Using single-cell transcriptomics to understand plant disease

With the human population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the looming challenge of feeding the rapidly growing population is threatened by plant pathogens, which cause significant losses in crop yield each year. While controlling microbial pathogens is essential for sustainable agriculture and global food security, developing durable disease resistance requires a deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis.

This project will utilize single cell transcriptomics and advanced live cell imaging approaches in combination of classic genetics and molecular biology to understand how the devastating Phytophthora pathogens cause disease in plants. Phytophthora cause numerous destructive diseases including potato late blight that triggered the Great Irish Famine and sudden oak death that has killed millions of forest trees. Worldwide losses due to the potato late blight disease alone are estimated to exceed $5 billion annually. By investigating the intricate interactions between Phytophthora and plant hosts in a single-cell level, this project will reveal fundamental principles of Phytophthora pathogenesis and offer new opportunities to develop disease control strategies. The gained knowledge will contribute to battling Phytophthora diseases and enhancing global food security.

This project offers broad training on cutting-edge, interdisciplinary technologies as well as transferable skills to enhance career planning and professional development so the student will be equipped with the necessary skills to pursue a successful career in science. Excellent support both intellectually and technically will be offered by experienced mentors and support teams. The student will be immersed in a highly collaborative research environment at TSL, NRP and UEA with a strong commitment that supports equality, diversity and inclusion, and promotes open science and excellence in science.

References

Tang B, Feng L, Hulin MT, Ding P, Ma W * (2023) Cell type-specific responses to fungal infection in plants revealed by single-cell transcriptomics. Cell Host & Microbe. 31: 1-16. doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2023.08.019.

Li H, Wang J, Kuan TA, Tang B, Feng L, Wang J, Cheng Z, Sklenar J, Derbyshire P, Hulin M, Li Y, Zhai Y, Hou Y, MacLean D, Menke FLH, Wang Y, Ma W* (2023) Pathogen protein modularity enables elaborate mimicry of a host phosphatase. Cell. 186: 1-12. doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.049.

Hou Y, Zhai Y, Feng L, Karimi HZ, Rutter BD, Zeng L, Choi DS, Zhang B, Gu W, Chen X, Ye W, Innes RW, Zhai J, Ma W* (2019) A Phytophthora effector suppresses trans-kingdom RNAi to promote disease susceptibility. Cell Host & Microbe. 25: 153-165. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2018.11.007.

Qiao Y, Liu L, Xiong Q, Flores C, Wong J, Shi J, Wang X, Xiang Q, Liu X, Jiang S, Zhang F, Wang Y, Judelson HS, Chen X, Ma W* (2013) Oomycete pathogens encode RNA silencing suppressors. Nature Genetics. 45: 330-333. DOI: 10.1038/ng.2525.

Nobori T*, Oliva M, Lister R, Ecker JR* (2023) Multiplexed single-cell 3D spatial gene expression analysis in plant tissue using PHYTOMap. Nat. Plants 9, 1026–1033. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01439-4.