Functional characterisation of the necrotrophic effector proteins Tox1 and Tox3 from the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum

Stagonospora nodorum is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen of wheat and is the cause of over $100 million in yield losses each year. Recent studies (DP0986139) have identified that S. nodorum secretes small unique proteins (termed effectors) that cause cell death and necrosis. This was a crucial advance in the field as it proved that necrotrophic pathogenicity was based upon specific gene-for-gene interactions. This proposal seeks to expand upon these initial findings by determining the mode-of-action of these effector proteins and how they elicit cell death. The outcomes of this proposal will fundamentally advance our understanding of fungal-plant interactions by elucidating previously unknown molecular mechanisms of necrotrophic disease.