Understanding the role of vacuolar trafficking during effector-triggered immunity

PhD defence by João Paulo Alves Plácido

Assessment Committee

Professor Rosa L.L. Marques, Dept. of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate Professor Jane E. Parker, Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne
Professor Viktor Žárský, Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Charles University, Prague

Supervisors

Professor Hans Thordal-Christensen
Associate Professor Mads Eggert Nielsen

Department

Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Place

Building: Frederiksberg Campus, Room: A2-70.03, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg

Email address to gain access to the thesis: jpap@plen.ku.dk.
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Short description of the thesis

Understanding plant-pathogen interactions is crucial to create disease resistant plants and future-proof our agricultural systems. Plant vacuolar trafficking is known to be involved in pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) responses such as callose deposition, but its role in effector-triggered immunity (ETI), mediated by nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs), remains poorly understood. In this thesis, vacuolar trafficking is shown to not be required for ETI to occur, although prolonged disruption of this pathway progressively disturbs cellular homeostasis, causing a general suppression of NLR-mediated signaling. This likely occurs due to depletion of the signaling machinery required to translate cytosolic calcium influx into downstream immune responses. The causes and implications of this suppression are explored, thus elucidating the role of vacuolar trafficking in plant immunity.