Targeting of lipid transfer proteins and other secreted plant defence proteins by pathogen effectors

The aim of this project is to understand how a protein encoded by a disease-resistance gene recognises that a plant is under attack by a plant pathogen. We have obtained evidence that a tomato lipid transfer protein mediates the recognition of a leaf-mould effector protein by a corresponding tomato disease resistance protein. The proposed research aims to test the hypothesis that tomato detects the presence of the leaf-mould pathogen through effector-induced changes in lipid transfer proteins or other secreted plant-defence proteins, and will reveal new molecular details of the interactions between plants and pathogens.