Dear IS-MPMI members, dear friends,

I am excited to serve as IS-MPMI president for the next 2 years. With your input, I aim to set new directions for our society. Toward that goal, I plan to revisit our society’s mission statement as it relates to our growing and diverse community. My aspiration is to combine core operational goals with strategic planning to leverage our science and its impact in multiple forums. To help facilitate this, I call on you as members to engage in conversations—both within your institutions and within your national and international networks—that refocus our aspirations as a society and to propose action items that we can collectively execute during the coming years.

Let me express my tremendous gratitude to our colleagues who delivered an exciting congress program last summer in Glasgow. Many thanks to Paul Birch and John Jones and to Immediate Past President Regine Kahmann for their leadership! We look forward to the upcoming IS-MPMI Congress in Jeju, Korea, in 2021. We plan to have another exciting meeting in a very attractive venue that’s sure to highlight the diversity of MPMI research and researchers.

Even though the meeting is still 2 years away, I encourage you to contemplate possible candidates for our prestigious prizes in 2021: The IS-MPMI Award and the IS-MPMI Young Investigator Award. I welcome emails highlighting the achievements within our community. You bring much to our foundational knowledge, translational accomplishments, training, outreach, and more, and we want to learn about your accomplishments and the efforts that impact our international communities. This year, we recognized Brian Staskawicz (University of California, Berkeley), who received The IS-MPMI Award, and Katharina Markmann (University of Tübingen), who received the IS-MPMI Young Investigator Award​. Congratulations to you both!

Importantly, you should know that the society has moved to a new model regarding congress site selection. Although we still welcome your suggestions, the IS-MPMI staff will select the site to ensure that it’s within budget and will accommodate our growing membership. Staff will also oversee conference logistics. Once a site has been identified, a team of scientists will be identified and assembled. We are currently looking for a 2023 congress site and welcome both your suggestions and your input on this new selection process. The science and activities for the congress will remain the core responsibilities of the scientific organization committee.

While our science is reaching new frontiers, we know that our members are facing challenges that impact our work and mission. We are conscious of the difficult economic situations in parts of the world, including issues regarding research funding, publication costs, open access to publications, and inequities within our communities. Some of these problems, we can help resolve as a society with the will to do so. An important initiative that you should know about is the Developing Countries Discounted Membership. Watch for more information about this important initiative.

The remarkable strengths that underlie IS-MPMI are its backbone of membership, ongoing research quality, and exceptional training of students. It’s important to note that our not-for-profit MPMI  journal and online forum Interactions are operated by devoted members of our society. The proceeds directly support our congress meetings and awards. The vitality and direction of our society thus depend on your continued membership and journal support.

As a reminder, your membership provides you with these benefits:

-A platform to share your science by participating in international congress meetings and/or publishing your manuscripts in the MPMI journal

-Opportunities to collaborate and network with the top scientists (both established and early investigators) in our niche field

-​Access to valuable knowledge distributed through the MPMI journal and Interactions

MPMI, spearheaded by Editor-in-Chief Jeanne Harris at the University of Vermont, is moving toward full open-access publishing (more updates soon), and “Technical Advances” and “Resource Announcements” are currently freely available to all readers. In addition, efforts have been made to simplify submission practices (single PDF for initial review) and offer discounts for members for publications. The “Top 10 Unanswered Questions of MPMI” drew strong enthusiasm in Glasgow. Watch for new articles relating to the “Top 10” in upcoming issues. In addition, MPMI now has an official podcast called Microgreens. This forum, hosted and produced by Raka Mitra, shares stories of microbes, plants, and the people who study them. Stay tuned for new clips!

Interactions, crafted by Editor-in-Chief Dennis Halterman at USDA–ARS in Wisconsin, continues to be a source of member news and views throughout the year. It includes InterViews between students and established experts in the field of plant–microbe interactions, articles about issues affecting the field, and other updates and society news. Interactions is always looking for new content. Please submit​ your stories and articles.

I hope that you continue to engage in the society by contributing to IS-MPMI. Enrolling in Auto-Renew will ensure that your membership never expires!

With your help, we can continue to be an enthusiastic and forward-thinking community. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Mary Beth Mudgett

IS-MPMI President

mbmudgett@ismpmi.org​

​​​Please also visit the tribute to Dr. Jim Alfano in the MPMI journal​.

