FOR 5116:  Plant-microbe communication through exRNA: systems-level approaches to explore molecular mechanisms and agronomic applications

• Subject Area: Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine ; Biology
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 433194101

Food security and healthy food for 11 billion people in 2100 is one ofthe major challenges of this century. According to the scientificliterature, there is no other option than to increase the global yieldefficiency and reduce the yield gap to guarantee global food security –given that further land increase for agriculture is not an acceptablealternative. To realize these agricultural goals new understanding inthe mechanisms of plant diseases and new technology discoveries incrop protection are required. Hence, it is the major aim of this initiativeto create a vibrant, dynamic and internationally leading andcollaborative consortium with the common goal of developing amechanistic understanding of RNA-mediated cross-kingdom (ckRNA)communication between plant hosts and their pathogens. Our centralhypothesis is that exRNAs (RNA effectors) have a conserved key rolein pathogen infection and plant health, and therefore also have a highpotential for improving plant health. The overall strategic objectives ofour initiative are: • to reveal the role of exRNAs in cell-to-cellcommunication and their delivery pathways • to enable thedevelopment of novel strategies for plant protection • to build researchcapacity in exRNA biology together with training the next generationof students in this important research area. Our specific aims are: •Finding strategies to improve the use of RNA in controlling plantdiseases • Elucidating the principles of cross-kingdom communicationin plant-microbe interactions • Assessing the routes of exRNAs inplant-microbe cross-kingdom communication • Discovering the keytransacting factors involved in the transport of exRNAs. Theconsortium unites experts with advanced knowledge and keypublications in the field of noncoding RNAs, RNA transport, RNAproteininteraction, RNA-mediated cross-kingdom communication,vesicle biology, and RNA-based plant protection, including plantpathologist, mycologists, botanists, cell biologists and biochemists.We anticipate that the knowledge gained in this consortium can beused in the future to improve agronomic RNA applications, i.e. byusing novel formulations, types of RNA and/or employing RNAbindingproteins and vesicle-based delivery.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Bioinformatic methods for the investigation of cross-kingdom RNA communication (Applicant Goesmann, Alexander )
• Comparative analysis of cross kingdom RNA transfer in smut/plant pathosystems (Applicant Feldbrügge, Michael )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Kogel, Karl-Heinz )
• Cross-kingdom RNA transfer in the barley-powdery mildew interaction (Applicant Panstruga, Ralph )
• Extracellular RNAs in vascular wilt diseases (Applicant Kehr, Julia )
• RNA communication in a mutualistic microbe-plant interaction: Molecular targets and biotechnological strategies for improved crop plant production (Applicant Kogel, Karl-Heinz )
• The role of bacterial extracellular RNAs in plant infections with Xylella (Applicant Robatzek, Silke )
• The role of fungal Argonautes and other types of RNA-binding proteins in Botrytis-plant cross-kingdom RNAi (Applicant Weiberg, Arne )
• Vesicle-mediated RNA transfer: from factors and mechanisms to functions (Applicant Schäfer, Patrick )

• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Julia Kehr, since 2/2024