Attack of the sugar thieves

Pathogens infect plants to gain access to nutrients e.g. carbon sources for reproduction. The pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae injects effectors (small molecules), so called TALes, into rice plants and triggers the disease Bacterial Blight. These TALes bind to sucrose exporters and induce the dislocated allocation of sugars throughout the plant body. CEPLAS doctoral student Laura Redzich (Institute of Molecular Physiology, HHU) investigates this sugar transport in rice and how bacteria can manipulate it. She has created a vivid comic to illustrate her work.

 

Illustrated by Nina Stoffer 

 

 

Planter's Punch

Under the heading Planter’s Punch we present each month one special aspect of the CEPLAS research programme. All contributions are prepared by our young researchers.

About the author

Laura Redzich is a PhD student in the Molecular Physiology group (Prof. Wolf Frommer). She studies sugar transport in rice and how bacteria can manipulate it. During her fieldwork in South Africa, she decided to dive deeper into the molecular mechanisms underlying plant adaptability. In times of global warming, her long-term goal is to develop solutions to make plants more resistant to its impacts and diseases.

Further Reading

Mira, M., Pottier, M., Schladt, T.M., Ejike, J.O., Redzich, L., Frommer, W.B., Kim, J.-Y. (2022). Plasmodesmata and their role in assimilate translocation. Journal of Plant Physiology, 270. doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153633