James “Jim” Robert Alfano, 56, Charles Bessey Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), died Nov. 21, 2019, following a battle with cancer. Jim served 17 years with UNL, joining the faculty in 2002. He was named director of the Department of Plant Pathology’s undergraduate Microbiology program in 2011. He also served as a member of the University’s Center for Plant Science Innovation. Jim’s research focused on how bacteria pathogens that cause plant diseases differ from those in animals. Studies in his lab were specifically directed at understanding type III secretion systems, a specialized protein apparatus present in gram-negative bacteria pathogens in plants and animals. An official obituary for Jim can be found on the University Of Nebraska–Lincoln’s website.

Jim was a well-respected and well-liked member of the IS-MPMI community. Below is a tribute from Jim’s former mentor, Alan Collmer, and a subsequent article includes a compilation of homages from friends and colleagues on social media. Both tributes exemplify the enormous impact that Jim’s science and personality has had on our research community during his career.

 Alan Collmer (Cornell University, U.S.A): Jim Alfano was a giant in our field who made paradigmatic discoveries involving the Pseudomonas syringae type III secretion system (T3SS), the effectors it injects into plant cells during pathogenesis, and the functions of those effectors in virulence. Jim was a postdoc in my lab in the mid-90’s and then a coPI on an NSF Plant Genome Research Program functional genomics project I led in the early 2000’s. Over the years, my working relationship with Jim evolved from mentor, to intellectual partner, to grateful reporter of joint NSF project progress, to ultimately, an admiring reader of his lab’s many, major discoveries. But it was my friendship with Jim that I will treasure above all else.

In his postdoctoral research, Jim confronted the paradoxical activities of the P. syringae hrp gene cluster in eliciting the hypersensitive response (HR) and in trafficking different classes of proteins. Jim’s careful observations revealed that harpins, though known to be abundantly secreted in culture by the Hrp system and capable of eliciting the HR as isolated proteins, are actually “helpers” in the delivery into plant cells of another class of proteins that we now know of as effectors. This insight shifted our research focus to the effectors and their systematic identification. Jim consequently led an effort to sequence the hrp gene cluster and flanking sequences in three model strains of P. syringae – a massive effort that Jim brought to completion with his new lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This work revealed that hrp genes are part of a tripartite pathogenicity island that includes an exchangeable effector locus and a conserved effector locus harboring core, ancestral effector genes (with many more effector genes somewhere else in the genome). Jim’s work was key to revealing the primary function of the Hrp T3SS and its centrality in the evolution of P. syringae virulence.

As our excitement with these discoveries shifted from primary observations to broader implications, Jim took the lead in spreading the word of the many advances being made with plant pathogenic bacteria.  The two of us accordingly wrote a series of review articles for Plant Cell (1996), Journal of Bacteriology (1997), the textbook Principles of Bacterial Pathogenesis (2001), and Annual Review of Phytopathology (2004). In meshing with Jim’s thinking in this process, I developed a deep respect for his intellect and his gift for seeing and saying things clearly and directly. Indeed, when I found myself writing my sections with the thought of meeting his standards, I realized that I now had a great colleague and that our field had a rising new star. In 1997 Jim started his own lab at UNLV, and then in 2000 moved to the Plant Science Initiative and Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). With his new lab, Jim began a career-long exploration of the environmental and genetic factors controlling the traffic of different classes of proteins through the T3SS and into plant cells.

Jim’s pioneering work on the Hrp system was foundational to a 2000 multi-institutional award from NSF to sequence and study the genome of P. syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000. As a coPI, Jim contributed to a remarkable 21 project-supported publications between 2002 and 2007. Three of the many publications that were led by his lab had particular impact. Petnicki-Ocwieja et al. (2002 PNAS) used an iterative approach involving experimental and computational methods to comprehensively identify effector genes in the DC3000 genome. Jamir et al. (2004 Plant Journal) revealed that several of the newly found effectors were suppressors of the HR. And, in work done entirely in Jim’s lab, Fu et al. (2007 Nature) discovered that one of the newly found effectors (HopU1) used ADP-ribosylation (an activity previously unknown for plant pathogens) to inhibit RNA-binding protein-dependent plant immunity. Jim’s lab also investigated host targets, biochemical activities, and subcellular localization of several other effectors. Finally, his group discovered important aspects of effector delivery by the T3SS, including the identification of chaperones for several effectors, the function of HrpK as a translocon component, and the dual activity of HrpJ, an extracellular T3SS component, in regulating substrate traffic and promoting virulence.

