Sebastian Pfeilmeier (Molecular Plant Pathology): Cell Type-Specific Disease Resistance Against Vascular Xanthomonas Plant Pathogens (XANTHORESIST)

Plants have fascinating ways to protect themselves from harmful germs. They use physical barriers to keep invaders out and an immune system to fight off infections. But germs have their own tricks to get inside plants and cause disease. For example, specialised bacteria from the genus Xanthomonas enter the leaf through tiny water pores and infect the vascular system, leading to Black Rot disease in cabbage crops, which is devastating agricultural fields in the Netherlands and around the globe. Stopping germs at the water pores could prevent a systemic infection. As we currently know very little about how plants defend this entry point, Pfeilmeier’s project aims to identify the defence responses in the plant cells that first perceive and fight the harmful invaders. In addition to the immune system, helpful microbes that live inside these water pores may protect the plant. Understanding how the plant reacts to germs and helpful microbes will enable us to find new ways to protect crops from diseases. Pfeilmeier’s findings can help safeguard not only cabbage, but also other crops, including wheat and rice, that suffer from similar diseases.

Jianbo Zhang (Molecular Biology & Microbial Food Safety): A Neonatal anaerobic Gut-microbiome-on-a-Chip to decode bacterial colonization and infant gut T cell maturation (NeoGutChip)

The early days of life are a critical window to develop a healthy relationship with the infant gut microbiota. Because these early residents can train our naïve immune system for later challenges such as infections and allergens. Despite its importance, our understanding on this training process is limited. Therefore, there is a pressing need for an infant gut model to capture the training of beneficial microorganisms on our immune system in early life. In NeoGutChip, Jianbo Zhang will develop a first-of-its-kind avatar of the human infant gut, an in vitro infant Gut-Microbiome-Immune-on-a-chip model. Zhang will use the model to determine the impact of dietary and early bacterial residents on the function of infant gut microbiota, the mucosal barrier, and immune cells. The aim is to identify key infant gut species and bacterial genes that drive these beneficial effects. The successful completion of NeoGutChip will offer a molecular basis to rationally “design” new interventions that directionally promote immune health in babies. Finally, the model can be further developed into a preclinical tool that can be used widely for pediatric biology and medicine.