“Dynamic Inter-Organellar Communications in Plant-Microbe Interaction”
As sessile organisms, plants have developed well-orchestrated molecular mechanisms in
response to microbial pathogens. Multiple immune signaling pathways coordinated by several
subcellular compartments and interactions between organelles play an essential role in
activating a successful immune response against invading pathogens. Interestingly, various
organelles are targets of pathogens to manipulate the plant immune system directly or
indirectly. The chloroplast is a primary production site of pro-defense molecules as well as a
favorite target of effector proteins, which are delivered from pathogens to inhibit plant
immune responses. Recently, stromules, dynamic tubular extensions from chloroplasts, were
proposed to transport pro-defense signals generated from chloroplasts into the nucleus during
immunity. Induction of stromule is correlated to the hypersensitive responsive programmed
cell death (HR-PCD) triggered by recognizing effector proteins secreted from pathogens into
plant cells. However, the detailed molecular mechanism regulating stromule induction is still
unknown. In my lab, we aim to understand the molecular basis of the role of chloroplast-
nucleus communication in plant immunity by using several experimental approaches. In
particular, we use effector proteins from plant pathogens to identify regulatory proteins
involved in plant immunity via regulating chloroplast-nucleus communication.