Jim was a scientist to his core, and he was fearless in using the best tools to get to the heart of hard problems. He also pulled

more than his weight for the larger scientific community— as a highly respected member of multiple editorial boards and grant review panels and as a teacher and mentor to a new generation of students and postdocs. He was deservedly an elected fellow of several scientific societies and a recipient of multiple honors. However, as much as Jim will be missed for his scientific prowess, he will be missed so much more as a person of many dimensions.

Jim arrived in my lab in March 1993 in a Jeep more suited for southern California than upstate New York. Tall and athletic, he came with a big dog named Jake and an open enthusiasm for life and science. He initiated an annual March Madness NCAA Basketball pool in the department and also got our lab hooked on listening to NPR and having lively discussions of politics, movies, writing styles, music, and endless other topics. Jim seemed like a spirited race horse, but he was also surprisingly aware and caring of others. At Cornell, he met Karin van Dijk, then a PhD student in the Graduate Field of Plant Pathology. They married and later had a daughter, Isabella (“Izzy”). Jim and Karin became collaborators as well as life partners, and she is now an Associate Professor of Biochemistry at UNL. As Jim’s former lab mate Amy Charkowski wrote me: “I remember how much he and Karin enjoyed running in Ithaca and how much he enjoyed spring in New York and the song birds. He had never lived someplace with so many song birds or with such dramatic springs and he could go on and on about this.”

Two photos of Jim evoke particularly strong memories for me. The first is the official Plant Pathology Department photo of Jim as a new postdoc in 1993. In it I see the raw enthusiasm and promise that I was so lucky to experience. The second photo (below), from Gail Preston, is of Jim and Rob Jackson leading their respective “DC3000” and “1448A” soccer/football teams into battle at the 8th International Conference on Pseudomonas syringae Pathovars and Related Pathogens in Oxford in 2010. In it I see the wide-open sociability, sunny vitality, and love of fun for the whole group that Jim brought to the benefit of our lab and to so many scientific gatherings. Jim will be missed for so many reasons by so many people around the world. We have all lost a great scientist and a treasured friend.

im Alfano was an active supporter of science (his own and that of others) using social media. He frequently tweeted about plant-microbe interactions news and updates from his account. He also maintained a Scoop.it page on plant-microbe interactions, through which he curated the literature. It is, therefore, not surprising that many tributes to @jimalfano1 were quickly posted on Twitter from his many followers. Below is a selection of those tweet.

Jim’s legacy lives on through his many contributions to our science and through his mentoring and teaching activities. But we will also remember him through his tweets and Scoop.it posts. Please share your own tributes and remembrances in the “Comments” section below.​

Jim Alfano tributes – Curated tweets by IS-MPMI

In order to include the viewpoints of our members in training in Society decision-making and Congress planning, the IS-MPMI Board of Directors (BOD) would like to add two graduate student or postdoc members to the board. The term length of these positions will be two years (Congress to Congress), although the first positions will be held only until the 2021 Congress. The BOD can vote to extend the position for an additional two years if the requirements of the position are still met (applicant is still a graduate student or postdoc).

Requirements/duties of the position:

• Maintain membership in IS-MPMI
• Contribute to Society leadership, decision making, and Congress planning by participating in month or bi-monthly BOD teleconferences and follow up communications, averaging less than 2 hours per month
• Assist in developing and soliciting content for IS-MPMI Interactions

Nominations (self-nominations are welcome) will be accepted until March 1, 2020.

Nominations sent to President Mary Beth Mudgett should include:

• name
• current position
• contact information
• and a short (5-6 sentence) description of nominee and why you would be a good addition to the BOD.

​​​

​It’s time for the next installment of our get-to-know-Jeju series.

The South Korean island of Jeju is located within the Korea Strait. The island is known for its beach resorts and volcanic landscape of craters and cavelike lava tubes. Hallasan Mountain, a dormant volcano, features hiking trails and a crater lake at the 1,950m summit. The Geomunoreum Lava TubeSystem includes 7km-long Manjanggul Cave, created centuries ago when Hallasan was still active.

IS-MPMI XIX Congress 2021​ will be held on Jeju, Korea in 2021. Watch the meeting’s website ​for more details about the meeting and keep checking back here for more fun get-to-know-you facts!

