A unique bacterial mechanism gives insight to plant disease.
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| Assistant professor of genetics, development and cell biology Bing Yang is studying a unique bacterial mechanism. |
Bacterial pathogens have developed malevolent mechanisms to produce disease in plants. Bing Yang, a new assistant professor in genetics, development and cell biology, is studying bacterial blight in rice as a means of understanding emerging diseases in crop plants.
"What's kind of amazing is that bacteria have developed a mechanism somewhat like a hypodermic needle to inject pathogenic proteins into host cells," said Yang, affiliate of The Center for Plant Responses to Environmental Stresses.
This protein injection mechanism mediates the interactions between the bacterium and its host and is similar to secretion systems used by some bacterial pathogens that produce disease in animals and humans.
Yang, who arrived at Iowa State in January, explained that the pathogen uses its injected proteins to take advantage of the plant cell, monopolizing the plant.s energy for the advantage of the bacteria growth. On the other hand, the plant recognizes the intruder and mounts a defense response. In this way, there is an ongoing battle between the host plant and the bacteria at the molecular level.
Yang's goals are to identify the bacterial proteins and the group of host genes involved in the defense response of the rice plant. Yang hopes that a better understanding of the disease will lead to better breeding strategies for disease control in crop plants.
