Host-microbe biology

Several groups in RSB, spanning all three Divisions, work on topics at the interface between microbes and their host. The School has expertise in both plant and animal hosts, pathogenic, parasitic and symbiotic microbes and projects investigating host-microbe interactions at the genomic, cellular, organismal and ecological level. Fundamental knowledge about the interactions between microbes and their hosts is critical for understanding natural ecosystems and their evolution, improving plant biomass for food production and development of vaccines and drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases.

 

Project Groups
A chytrid fungus nanobody toolkit and genetic transformation approaches Tham Group - Understanding chytrid infection biology
Bioinformatics and gene discovery in wheat rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
Caenorhabditis elegans as a potential animal model to study host-pathogen interactions Verma Group - Bacterial and bacteriophage genetics, and vaccine development
Cell specific activation of plant hormones Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
Cellular adaptations that allow the transmission and survival of Plasmodium falciparum when taken up by the mosquito Maier Group - Molecular mechanisms of malaria pathogenesis
Delivery of virulence proteins by fungal rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
Dissecting the defence responses activated by tomato receptors able to detect Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici infection Jones Group - Disease resistance
Effector delivery by fungal rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
Engineering microRNA pathways for broad-spectrum plant disease resistance. Millar Group - Plant microRNA biology and disease resistance
Erythrocyte membrane modifications during malaria infection Maier Group - Molecular mechanisms of malaria pathogenesis
Evolution of Varroa tolerance in feral honey bees Mikheyev Group - Evolutionary genomics
Flavonoid functions in nitrogen-fixing symbioses Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
Function of molecular chaperones in the export and display of parasite proteins Maier Group - Molecular mechanisms of malaria pathogenesis
Functional characterisation of the flax rust fungus AvrP and AvrL2 effector proteins Jones Group - Disease resistance
Fungal bioinformatics Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
How do effector proteins from necrotrophic fungi cause disease in wheat
  • Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
  • Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
  • Identification and functional characterisation of flax rust effectors Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Identification and functional characterisation of the Fusarium oxysporum Avr7 effector gene. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Identification of signal transduction and accessory protein requirements for resistance responses mediated by the tomato I gene for Fusarium wilt resistance. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Improving biological nitrogen fixation in legumes Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
    Ion homeostasis in the malaria parasite Kirk Group - Membrane transport in parasites
    Laboratory overview Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Molecular tools to reveal protein function and identify drug targets Maier Group - Molecular mechanisms of malaria pathogenesis
    New molecular targets for drugs to treat human and animal nematode parasites Behm Group - Nematode molecular biology
    Novel nutrient/metabolite transporters in apicomplexan parasites
  • van Dooren Group - Cell biology and metabolism of apicomplexan parasites
  • Kirk Group - Membrane transport in parasites
  • Nutrient acquisition in apicomplexan parasites
  • Lehane Group - Antimalarial drug action and resistance
  • van Dooren Group - Cell biology and metabolism of apicomplexan parasites
  • Protein function in plant immunity Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Serotype-converting bacteriophages and O-antigen modification in Shigella flexneri Verma Group - Bacterial and bacteriophage genetics, and vaccine development
    Shigella virulence and vaccine development Verma Group - Bacterial and bacteriophage genetics, and vaccine development
    Speciation in co-evolved taxa: sexually-deceptive orchids and their mycorrhizal symbionts Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Structural basis of drug resistance in the Malaria parasite Brock Group - Membrane Structural & Synthetic Biology
    SynBio enabled biosensors Brock Group - Membrane Structural & Synthetic Biology
    Synthetic biology to engineer novel disease resistance in cereal crops Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Targeting ion transport in apicomplexan parasites with new generation antimalarials
  • Lehane Group - Antimalarial drug action and resistance
  • van Dooren Group - Cell biology and metabolism of apicomplexan parasites
  • The biology of the mitochondrion of apicomplexan parasites van Dooren Group - Cell biology and metabolism of apicomplexan parasites
    The molecular basis for plant susceptibility and immunity to Fusarium wilt disease
  • Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
  • Jones Group - Disease resistance
  • Transport mechanisms and drug resistance in malaria transporters Corry Group - Transport proteins and computational biophysics
    Understanding the pathogenesis of the urinary tract pathogen Proteus mirabilis Furlong Group - Bacterial Structural Defence
    Use of a tobacco Pathogenesis-related Protein-5 (PR-5) promoter: β glucuronidase (GUS) reporter system to study plant defence activation in response to phytohormones, abiotic stresses and biotic inducers. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Vitamin utilisation by malaria parasites Saliba Group - Physiology and biochemistry of the malaria parasite
    Wheat immunity and applied synthetic biology Rathjen Group - Plant immunity

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