HYDERABAD: Dr J Madhuprakash, assistant professor, Department of Plant Sciences from the University of Hyderabad (UoH) has co-authored three research papers published in the international journal, Science Advances, recently, offering fresh insights into how plants defend themselves against devastating crop diseases and how pathogens evolve to overcome these defences.
Dr J Madhuprakash collaborated with an international team of researchers during his study leave at The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), Norwich, United Kingdom.
Working in the laboratory of plant biologist Prof Sophien Kamoun, the team investigated the molecular mechanisms governing plant immunity and pathogen infection. The three interconnected studies focus on the interaction between plants and Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen responsible for potato late blight, the disease that caused the historic Great Irish Famine in the 19th century.
Talking to TNIE, Dr Madhuprakash said the studies collectively reveal the molecular arms race between plants and pathogens. One of the studies uncovered how a key plant immune receptor, NRC2, becomes activated after recognising invading pathogens.
The researchers found that the receptor assembles into a hexameric, or six-part, molecular complex, acting as a switch that initiates immune signalling and enables the plant to resist infection.
The other two studies examined how P. infestans deploys an effector protein, AVRcap1b, to suppress the plant’s immune system. The researchers showed that the protein targets host cellular components and disables helper immune receptors.