In order to include the viewpoints of our members in training in Society decision-making and Congress planning, the IS-MPMI Board of Directors (BOD) would like to add two graduate student or postdoc members to the board. The term length of these positions will be two years (Congress to Congress), although the first positions will be held only until the 2021 Congress. The BOD can vote to extend the position for an additional two years if the requirements of the position are still met (applicant is still a graduate student or postdoc).

Requirements/duties of the position:

• Maintain membership in IS-MPMI
• Contribute to Society leadership, decision making, and Congress planning by participating in month or bi-monthly BOD teleconferences and follow up communications, averaging less than 2 hours per month
• Assist in developing and soliciting content for IS-MPMI Interactions

Nominations (self-nominations are welcome) will be accepted until March 1, 2020.

Nominations sent to President Mary Beth Mudgett should include:

• name
• current position
• contact information
• and a short (5-6 sentence) description of nominee and why you would be a good addition to the BOD.

Plants, viruses, and insects function in a complex tripartite interaction. Lu and colleagues describe an interesting twist on this interaction, demonstrating that an insect viral symbiont improves the fitness of its insect host by reducing plant defense responses and thus allowing the aphid to feed longer.

This article is currently freely available. Read now!

MPMI and the other APS journals had more than 1.3 million downloads in 2019! In celebration, we made the top 10 most-downloaded MPMI articles open access through the end of February. Happy reading!

In order from lowest to highest number of downloads:

Genome Sequence Resource for Ilyonectria mors-panacis, Causing Rusty Root Rot of Panax notoginseng
Bo Zhu, Sai Wang, Chun-Yi Mi, Rui-Huan Yang, Guo-Hong Zen, and Xiu-Fang Hu​

Genome Sequence Data of Six Isolates of Phytophthora capsici from Mexico
Alfredo Reyes-Tena, José C. Huguet-Tapia, Kurt H. Lamour, Erica M. Goss, Gerardo Rodríguez-Alvarado, Gerardo Vázquez-Marrufo, et al.
​

Whole Genome Sequence Resource of the Asian Pear Scab Pathogen Venturia nashicola
Shakira Johnson, Dan Jones, Amali H. Thrimawithana, Cecilia H. Deng, Joanna K. Bowen, Carl H. Mesarich

hagis, an R Package Resource for Pathotype Analysis of Phytophthora sojae Populations Causing Stem and Root Rot of Soybean
Austin G. McCoy, Zachary Noel, Adam H. Sparks, and Martin Chilvers

Nodulation Induces Systemic Resistance of Medicago truncatula and Pisum sativum Against Erysiphe pisi and Primes for Powdery Mildew-Triggered Salicylic Acid Accumulation
Lara Smigielski, Eva-Maria Laubach, Lina Pesch, Joanna Marie Leyva Glock, Frank Albrecht, Alan Slusarenko, et al.
Altmetric score: 62

Mycovirus-Induced Hypervirulence of Leptosphaeria biglobosa Enhances Systemic Acquired Resistance to Leptosphaeria maculans in Brassica napus
Unnati A. Shah, Ioly Kotta-Loizou, Bruce D. L. Fitt, and Robert H. A. Coutts

Mai1 Protein Acts Between Host Recognition of Pathogen Effectors and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling​
Robyn Roberts, Sarah R. Hind, Kerry F. Pedley, Benjamin A. Diner, Matthew J. Szarzanowicz, Dianiris Luciano-Rosario, et al.
Altmetric score: 72

Genome Data of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Race 1 and Tropical Race 4 Isolates Using Long-Read Sequencing
Yingzi Yun, Aixia Song, JianDong Bao, Shasha Chen, Songmao Lu, Chunzhen Cheng, et al.

A Remorin from Nicotiana benthamiana Interacts with the Pseudomonas Type-III Effector Protein HopZ1a and is Phosphorylated by the Immune-Related Kinase PBS1
Philip Albers, Suayib Üstün, Katja Witzel, Max Kraner, and Frederik Börnke

Chitin-Binding Protein of Verticillium nonalfalfae Disguises Fungus from Plant Chitinases and Suppresses Chitin-Triggered Host Immunity​
Helena Volk, Kristina Marton, Marko Flajšman, Sebastjan Radišek, Hui Tian, Ingo Hein, et al.
Altmetric score: 55