My main scientific interest is to understand the fundamental processes that determine the outcome of plant infections by pathogenic bacteria while facing both plant immunity and the commensal microbiota. Plants employ an elaborate immune system to defend themselves against pathogens. Adapted pathogens evolved to invade host tissue via particular infection routes and overcome plant immunity. Bacterial Xanthomonas pathogens are a major threat to a variety of crop plants; for example, Xanthomonas campestris isolates cause black rot disease on cabbage and other Brassicaceae plants.
My research group studies the pathogenicity strategies of Xanthomonas and the corresponding plant immune response. How Xanthomonas gains access to the plant vasculature during systemic infections and how tissue-specific immune recognition allows the plant to ward off such highly adapted pathogens are open questions that we address by applying genetic, biochemical and cell biological approaches.
In nature, plants are inhabited by microbial communities collectively called microbiota, which fulfil important functions for the host, such as disease protection. However, it is still unclear whether commensal microbes occupying similar niches as pathogens and can prevent disease due to direct inhibition of the pathogen or by priming of localized plant immune responses.
Understanding the molecular interaction between plants, their commensal microbiota and pathogens will contribute to the development of new (biological) crop protection solutions for agriculture.
The research on pathogenesis of Xanthomonas campestris was initiated by Harrold van den Burg from 2011 to 2022, who is now a Professor by special appointment for Phytopathology at the University of Amsterdam and Program leader Biotechnology at Rijk Zwaan.