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July 12–13 eSymposia​​ - Live Now

Molecular Mechanism & Structure — Zooming in on Plant Immunity

This eSymposium was held July 12-13, 2021, and hosted by Jian-Min Zhou (Beijing, China) and Jane Parker (Cologne, Germany). This eSymposium centered around one of the top ten unanswered questions in MPMI: Does ETI potentiate and restore PTI — or is there really a binary distinction between ETI and PTI? The eSymposium highlighted some of the most recent progress in this fast-moving field and facilitate networking for scientists around the world. With an emphasis on protein structural biology, biochemistry, genomics and genetics, the speakers described molecular me​chanisms of host-pathogen recognition, defense signaling and homeostasis, and disease resistance execution.

Session 1 focused on protein structure-based insights to intracellular immune receptor (NLR) activation and downstream signaling leading to a host response called effector-triggered immunity (ETI).

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Session 2 covered host cell-surface receptor sensing of pathogen molecules and defense signaling leading to pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). This session will further consider the extent to which these two host receptor systems are functionally intertwined for combating pathogen attack. There will be Q & A opportunities after each speaker session and interactive poster rooms for lively discussion.​

View Detailed Program​

Program Schedule At-a-Glance (All times in U.S. Central Time)

Monday, July 12

Tuesday, July 13

Global eSymposia Times

The eSymposia is Chaired By:

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Jane Parker Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany ​ Jane Parker works at The Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany. Her group uses a combination of genetics, phylogenomics, protein structure-function analyses and infection phenotyping to understand plant host immunity pathway regulation and homeostasis. A current interest in the Parker group is to molecularly connect activation of intracellular NLR receptors by recognized pathogen effectors to the timely mobilization of resistance and cell death execution mechanisms.

Jian-Min Zhou Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ​ Jian-Min Zhou is broadly interested in plant-microbe interactions, with a focus on anti-bacterial immunity. His research uncovered how phytopathogenic bacteria subvert host immunity during infection. Much of his recent research is centered on mechanisms underlying immune receptor-mediated signaling and application of disease resistance genes in sustainable agriculture.

• Plenary Session 1 - Structural insight to NLR activation and signaling: Monday, July 12 — 09:00–10:45 Central

  Moderators

  Thorsten Nürnberger

  Gitta Coaker
  

  
  

  Speakers

  
  

  Jijie Chai Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany ​ Talk Title: Plant NLR resistosomes Jijie Chai is a Professor at the University of Cologne and Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research. He is a structural biologist and his research interests are in the field of plant immunity, focusing on Receptor Like kinases (RLKs) and Nucleotide binding and Leucine-rich repeat domain containing Receptors (NLRs). Research from his group is to understand signaling mechanisms of these two families of immune receptors via structural biology coupled with other approaches. One contribution he made to our understanding of NLR biology is identification and structural characterization of plant NLR resistosomes.

  
  
  

  ​Jane Parker (Chair) Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany ​ Talk Title: Immunity signaling downstream of NLR receptor activation Jane Parker works at The Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany. Her group uses a combination of genetics, phylogenomics, protein structure-function analyses and infection phenotyping to understand plant host immunity pathway regulation and homeostasis. A current interest in the Parker group is to molecularly connect activation of intracellular NLR receptors by recognized pathogen effectors to the timely mobilization of resistance and cell death execution mechanisms.

  
  
  

  Pierre Jacob University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina ​ Talk Title: Plant “helper” immune receptors are Ca2+-permeable cation channels Pierre Jacob obtained his PhD in 2016 at University Paris-Saclay in France working on abiotic stress resistance in Abdelhafid Bendahmane and Heribert Hirt laboratories. They collaborated with the seed company Gautier Semences to identify stress resistance mechanisms that could be translated in crops. Subsequently, he joined the Jeff Dangl and Sarah Grant lab to study nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptor function as a postdoctoral researcher and then as a HHMI research associate. His research focus on a family of “helper” NLR required for other NLR signaling and playing a critical role in effector triggered immunity.

  Jian-Min Zhou (Chair) Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Talk Title: Signaling from the ZAR1 resistosome pore Jian-Min Zhou is broadly interested in plant-microbe interactions, with a focus on anti-bacterial immunity. His research uncovered how phytopathogenic bacteria subvert host immunity during infection. Much of his recent research is centered on mechanisms underlying immune receptor-mediated signaling and application of disease resistance genes in sustainable agriculture.

  
  
  
• Plenary Session 2 - Receptor sensing & interplay between PTI and ETI: Tuesday, July 13 —​ 08:15–10:00 Central

  Moderators

  Libo Shan

  Jonathan Jones

  
  

  Speakers

  
  

  Xiufang Xin Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology ＆ Ecology, Shanghai, China ​ Talk Title: PTI-ETI crosstalk: An integrative view of plant immunity Xiufang Xin works at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology ＆ Ecology in Shanghai, China. Her group uses Arabidopsis and the crop plant rice to study plant-microbe-environment triangular interactions, particularly the molecular interplay between plant immunity and pathogen virulence, molecular basis of environmental effect on plant diseases as well as phyllosphere microbiota.

  
  
  

  Cyril Zipfel University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland ​ Talk Title: The complicated case of calcium influx durring immunity Cyril Zipfel is the Chair of Molecular & Cellular Plant Physiology at the University of Zürich (Switzerland) and is also a Senior Group Leader at The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) in Norwich (UK). Before that, he was the Head of TSL (2014-2018) where he established his research group in 2007. He performed his PhD (2001-2005) in the laboratory of Prof. Thomas Boller (Friedrich-Miescher Institute, Basel, Switzerland) and then was an EMBO Post-Doctoral Fellow (2005-2007) with Prof. Jonathan Jones (TSL Norwich, UK). He is a recognized pioneer and leader in the field of plant innate immunity and receptor kinases. His work focuses on understanding the molecular basis of plant receptor kinase-mediated signaling with a particular focus on innate immunity, as well as on the application of this research to improve disease resistance in crops. He was awarded competitive European Research Council grants in 2012 (Starting) and 2018 (Consolidator), is a Highly Cited Researcher (since 2014), and was awarded the Charles Albert Shull Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2015 and the 4th Tsuneko & Reiji Okazaki Award from Nagoya University in 2018. He was elected to the European Molecular Biology Organisation in 2018.

  
  
  

  Rory Pruitt Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ​ Talk Title: Arabidopsis cell surface LRR immune receptor signaling through the EDS1-PAD4-ADR1 node Rory Pruitt is a postdoc in Thorsten Nürnberger’s group at the Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tübingen. His research interests include bacterial pathogenesis and plant immunity. His current work focuses on the role of PAD4, EDS1 and helper NLRs in immune signaling mediated by leucine rich repeat receptor like proteins. Recent findings indicate that these proteins may serve as an important convergence point in pattern triggered immunity and effector triggered immunity.

  
  
  

  Xin Li University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia ​ Talk Title: Helper NLRs in plant immunity Xin Li is a professor at University of British Columbia in Canada. Her group uses multidisciplinary approaches in molecular genetics, biochemistry, and genomics to decipher how plant immunity is regulated. A current focus in the Li lab is to understand the underlying signalling and regulatory mechanism of NLR mediated immunity.