Our primary interest is in understanding the genetic and biochemical basis of disease resistance in plants.
Plants are able to specifically recognize pathogens and actively respond.
We are investigating how this specific recognition is accomplished and how recognition is translated into a resistant response. To address these questions we take a molecular genetic approach. We use the small mustard Arabidopsis thaliana as our standard host plant, and the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae as our standard pathogen. These R genes are thought to encode receptors that bind proteins secreted by the bacteria. Such binding then leads to activation of multiple defense responses in the plant, including production of oxygen radicals and programmed cell death.