Vatsal Arora
PhD candidate in Molecular Plant Pathology, University of Amsterdam
Project: Subtle Sabotage - Discovering Brassica Susceptibility factors for Xanthomonas infection
About my research
Interaction between plants and microbes has been going on for long time. Some microbes have evolved to be able to modify the host cells according to their needs, to facilitate infection. Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), which causes the black rot disease on Brassica oleracea is one such pathogen. Xcc uses effectors to target and hijack host factors, like those involved in nutrient assimilation, hormonal pathways or immune systems to facilitate infection. Such host factors are important for infection and if removed or modified, limit the pathogen growth in the plant. In my project, I aim to identify such effector targets and check if they can act as “susceptibility factors” in B. oleracea for Xcc infection.
Overall, I hope to develop a viable source of resistance against the pathogen and save our much loved cabbages!