Research Projects

Legumes face various environmental challenges, including biotic and abiotic stresses, and must coordinate their responses through the crosstalk between regulatory pathways triggered by external cues. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the crosstalk between nutritional homeostasis and immune signaling in plants, such as miR399 and miR1507, which regulate Pi homeostasis and PHOsPHATE2 (PHO2), and miR164a, which targets a potassium efflux antiporter. studies in non-legume plants have shown that overexpression of miR164 leads to an increase in defense-related responses in response to pathogen attack. Plant colonization by beneficial microbes like Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi enhances plant nutrition and resistance against pathogen infections, but the role of miRNAs in this regulation is unknown. The proposed research proposal aims to identify interconnected regulations between nutrient and immune signaling pathways in legumes, focusing on phosphate and potassium signaling. The model system will be the plant/pathogen/AM fungus interaction of Medicago truncatula/Erysiphe pisi/Rhizophagus irregularis. This study will be the first to decipher how nutrient supply determines resistance or susceptibility to pathogen infection, and the underlying molecular mechanisms by which nutrient excess/deficiency and immune signaling pathways interact with one another, especially in legumes like Medicago. Understanding how disease resistance is regulated by nutrient status could lead to novel concepts in fundamental processes underlying plant disease resistance, ultimately helping to define new strategies for crop protection with less input of pesticides and fertilizers.