs) which are currently studied in the lab in order to understand how plants recognize and respond to the colonization by pathogens causing vascular diseases. Further research goal is the identification of molecular and genetic bases of V. dahliae pathogenicity/virulence.
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