Project

Host resistance against Verticillium

In tomato, the Ve resistance locus has been identified that contains race 1 isolates of V. dahliae and V. albo-atrum. This resistance is mediated by the receptor-like protein (RLP) type resistance protein Ve1, a cell surface receptor that contains extracellular LRRs and that only has a short cytoplasmic region. We study diverse aspects of the functionality of Ve1 and the genetic requirements for Ve1-mediated resistance.

In addition, we are searching for novel sources of resistance in tomato and in Arabidopsis. We have identified several randomly tagged Arabidopsis mutants that display enhanced Verticillium resistance.

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Wild-type Arabidopsis plants (left) and plants from two mutants (middle and right) after mock-inoculation (top row) or Verticillium inoculation (bottom row). The two mutants show significantly less symptoms of disease.